Life in the Universe : Expectations and Constraints
Energy, chemistry, solvents, and habitats -- the basic elements of living systems - define the opportunities and limitations for life on other worlds. This class-tested text examines each of these parameters in crucial depth and makes the argument that life forms we would recognize may be more common in our solar system than many assume. It also considers, however, exotic forms of life that would not have to rely on carbon as basic chemical element, solar energy as a main energy source, or water as primary solvent. Finally the question of detecting bio- and geosignature of such life forms is discussed, ranging from Earth environments to deep space. While speculative considerations in this emerging field of science cannot be avoided, the authors have tried to present their study with the breadth and seriousness that a scientific approach to this issue requires. They seek an operational definition of life and investigate the realm of possibilities that nature offers to realize this very special state of matter and avoid scientific jargon wherever possible to make this intrinsically interdisciplinary subject understandable to a broad range of readers.
Life - As a Matter of Fat : The Emerging Science of Lipidomics
Lipids are as important for life as proteins, sugars, and genes. The present book gives a multi-disciplinary perspective on the physics of life and the particular role played by lipids and the lipid-bilayer component of cell membranes. The book is aimed at undergraduate students and young research workers within physics, chemistry, biochemistry, molecular biology, nutrition, as well as pharmaceutical and biomedical sciences. The emphasis is on the physical properties of lipid membranes seen as soft and molecularly structured interfaces. By combining and synthesizing insights obtained from a variety of recent studies, an attempt is made to clarify what membrane structure is and how it can be quantitatively described. Furthermore, it is shown how biological function mediated by membranes is controlled by lipid membrane structure and organization on length scales ranging from the size of the individual molecule, across molecular assemblies of proteins and lipid domains in the range of nanometers, to the size of whole cells. Applications of lipids in nano-technology and biomedicine are also described.
Layered Double Hydroxides
Both experimental and theoretical studies of nearly every aspect of the LDH structure are discussed, including the range of metal cations and interlayer anions, M 3+ /M 2+ ratios, LDH polytypes, arrangement of the "interlayer" anions and water molecules, molecular modeling and molecular dynamics simulations, and the long- and short-range order in both the layers and interlayer galleries. Of especial value is the treatment of the more detailed aspects of the LDH structure that are still unresolved.
Lateral Alignment of Epitaxial Quantum Dots
Accurate positioning of self-organized nanostructures on a substrate surface can be regarded as the Achilles’ heel of nanotechnology. This perception also applies to self-assembled semiconductor quantum dots. This book describes the full range of possible strategies to laterally align self-assembled quantum dots on a substrate surface, starting from pure self-ordering mechanisms and culminating with forced alignment by lithographic positioning. The text addresses both short- and long-range ordering phenomena and paves the way for the future high integration of single quantum dot devices on a single chip. Contributions by the best-known experts in this field ensure that all relevant quantum-dot heterostructures are elucidated from diverse relevant perspectives.
Laser Ablation and its Applications
Laser Ablation and its Applications emphasizes the wide range of these topics rather than focusing on one specialty or discipline. It is intended for a graduate course in laser interactions with plasmas and materials, but it should be accessible to anyone with a graduate degree in physics or engineering.
Kramers-Kronig Relations in Optical Materials Research
This is the first one-volume work to provide a thorough and comprehensive description of the physical background, rigorous theory and applications of Kramers-Kronig relations in the fields of linear and nonlinear optical spectroscopy. Currently, Kramers-Kronig relations have become basic tools in the investigation of the optical properties of materials. A brief presentation of the related data-retrieval technique, the maximum entropy method, is also given. The contents and style potentially make this a standard text for physicists, chemists and engineers interested in optical-materials research and development.
