  Context: Hydrides of the most abundant heavier elements are fundamental
molecules in cosmic chemistry. Some of them trace gas irradiated by UV or
X-rays. Aims: We explore the abundances of major hydrides in W3 IRS5, a
prototypical region of high-mass star formation. Methods: W3 IRS5 was observed
by HIFI on the Herschel Space Observatory with deep integration (about 2500 s)
in 8 spectral regions. Results: The target lines including CH, NH, H3O+, and
the new molecules SH+, H2O+, and OH+ are detected. The H2O+ and OH+ J=1-0 lines
are found mostly in absorption, but also appear to exhibit weak emission
(P-Cyg-like). Emission requires high density, thus originates most likely near
the protostar. This is corroborated by the absence of line shifts relative to
the young stellar object (YSO). In addition, H2O+ and OH+ also contain strong
absorption components at a velocity shifted relative to W3 IRS5, which are
attributed to foreground clouds. Conclusions: The molecular column densities
derived from observations correlate well with the predictions of a model that
assumes the main emission region is in outflow walls, heated and irradiated by
protostellar UV radiation.
