Chemical Dynamics in Extreme Environments

Book excerpt: As computing power increases, a growing number of macroscopic phenomena are modeled at the molecular level. Consequently, new requirements are generated for the understanding of molecular dynamics in exotic conditions. This book illustrates the importance of detailed chemical dynamics and the role it plays in the phenomenology of a number of extreme environments. Each chapter addresses one or more extreme environments, outlines the associated chemical mechanisms of relevance, and then covers the leading edge science that elucidates the chemical coupling. The chapters exhibit a balance between theory and experiment, gas phase, solid state, and surface dynamics, and geophysical and technical environments. Sample Chapter(s). Chapter 1.1: Introduction (203 KB). Chapter 1.2: Chemistry at High Temperatures and Pressures (99 KB). Chapter 1.3: High Temperature Chemistry in the Atmosphere (82 KB). Chapter 1.4: Low Temperature Chemistry (90 KB). Chapter 1.5: Conclusions (131 KB). Contents: Exploring Chemistry in Extreme Environments: A Driving Force for Innovation (M R Berman); Chemistry Under Extreme Conditions: Cluster Impact Activation (T Raz & R D Levine); Nonequilibrium Chemistry Modeling in Rarefied Hypersonic Flows (I D Boyd); Chemical Dynamics in Chemical Laser Media (M C Heaven); From Elementary Reactions to Complex Combustion Systems (C Schulz et al.); The Gas-Phase Chemical Dynamics Associated with Meteors (R A Dressler & E Murad); Dynamics of Hypervelocity Gas/Surface Collisions (D C Jacobs); Surface Chemistry in the Jovian Magnetosphere Radiation Environment (R E Johnson); Dynamics of Atomic Oxygen Induced Polymer Degradation in Low Earth Orbit (T K Minton & D J Garton); Atomic-Level Properties of Thermal Barrier Coatings: Characterization of MetalOCoCeramic Interface (A Christensen et al.); Molecular Dynamics Simulations of Detonations (C T White et al.). Readership: Scientists engaged in cross-disciplinary work and chemists studying multidisciplinary problems."