The S-type stars are believed to have a C/O-ratio close to unity (within a
few percent). They are considered to represent an intermediate evolutionary
stage as AGB stars evolve from oxygen-rich M-type stars into carbon stars. As
possible transition objects the S-type stars could give important clues to the
mass-loss mechanism(s) and to the chemical evolution along the AGB. Using
observations of circumstellar radio line emission in combination with a
detailed radiative transfer analysis, we have estimated mass-loss rates and
abundances of chemically important molecules (SiO, HCN) for a sample of 40
S-type AGB stars. The results will be compared to previous results for M-type
and carbon stars.Comment: To appear in the proceedings of Why Galaxies Care About AGB stars I
