Hi, I'm a science fiction writer (oh, no, not another one of those!). Yep! And I need help on a short story that I'm working on.
I have human settlers trying to establish a colony on a distant planet. Their ship is on the surface and mostly intact. The surface of the world is adequate for colonization (no firm physical description yet). What I'm looking for is a harmful gas that will naturally develop and drive them back inside the ship. I have done some research on phosgene, and know that CHC, heated to a certain temperature, can create it. I see that it naturally occurs on earth in amounts that do not harm life. What circumstances would have to (suddenly) occur on a world for it to develop in a quantity that would be threatening and/or harmful? I understand that it concentrates close to the ground, so I can create a situation for its accumulation.
If there is another reaction/chemical that more reasonably fits this description, I'm open to suggestions.
I would deeply appreciate any help I can get on this.
My thanks in advance, and, if I have more questions, is it okay for me to contact you further through this site?
Bobbie
I have human settlers trying to establish a colony on a distant planet. Their ship is on the surface and mostly intact. The surface of the world is adequate for colonization (no firm physical description yet). What I'm looking for is a harmful gas that will naturally develop and drive them back inside the ship. I have done some research on phosgene, and know that CHC, heated to a certain temperature, can create it. I see that it naturally occurs on earth in amounts that do not harm life. What circumstances would have to (suddenly) occur on a world for it to develop in a quantity that would be threatening and/or harmful? I understand that it concentrates close to the ground, so I can create a situation for its accumulation.
If there is another reaction/chemical that more reasonably fits this description, I'm open to suggestions.
I would deeply appreciate any help I can get on this.
My thanks in advance, and, if I have more questions, is it okay for me to contact you further through this site?
Bobbie