The ionized gas in NGC 4945

Physical conditions and relative abundance ratios of the ionized medium of NGC 4945 are discussed. The spectral characteristics indicate forT _e=10⁴ K a relatively low electron density (N _e1250 cm^–3) decreasing outwards. N(N)/N(H) and N(S)/N(H) diminish with the distance from the nucleus while N(N)/N(S) is nearly constant. These abundance gradients, the lack of kinematical evidences of a bar and the observational difficulties to grasp its morphology, make it improbable that NGC 4945 could be classified as a barred galaxy.