SODIUM IN WEAK G-BAND GIANTS

Sodium abundances have been determined for eight weak G-band giants wh ose atmospheres are greatly enriched with products of the CN-cycling I I-burning reactions. Systematic errors are minimized by comparing the weak G-band giants to a sample of similar but normal giants. If, furth er, Ca is selected as a reference element, model atmosphere-related er rors should largely be removed. [Na/Ca] = 0.16 +/- 0.01, which is just possibly greater than the result [Na/Ca] = 0.10 +/- 0.03 normal giant s. This result demonstrates that the atmospheres of the weak G-band gi ants are not seriously contaminated with products of ON cycling.