The importance of chemical data for the study of interstellar shocks

Shock waves perturb the chemical state of the interstellar gas. We consider the effects of C-shocks on the composition of molecular clouds, for a range of values of the pre-shock gas density and magnetic induction. The time required to re-establish equilibrium in the post-shock gas depends on the initial conditions and can become very large. The significance of the two known chemical phases of dark clouds and of bistability is considered in this context.