Abstract
Multi-line data of ammonia (NH(3)) are presented for Maffei 2, IC 342, and the starburst galaxies NGC 253 and M 82. While in M 82 the NH(3) emitting gas is cool, presumably arising from well shielded dense cores deeply embedded in an environment dominated by Photon Dominated Regions, the other galaxies show 'warm' and 'hot' components that may be heated by shocks, ion-slip or cosmic rays. Interferometric observations show the detailed large scale distribution of NH(3) in galaxies for the first time. The first multi-line studies of ammonia at significant redshifts (z = 0.65 and 0.89) are also reported and rotational temperatures, measures of the kinetic temperature of the emitting gas, are derived for all sources.