Astrochemistry

A fully revised new edition of an introductory text to the dynamic and fascinating subject of astrochemistry

Since the first edition in 2006 of Astrochemistry, the Mars rovers have driven 31.18 miles, there has been fly-by of Pluto changing it from a 4-pixel world on the Hubble Space Telescope into a mysterious non-planet. There have been visits to asteroids, revisiting Mercury, discovery of the Higgs Boson, discovery of over 2000 extrasolar planets and landing on the comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko by Rosetta mission - hence the timely publication of this new edition.

This core textbook now includes more detailed information on the kinetic modelling of chemistry in the interstellar medium, extending the same principles of physical chemistry to meteor ablation and finally atmospheres and oceans. The increase in density from near-emptiness to 1.35 x 1021 L of water in the world’s oceans is used to take single collision kinetics into ensemble thermodynamics. A new introduction of thermodynamic using meteor ablation replaces traditional bomb calorimetry and per-biotic chemistry leads to spontaneous reactions.

New to the second edition

• An extended discussion on matter, dark or otherwise, interstellar and stellar chemistry and the origin of pre-biotic molecules
• Detailed chemical kinetic models for mechanisms of chemistry in the interstellar medium
• Origins of life in solution, enzyme kinetics and catalysis
• A review of Mars and Titan as habitats for life
• Fully referenced throughout to reflect the research frontier
• An introduction to the idea of analytical mathematical engines that can do all of the heavy mathematics and fostering the skill of setting up a model and testing it
• 200 problems with detailed solutions

Written for undergraduate and postgraduate students in astrochemistry or more generally physical chemistry, the new edition of Astrochemistry is an important introductory text to the topic, the latest developments in the field and the ubiquity of physical chemistry.

Andrew Shaw, PhD, is Associate Professor of Physical Chemistry at the University of Exeter, UK. Professor Shaw’s research concentrates on quantitative description physical chemistry interpreted with a fully mechanistic mathematical model. The quantitative research looks at diversified areas such as interfacial structure to systems biology.