Chemical Compositions of Four Metal‐poor Giant Stars

We present the chemical compositions of four K giants CS 22877-1, CS 22166-16, CS22169-35 and BS 16085 - 0050 that have [Fe/H] in the range -2.4 to -3.1. Metal-poor stars with [Fe/H] < -2.5 are known to exhibit considerable star - to - star variations of many elements. This quartet confirms this conclusion. CS 22877-1 and CS 22166-16 are carbon-rich. There is significant spread for [$alpha$/Fe] within our sample where [$alpha$/Fe] is computed from the mean of the [Mg/Fe], and [Ca/Fe] ratios. BS 16085 - 0050 is remarkably $alpha$ enriched with a mean [$alpha$/Fe] of $+$0.7 but CS 22169-35 is $alpha$-poor. The aluminium abundance also shows a significant variation over the sample. A parallel and unsuccessful search among high-velocity late-type stars for metal-poor stars is described.Comment: 14 pages (text), 4 tables, 3 figures, Accepted for publication in PAS