Molecular Gas in Intermediate Luminosity IRAS Galaxies

We report single dish CO (J = 1-0) measurements for 29 galaxies of intermediate infrared luminosity (L_FIR_ = 10^10^-10^11^ L_sun_) in the IRAS Bright Galaxy sample, at distances in the range 20-40 Mpc. Most of the galaxies were mapped at 3-7 points with a 55" beam. The total H_2_ masses, assuming a standard Galactic CO-to-H_2_ conversion ratio, lie in the range 5 x 10^8^-2 x 10^10^ M_sun_. The mean ratio of L_FIR_/M_H2_ for this intermediate luminosity sample is approximately three times that found for Virgo Spirals (L_FIR_ = 10^9^-5 x 10^10^ L_sun_), and approximately one-third of that found for a sample of higher luminosity (L_FIR_ = 10^11^-2.5 x 10^12^ L_sun_) IRAS Bright Galaxies.