Chemical Evolution across Space and Time From the Big Bang to Prebiotic Chemistry

About this book

The book provides an exciting interwoven mosaic about the evolutionary nature of chemistry. It follows chemical evolution from the simplest elements formed in the Big Bang to the molecular diversity and complexity present today.

Review chapters demonstrate the multidisciplinary use of chemical principles and techniques and how they are central to unraveling mysteries of the universe. In addition to giving concise and well-referenced reviews, the eminent authors include recent unpublished work. Instructors will find the book useful as a text or resource for teaching how chemistry has evolved over time and shaped our world. The first three sections review chemical evolution in astrophysics, in the Solar System and Earth, and in prebiotic chemistry. The fourth section describes how these themes can be incorporated into the curriculum. It seeks to expand and integrate new approaches to chemistry into majors and non-majors courses, and to inspire the creation of new courses at the college and high school levels.

The book promotes our modern understanding of evolution and applications of chemistry, and will be appreciated by chemists, instructors and students of chemistry, and all others with an interest in the evolution of the universe in which we live.

Contents

Introduction
1. The Emergence of Chemical Complexity

PART I: Chemical Evolution in Astrophysics
2. Chemical Origins: Nuclear Chemistry in the Early Universe
3. Origin of the Elements: Nucleosynthesis in Stars
4. Circumstellar Chemistry and Dust from Dead Stars in Meteorites
5. Chemical Evolution in the Interstellar Medium: Feedstock of Solar Systems
6. Identifying Molecules in Space: Exploring Astrochemistry Through High Resolution Spectroscopy

PART II: Geochemical Evolution: Solar System and Earth
7. Chemical Diversity and Abundances across the Solar System
8. Photochemistry in the Early Solar System
9. Lessons from Meteorites
10. Chemistry and Composition of Planetary Atmospheres
11. Hafnium-Tungsten Chronometry of Planetary Accretion and Differentiation

PART III: Prebiotic Chemistry
12. Cosmic Carbon Chemistry
13. Extraterrestrial Organic Chemistry as Recorded in Carbonaceous Chondrites
14. Earth's Early Atmosphere, Biosphere, Lithosphere, and Hydrophere
15. Prebiotic Organic Synthesis in Neutral Planetary Atmosphere
16. The RNA World Scenario for the Origin of Life

Summary
17. Systems Chemistry Evolution

PART IV: Teaching Chemical Evolution
18. Science and the Concept of Evolution
19. Online Tools for Understanding Galactic Chemical Evolution
20. Spectroscopy and the Cosmos: Applications in the Chemical Sciences
21. Development of Laboratories for Teaching Chemical Properties using Radio Astronomy
22. Chemistry of Life: Chemical Evolution as a Theme for Teaching Undergraduate Chemistry
Afterword

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