While it is not possible to predict - or necessarily prevent - terrorist incidents in which chemical warfare agents (CWAs) and toxic industrial chemicals (TICs) are deployed, correctly chosen, fast, and reliable detection equipment will allow prepared rescue workers to respond quickly and minimize potential casualties.

Detection Technologies for Chemical Warfare Agents and Toxic Vapors discusses the principles, instrumentation, and context for applying technologies such as ion mobility spectrometry, infrared spectroscopy, colorimetric chemistry, and flame ionization to the detection of TICs and lethal CWAs. It conveys techniques - some of which have been patented by the authors - developed for generating vapors and closely imitating potential environmental effects in a laboratory setting, specifically for the testing and evaluation of hand-held, portable, and remote devices. This book also provides a comprehensive list of toxic industrial chemicals classified in terms of hazardousness and their physical, chemical, and toxicological properties. Following a brief historical overview, the text also includes a review of federal detection requirements and the government's rationale for preparedness and response.

By providing insight on the behavior of toxic chemicals, the authors hope to minimize the fear and chaotic effect in a potential event involving chemical agents. Well written and accessible to technical and non-technical audiences, no other book focuses on analytical methods and explains current detection devices for chemical warfare agents.

If you have ever wanted to understand the basic principles of astronomy and celestial movements, you should read this book. Using pictures of the sky observed from different places on Earth, as well as drawings of ancient astronomical methods and tools, Prof. Sun Kwok tells this story in an entertaining and fascinating way. Since the beginning of human civilization, people have wondered about the structure of the cosmos and our place in the Universe. More than 2,000 years ago, our ancestors knew that the seasons were unequal, the Earth was an unattached object floating in space, and stars existed that they could not see. From celestial observations, they concluded that the Earth was round. Using simple tools and mathematics, ancient astronomers accurately determined the sizes of the Earth and Moon, the distance to the Moon, and the lengths of the months and year. With a clever device called the armillary sphere, Greek astronomers could predict the times of sunrise and sunset on any day of the year, at any place on Earth. They developed sophisticated mathematical models to forecast Mars' motions hundreds of years into the future. Find out how ancient observers achieved these remarkable feats. With minimal use of mathematics, this book retraces the footsteps of our ancestors, explains their intellectual journeys in simple terms, and explores the philosophical implications of these discoveries.

How did life originate on Earth? For over 50 years, scientists believed that life was the result of a chemical reaction involving simple molecules such as methane and ammonia cooking in a primordial soup. Recent space observations have revealed that old stars are capable of making very complex organic compounds. At some point in their evolution, stars eject those organics and spread them all over the Milky Way galaxy. There is evidence that these organic dust particles actually reached the early Solar System. Through bombardments by comets and asteroids, the young Earth inherited significant amounts of stardust. Was the development of life assisted by the arrival of these extraterrestrial materials? In this book, the author describes stunning discoveries in astronomy and solar system science made over the last 10 years that have yielded a new perspective on the origin of life. Other interesting topics discussed in this book The discovery of diamonds and other gemstones in space The origin of oil Neon signs and fluorescent lights in space Smoke from the stars Stardust in our hands Where oceans come from The possibility of bacteria in space

This authoritative volume provides a comprehensive review of the origin and evolution of planetary nebulae. It covers all the stages of their evolution, carefully synthesizes observations from across the spectrum, and clearly explains all the key physical processes at work. Particular emphasis is placed on observations from space, using the Hubble Space Telescope, the Infrared Space Observatory, and the ROSAT satellite. This book presents a thoroughly modern understanding of planetary nebulae, integrating developments in stellar physics with the dynamics of nebular evolution. It also describes exciting possibilities such as the use of planetary nebulae in determining the cosmic distance scale, the distribution of dark matter and the chemical evolution of galaxies. This book provides graduate students with an accessible introduction to planetary nebulae, and researchers with an authoritative reference. It can also be used as an advanced text on the physics of the interstellar medium.

While it is not possible to predict - or necessarily prevent - terrorist incidents in which chemical warfare agents (CWAs) and toxic industrial chemicals (TICs) are deployed, correctly chosen, fast, and reliable detection equipment will allow prepared rescue workers to respond quickly and minimize potential casualties. Detection Technologies for Chemical Warfare Agents and Toxic Vapors discusses the principles, instrumentation, and context for applying technologies such as ion mobility spectrometry, infrared spectroscopy, colorimetric chemistry, and flame ionization to the detection of TICs and lethal CWAs. It conveys techniques - some of which have been patented by the authors - developed for generating vapors and closely imitating potential environmental effects in a laboratory setting, specifically for the testing and evaluation of hand-held, portable, and remote devices. This book also provides a comprehensive list of toxic industrial chemicals classified in terms of hazardousness and their physical, chemical, and toxicological properties. Following a brief historical overview, the text also includes a review of federal detection requirements and the government's rationale for preparedness and response. By providing insight on the behavior of toxic chemicals, the authors hope to minimize the fear and chaotic effect in a potential event involving chemical agents. Well written and accessible to technical and non-technical audiences, no other book focuses on analytical methods and explains current detection devices for chemical warfare agents.

Starting from Newton's times this follow-up to the author's Springer book "Our Place in the Universe - Understanding Fundamental Astronomy from Ancient Discoveries" addresses the question of "our place in the Universe" from astronomical, physical, chemical, biological, philosophical and social perspectives. Using the history of astronomy to illustrate the process of discovery, the emphasis is on the description of the process of how we learned and on the exploration of the impacts of discoveries rather than on the presentation of facts. Thus readers are informed of the influence of science on a broad scale. Unlike the traditional way of teaching science, in this book, the author begins by describing the observations and then discusses various attempts to find answers (including unsuccessful ones). The goal is to help students develop a better appreciation of the scientific process and learn from this process to tackle real-life problems.

Authored by an experienced writer and a well-known researcher of stellar evolution, interstellar matter and spectroscopy, this unique treatise on the formation and observation of organic compounds in space includes a spectroscopy refresher, as well as links to geological findings and finishes with the outlook for future astronomical facilities and solar system exploration missions. A whole section on laboratory simulations includes the Miller-Urey experiment and the ultraviolet photolysis of ices.