Kinetics of Water-Rock Interaction
Systems at the surface of the Earth are continually responding to energy inputs derived from solar radiation or from the radiogenic heat in the interior. These energy inputs drive plate movements and erosion, exposing metastable mineral phases at the Earth’s surface. In addition, these energy fluxes are harvested and transformed by living organisms. As long as these processes persist, chemical disequilibrium at the Earth’s surface will be perpetuated. Chemical disequilibrium is also driven by human activities related to production of food, extraction of water and energy resources, and burial of wastes. To understand how the surface of the Earth will change over time, we must understand the rates at which reactions occur and the chemical feedbacks that relate these reactions across extreme temporal and spatial scales. This book addresses fundamental and applied questions concerning the rates of water-rock interactions driven by tectonic, climatic, and anthropogenic forcings.
Kinetics of Catalytic Reactions--Solutions Manual
This textbook contains all the information needed for graduate students or industrial researchers to design kinetic experiments involving heterogeneous catalysts, to characterize these catalysts, to acquire valid rate data, to verify the absence of mass (and heat) transfer limitations, to propose reaction models, to derive rate expressions based on these models and, finally, to assess the consistency of these rate equations.The most recent technique to calculate heats of adsorption and activation barriers on metal surfaces, the BOC-MP approach, is discussed in detail. Methods to measure metal surface areas and crystallite sizes using x-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy and various chemisorption techniques are discussed. Different experimental techniques to determine the influence of mass transfer limitations, especially within the pores of a catalyst, are reviewed in detail, with a particular emphasis on liquid-phase reactions.
Kinetics of Catalytic Reactions
This textbook contains all the information needed for graduate students or industrial researchers to design kinetic experiments involving heterogeneous catalysts, to characterize these catalysts, to acquire valid rate data, to verify the absence of mass (and heat) transfer limitations, to propose reaction models, to derive rate expressions based on these models and, finally, to assess the consistency of these rate equations.Many illustrations of these and other topics are provided along with numerous problems and a Solutions Manual for instructors. This book will be applicable to any graduate course in chemical engineering, chemistry or materials science that involves kinetics of catalytic reactions, including those catalyzed by enzymes.
Computational and Instrumental Methods in EPR
This volume is devoted to both instrumentation and computation aspects of EPR, while addressing applications such as spin relaxation time measurements, the measurement of hyperfine interaction parameters, and the recovery of Mn(II) spin Hamiltonian parameters via spectral simulation.
Comprehensive utilization of magnesium slag by pidgeon process
This book introduces the harmless handling/recycling of magnesium slag , the process of magnesium silicothermic reduction (Pidgeon process)which the slag was produced, and . the magnesium resources, layout of the industry of the world. Examples and experimental data in this book are from the author group’s research programs, as well as the rencent researches in China. The book could provide precious reference to scientists and engineers in the field of recycling and environment friendly use of the industrial solid wastes. It could also be used for researchers and students who are interested in relevant field.
Composite Materials : Properties as Influenced by Phase Geometry
This book deals with the mechanical and physical behavior of composites as influenced by composite geometry. This monograph provides a comprehensive introduction for researchers and students to modern composite materials research with a special emphasis on the influence of geometry to materials properties. Composite Materials enables the reader to a better understanding of the behavior of natural composites, improvement of such materials, and design of new materials with prescribed properties.
Complexity in chemistry, biology, and ecology
This book, written by an international team of experts, introduces the reader to various aspects of complexity theory and its applications. It illustrates the latest trends in science to go beyond the mechanistic Newtonian view of the world by shifting the focus to self-organization, adaptation, and emergent phenomena. The authors discuss these properties of complex systems in biology, ecology and chemistry along with the structure and interconnectedness of the "layers" of complexity. The qualitative description is complemented by a discussion of methods for complexity quantification. Networks are covered in detail as a universal language of the complex world.
