Skip to main content

On A Clear Day

Search This Blog

Ammonium Nitrate Chemistry

on November 02, 2020

Get link
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
Email
Other Apps

Simulating Smog

on May 28, 2020

Get link
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
Email
Other Apps

The Pollution Pods by artist Michael Pinsky give us a simulated taste of polluted air, helping us learn about global air quality issues. I wrote about them for Pursuit.

Pollution Pods

Get link
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
Email
Other Apps

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular Posts

Ammonium Nitrate Chemistry

Earlier this year I had an article reprinted in Scientific American , which took me back to my PhD research on ammonium nitrate explosives. Ammonium nitrate on its own is surprisingly difficult to detonate, but major accidental explosions keep occurring. In the aftermath of the Beirut explosion it was great to see many chemical safety experts getting accurate information out about how to safely manage this hazardous chemical.

Bright Orange Plume from Central Queensland Mining Blast

An intense orange plume was captured in spectacular photographs near the mining town of Moranbah. The mine operator, Stanmore Coal, described it as nitrogen combined with oxygen : nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ). I spoke to ABC Radio Capricornia about this fume event . Orange gas from a mining blast near Moranbah, May 31 2020. Satellite data from Sentinel-5P's TROPOMI instrument detected a significant amount of NO 2 over Moranbah on the days after the blast, likely representing the cumulative effects of mining explosives in the region. This can be seen in the image below (top left), compared to the major industrial port of Gladstone (bottom right). Plume of nitrogen dioxide over Moranbah (top left), May 31 - June 03, 2020. Sentinel-5P tropospheric NO 2 column in micromoles per square metre, processed with Google Earth Engine.

Pepper spray isn’t just a chemical – it’s a chemical weapon

Last week I wrote about pepper spray and other tear gas chemicals, in a story that appeared in The Conversation , SBS News , and elsewhere . Most people accept that law enforcement should have access to tear gas as a form of less-lethal self defense and for riot control. So why is it banned in wartime and why is it so troubling that nations might be using tear gas without justification? Chemical weapons emerged during World War I, and were used by all sides. Not knowing which chemicals were effective in warfare, just about every harmful substance was tried. The effects were unpredictable and horrific but far from effective in a military sense. Following World War I it was clear that the only way to prevent chemical warfare escalating was to ban the use of all chemical agents on the battlefield. This was proven during the Vietnam War. History repeated as the US pushed back at the boundaries on chemical weapon bans outlined by the the Geneva Protocol in the 1920's. Now we have a

Powered by Blogger