Handbook of atmospheric chemical compounds: Sources, occurrence, and bioassay.

At the time of the second World War, barely two dozen different chemical species were known to be present in the Earth's atmosphere. A decade later, as scientists began investigating the chemical and biological implications of atmospheric composition, that was still less than a hundred. Today several thousand species are identified; many have been subject to detailed study. As is often the case in any immature, interdisciplinary field, however, the information now available is scattered very widely and is presented and discussed from different perspectives by the different scientific disciplines involved. To ameliorate this situation and to explore interrelationships and insights in this large amount of data, we have tabulated, presented and discussed atmospheric and bioassay information on 2827 chemical species. Separate compilations have been provided for species present in the atmosphere in the gas phase, aerosol particles, cloud droplets, fog droplets atmospheric ice, rain, snow, the stratosphere, and in indoor air. This compendium will be published in book form by Academic Press; we include in this memorandum the text and figures for the introductory and concluding chapters. The extensive tables, references, and cross-indexes may be examined by contacting one of the authors.