[MUD-Dev] Re: Spell components, chemistry, and the like...

[Chris Gray]

[quzah:]

 >Greetings again. I'm currently in the process of jotting down info on
 >the periodic table, element by element to plunk into my project. I was
 >wondering how one goes about finding out the properties of elements/
 >compounds like above. (How do I find out say, how brittle iron is?
 >Or that gold doesn't react to sulpheric acid, or whatever.)

I think to get all of that information, you might need an entire
library of chemistry and geology reference books! If you *really*
want to get into some of it, you need a "rubber bible". That's the
student name for the "Handbook of Chemistry and Physics", that was
published by the Chemical Rubber Company. I got one in my first year
of university. I don't know if they are still published, however.
You might find some in a university library, or a good high school one.
Warning: mine is nearly 3 inches of very thin paper!

Some sections:

    "The Elements". A short paragraph on each one. Dense material.
    E.g. for carbon, it includes: atomic weight 12.01115, atomic
    number 6, melting point 3550C, sublimes above 3500C, boiling
    point 4827C, specific gravity: amorphous 1.8 - 2.1, graphite
    1.9 - 2.3, diamond 3.15 - 3.53 (depending on variety), gem
    diamond 3.513 (25C). And then lots of words.

    "Physical constants of inorganic compounds" (nearly 100 pages)
    Columns are: name, formulae, molecular weight, crystalline form &
    properties & index of refraction, density/specific gravity,
    melting point, boiling point, solubility in cold & hot water & others.

    "Physcial constants of minerals" (only 4-1/2 pages!)
    Includes name, formula, specific gravity, hardness, crystalline
    form & colour, index of refraction

    "Physical constants of organic compounds" (nearly 500 pages!)

    ...

(How can you tell I don't want to work on what I should be working on?)

In other words, there is far more information than you could ever use.
I think you need to cut back on your ambitions a bit, and start with
something simple. Only put in data for things as you put sources of
those things into your world. Else you'll go insane!

--
Don't design inefficiency in - it'll happen in the implementation. - me

Chris Gray     cg at ami-cg.GraySage.Edmonton.AB.CA