We present measurements of carbon monoxide emission in the central region of the nearby starburst NGC 6000 taken with the Submillimeter Array. The J = 2-1 transition of 12CO, 13CO, and C18O were imaged at a resolution of ~3'' × 2'' (450 × 300 pc). We accurately determine the dynamical center of NGC 6000 at ?J2000.0 = 15h49m49.s5 and ?J2000.0 = -29°23'13'' which agrees with the peak of molecular emission position. The observed CO dynamics could be explained in the context of the presence of a bar potential affecting the molecular material, likely responsible for the strong nuclear concentration where more than 85% of the gas is located. We detect a kinematically detached component of dense molecular gas at relatively high velocity which might be fueling the star formation. A total nuclear dynamical mass of 7 × 109 M sun is derived and a total mass of gas of 4.6 × 108 M sun, yielding a M gas/M dyn ~ 6%, similar to other previously studied barred galaxies with central starbursts. We determined the mass of molecular gas with the optically thin isotopologue C18O and we estimate a CO-to-H2 conversion factor X CO = 0.4 × 1020 cm-2(K km s-1)-1 in agreement with that determined in other starburst galaxies.
