Thursday 16 April 2015

Isonitrate

"'Cargo of...I say, this is an odd one. She's carrying eight hundred metric tons of isonitrate from the Sword's Jovian-orbit plant.'" (NESFA Vol 3, p. 224)

I thought that I was going to have to google "isonitrate." However, Golescu asks, "'Isonitrate what?'" (ibid.) and is answered:

"An important industrial chemical,' West explained. 'Alkali complex of 2, 4 benzoisopro -'" (ibid.) -

- at which point Golescu interrupts, saying that he is sorry he asked. I took this to mean that isonitrate was invented for story purposes by Anderson but then googled to make sure and found something that seems to be a different meaning of the word.

At any rate, Anderson's isonitrate will explode if, as expected, the sun flares, so it has to be hauled out of the danger area or should I say volume. The gaseous metallic-complex molecules would cause billions of dollars of economic damage by contaminating orbiting photocells, monitors, spectrometers, weather satellites, manned space stations and cybernets controlling radio relays or Mossbauer clocks. (Someone might have better luck than I did on googling "Mossbauer clock.")

This story is overly technical even for Anderson but, of course, the characters are real people arguing politics and wanting to get back home safe and sound.

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