We find that the CN spectra display anomalies in the rotational, fine, and hyperfine line ratios. Anomalies in the rotational excitation appear in W Ori and UU Aur, two stars which are known to present HCN v=0 J=1-0 masers. The excitation of the CN 2-1 line is unusually high in both objects, and UU Aur may present a weak maser effect in this line. Anomalies are also observed in the intensity ratios of the fine and hyperfine components. If such anomalies were due to the envelope thickness, the required line opacities would be excessively high, in particular for low mass-loss rate objects. We thus suggest that the observed anomalies are the result of an anomalous excitation. Pumping through the optical and near-IR bands seems to play a dominant role in the CN excitation.
A comparison with previously published HCN data shows that the CN/HCN
ratio of the total numbers of molecules in C-rich stars tends to be
larger in the objects with lower mass-loss rate, supporting the idea
that CN is mainly formed from the photodissociation of HCN. The
average peak abundance of CN is
1.910
in C-rich objects, and is about 300 times smaller
(
6.610
) in O-rich envelopes. The CN/HCN peak abundance ratio
is
0.45 in C-rich stars, in agreement with photodissociation
chemical models, and
0.04 in O-rich objects. This last value
is about two orders of magnitude smaller than the predictions of
standard chemical models, and suggest that CN is destroyed
by additional mechanisms than photodissociation in O-rich envelopes.