" Perry Rhodan 0043 - (35) Beware the Microbots" - читать интересную книгу автора (Perry Rhodan)

The microscope showed a chain of crystals with a regular 12-cornered cross section.

"Do you have any idea what it is?" Manoli asked without taking his eye off the ocular.

"Yes," Hayward muttered, "some hexylamin, donтАЩt you think?"

Manoli nodded vehemently. "Of course. YouтАЩre right. Do you have enough of the stuff for an exact
analysis?"

"I suppose so."

"Then go ahead and hurry up!"



****



Hayward was a man who preferred to speak slowly and calmly, still he did his work faster than most
other people.

The exact analysis of a hexylamin is no simple matter even with Arkonide methods but Hayward finished
the job in an hour and a half and went to Manoli.

"Well?" Manoli grunted.

"Do you know something about atomic physics?" Hayward countered.

Manoli frowned. "Listen, Hayward, I wanted you to tell me whatтАж"

"Yes, I know. But to understand it you must know something about atomic physics."

"Why?"

"Are you familiar with Argon?"

"A noble gas, yes."

"It canтАЩt be made to enter into chemical combination with any substance whatsoever unless it is ionized
and kept in the ionized state. This can be accomplished by placing it next to a suitably constructed
molecule so that the Argon atom is held by a molecular electron but not neutralized."

"Ah!" Manoli exclaimed. "And?"

"And? Somebody has done just that with the toxin. ItтАЩs an Argono-hexylamin, to coin a new word."
Manoli blinked. "Somebody did it? Do you mean to sayтАж"

"Precisely. Ionized Argon doesnтАЩt occur in nature in sufficient quantities. This toxin has been artificially