Spectra in the 10 mum region were obtained of 14 young stars associate
d with the central core of the rho Oph dark cloud complex. Silicate du
st emission and absorption features can be fairly well reproduced with
simple models using the emissivity of the silicates in the Orion Trap
ezium region, believed to be typical of molecular cloud dust. A spectr
um of the Trapezium star theta1 Ori D was obtained to define the emiss
ivity more precisely. The emissivity of silicate dust around the late-
type giant mu Cep does not improve the fits to the absorption features
and provides a poorer match to the emission features. None of the sou
rces display a strong 11.2 mum peak like that seen in comet Halley and
attributed to crystalline olivine. A broad weak feature near 11.2 mum
, possibly related to the comet feature, may be present in the emissio
n spectrum of the Herbig Ae star HD 150193. Absorption features toward
two of the objects are narrower than would be expected from Trapezium
-like silicates, suggesting differences in the composition of the sili
cates. The relation between the silicate extinction band depth and H2O
ice band depths is determined for the deeply embedded objects. One la
te-type object, Elias 14, clearly shows the 11.25 mum aromatic hydroca
rbon emission feature, possibly excited by the nearby B star, HD 14788
9, though the latter does not exhibit the feature.