12.2 GHz methanol absoprtion towards SGR A.

Line absorption associated with the 12.2 GHz 2(0)-3(1) transition of CH3OH has been mapped towards Sgr A with the Parkes 64-m radio telescope and a 2 arcmin beam. Two concentrations are present, both offset from the continuum peak, with velocities of 18 and 46 km/s and line-to-continuum ratios of 0.59 and 0.30. For the higher ratio the column density is almost 10 to the 17th/sq cm. The concentrations may be associated with a molecular cloud which overlies Sgr A East but lies in part behind Sgr A West.