Michael Bickel – författare

The Civilian is a psychological adventure thriller about Robert Caron, an ordinary man, who has lived a cautious life. He’s never pushed the limits of his security or taken the risks to truly make his life meaningful. Now, at only thirty-two, he has just received a death sentence. The cancer that killed his father and uncle is now killing him.While trying to come to terms with how to spend his remaining days, Caron is presented a unique opportunity by the government – one that could save thousands of lives, while giving some purpose to his own. However, it’s a mission from which the most highly-trained agents have not returned. Author Michael Bickel takes you on an unforgettable emotional voyage through the mind of Robert Caron – a man facing the tragic physical and mental toll of his illness, all alone, in a dangerous foreign land.CAN A CIVILIAN TAKE DOWN THE WORLD''S MOST WANTED MAN – BEFORE HIS TIME RUNS OUT?

This volume comprises the compounds of thorium with the 4th main group elements silicon and germanium and all 5th main group elements except nitrogen. On the subject of ternary and polynary compounds containing oxygen, only those compounds with phosphorus are included (e.g., phosphates, hypophosphates, or phosphinates). Similar compounds of the other ele­ ments like silicates, arsenates, etc. were already treated in "Thorium" Suppl. Vol. C 2, 1976. Most of the compounds in the different systems treated in this volume are of scientific interest because of their special physical and chemical properties. On the other hand, there are also many compounds wh ich are of specific technological interest, mainly in the nuclear field. Refractory compounds like ThSi or ThP have potential interest as nuclear fuel for special reactors due to their physical properties like good heat conductivity and their chemical stability, e.g., against the corrosion of cladding alloys for nuclear fuel elements. Due to the present situation in the further development of the thorium nuclear fuel cycle, their large potential has not yet been fully investigated. For most of the binary and ternary phases in these systems, we presently have good knowledge about the preparation of the compounds and their physical and chemical properties. But nevertheless, there are still a lot of open questions concerning phase equilibria, solid solutions, and homogeneity of some of the phases described in this volume.

The present volume describes the general properties of the thorium atom and ions, the thermodynamics of its compounds and solutions, the behavior of solutions and solid com­ pounds under the influence of its own radiation as well as an external radiation field, and spectroscopic data in great detail. The different chapters are of special interest to scientists who work in these fields, and also in the corresponding fields of other elements. In some special fields there exists a detailed knowledge of this radioelement whereas in other fields, such as M6Bbauer spectra, lower oxidation states, or radiation stability, there are large gaps. Due to the fact that the significance 23 of thorium as a breeder fuel ( 2"fh to be converted to fissile 233U after thermal neutron capture) has decreased within the last decade, the behavior of thorium is not as yet so thoroughly investigated as the heavier radioactive element uranium. Many of these data, however, are not only of academic interest, e.g., the knowledge of atomic spectra is needed for some analytical methods, especially in the trace concentration region. Due to the noble gaS-like electronic configuration of the tetravalent ion, there are no absorption bands in the visible region so that in general spectra and data are very scarce. This volume is a very detailed and critically reviewed compilation, written by experts from the Federal Republic of Germany, Belgium, and the United States.