Complex Inorganic Solids : Structural, Stability, and Magnetic Properties of Alloys
One the key aspects of this volume is to cut across the traditional taxonomy of disciplines in the study of alloys. Hence there has been a deliberate attempt to integrate the different approaches taken towards alloys as a class of materials in different fields, ranging from geology to metallurgical engineering. The emphasis of this book is to highlight commonalities between different fields with respect to how alloys are studied. The topics in this book fall into several themes, which suggest a number of different classification schemes. We have chosen a scheme that classifies the papers in the volume into the categories Microstructural Considerations, Ordering, Kinetics and Diffusion, Magnetic Considerations and Elastic Considerations. The book has juxtaposed apparently disparate approaches to similar physical processes, in the hope of revealing a more dynamic character of the processes under consideration. This monograph will invigorate new kinds of discussion and reveal challenges and new avenues to the description and prediction of properties of materials in the solid state and the conditions that produce them
Compendium of Chemical Warfare Agents
In This book, Compendium of Chemical Warfare Agents, author Steven L. Hoenig provides all the necessary information that First Responders, Hospitals, HazMat Teams, Fire and Rescue Services, and other First Responders need to know when dealing with dangerous chemical agents.Coverage includes health effects, physical characteristics, hazards from reactivity, protection of personnel, and general first aid for each agent. The book provides quick and easy access to critical data on chemical warfare agents, both at the scene of release and in the laboratory.
Communicating Science : A Practical Guide
Each of the main parts is subdivided into two sections, Guidelines and Genres, with entries arranged in alphabetical order. The guidelines are devoted to entries such as acronyms, active or passive voice, body language, figures and captions, introduction, irony, and taking the floor. Within genres, all possible media of communicating science are treated, e.g. the after-dinner speech, conference presentation, keynote lecture, magazine article, research proposal, and teleconference.
Classical Nucleation Theory in Multicomponent Systems
Nucleation is the initial step of every first-order phase transition, and most phase transitions encountered both in everyday life and industrial processes are of the first-order. Using an elegant classical theory based on thermodynamics and kinetics, this book provides a fully detailed picture of multi-component nucleation. As many of the issues concerning multi-component nucleation theory have been solved during the last 10-15 years, it also thoroughly integrates both fundamental theory with recent advances presented in the literature. It covered are: the basic relevant thermodynamics and statistical physics; modelling a molecular cluster as a spherical liquid droplet; predicting the size and composition of the nucleating critical clusters; kinetic models for cluster growth and decay; calculating nucleation rates; and a full derivation and application of nucleation theorems that can be used to extract microscopic cluster properties from nucleation rate measurements.
Chromatography for Sustainable Polymeric Materials : Renewable, Degradable and Recyclable
This volume is a valuable contribution to sustainability research. … This interesting, well-written book provides the reader with an excellent resource on how to effectively use simple chromatographic techniques to aid in determining processing conditions, additive formulations, quality control, service life, degradation pathways, and more.
Chiral Diazaligands for Asymmetric Synthesis
The use of phosphine derivatives has historically induced the tremendous development of catalysis (both non-asymmetric and asymmetric). Although the chemistry of amines is more documented, the use of nitrogen-containing ligands only appeared recently. Nevertheless, during the last ten years, the results describing chiral diamine preparations and their uses in asymmetric catalysis and synthesis are increasing faster than their phosphorus counterparts. The reader will find in this volume the most recent methods for the synthesis of chiral diamines as well as their applications in asymmetric catalysis of CC bond formation. Particular attention will be given to spartein and derivatives of such diamines. Recently, the particular properties and the chemistry of amines allowed to obtain catalysts easy to separate and recycle and new types of ligands such as diaminocarbenes, ureas and thioureas. Finally, the complexing properties of some diamines allowed the formation of complexes with chirality "at the metal " which is of major theoretical interest and presents numerous potential applications.
Chemoinformatics : Theory, Practice, & Products
Chemoinformatics: Theory, Practice & Products covers theory, commercially available packages and applications of Chemoinformatics. Chemoinformatics is broadly defined as the use of information technology to assist in the acquisition, analysis and management of data and information relating to chemical compounds and their properties.The book also provides a summary of currently available, state-of-the-art, commercial Chemoinformatics products, with a specific focus on databases, toolkits, and modelling technologies designed for drug discovery.



















