Hazardous materials demystified! The chemical characteristics and properties of hazardous materials is what makes them so dangerous. There are tens of millions of different chemicals in use today. Even a photographic memory can't keep them all straight, but learning the rules of chemistry can bridge the memory gap. The periodic table, functional groups of hydrocarbons, and physical properties allow the informed hazmat technician to classify chemicals into hazard categories. Understanding the chemical properties and the basis for hazard classification makes the hazmat incident progress more smoothly and much more safely. This class is designed for the hazmat technician with mitigation responsibilities as well as the facility preplanner.