Observations of OCS and a search for OC3S in the interstellar medium.

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Observations of OCS and a search for OC3S are reported, with particular reference to cold dust clouds. OCS has been detected for the first time in dark clouds with a mean fractional abundance relative to hydrogen of approximately 3 x 10(-9); this is approximately 4 times greater than that observed for giant molecular clouds. This results is discussed in the context of molecule formation mechanisms. Observations of the J = 1 --> 0 transition of OCS indicate that this transition is amplifying the background continuum radiation in the direction of Sgr B2.