Elemental abundance analyses with the EBASIM spectrograph of the 2.1-m CASLEO Observatory Telescope -: I.: The late B and early A stars ξ octantis, α Sextantis, and 68 Tauri

We used data from the EBASIM spectrograph of the 2.1-m CASLEO telescope to study three rather sharp-lined late B to early A stars xi Oct (B6 IV), alpha Sex (B9.5 III), and 68 Tau (A2 IV). These measurements are compared with those from the Anglo-Austrialian Telescope for the first star and to those from the coude spectrograph of the 1.22-m telescope of the Dominion Astrophysical Observatory (DAO) for the other two stars. The equivalent width scales of the EBASIM and the DAO data are similar. Thus for the latter two stars the DAO data is also used in the analyses. Both xi Oct and alpha Sex generally have abundances close to those of the Sun in the range of values found for other normal stars with similar effective temperatures. The abundance pattern for 68 Tau is that of a metallic-lined star as is well known.