Handbook of compressed gases /

The first part of this handbook is a general discussion of the methods of handling compressed and liquified gases in laboratory and industry, with an elaborate and detailed engineering presentation of the accepted standards in equipment, techniques, and bulk transportation, complete with illustrations and references. The second part is an alphabetically arranged presentation of the common gases; each entry is a five- to ten-page presentation of basic tabular data, instructions for routine operations in handling and storage, safety precautions, first-aid measures, and emergency information. The information, although reliable, is derived from other secondary sources; the official reference for regulatory purposes is a series of pamphlets issued by the same publishers. The safety material is a condensation of the well-known Effects of Exposure to Toxic Gases: First Aid and Medical Treatment (3rd ed., 1988; available from Matheson Gas Products). The alphabetically arranged section is similar to the equally well-known Matheson Gas Data Book by William Braker and Allen L. Mossman (6th ed., 1980), which has more extensive tables of physical properties but does not cover large-scale operations or cryogenic liquids. The Matheson books are standards, and should be in all science libraries; the present work is an important addition for larger libraries, especially those with an engineering orientation. -D. Goodman, Princeton University