****************************************************** PR # 32240 We want to compare the X-ray and optical properties of an optical sample of clusters of galaxies. This sample is unique because it has well-understood selection criteria and uniformly-calculated velocity dispersions. We propose to obtain complementary X-ray data with ASCA, an observatory ideally suited for the measurement of Lx, Tx, and iron abundances of this sample. The relationships between the clusters' velocity dispersions and their X-ray properties will enable us to determine whether the gas and galaxies trace the gravitational potential, test theories of formation of the ICM and cD galaxies, and address why ``complete" catalogs of optical and X-ray clusters a re not always identical, which may arise because some otherwise dense systems may be dynamically ******************************************************