Monographs in Organic Functional Group Analysis, Volume 4: The Determination of Organic Peroxides focuses on the analytical chemistry of organic peroxides. The monograph first offers information on the compositions, properties, and reactions of lipid peroxides, polymers, and petrochemicals. The text then reviews the iodometric methods, including choice of solvents, reaction conditions, and titration with thiosulfate. The ferrous ion methods are also discussed. Considerations include choice of reagents and solvents and titration with titanous, dichromate, and mercurous ions. The book also focuses on titrimetric methods, including arsenious, stannous, and titanous methods, titration with anions, and sulfides and mercaptans. Numerical representations are provided. The text puts emphasis on colorimetric and polarographic methods. Polarographic techniques for peroxides; nature and concentration of peroxides; leuco base of methylene blue; and ferrous ions are described. The book also discusses paper, thin-layer, and gas chromatography. The monograph is an important guide for readers interested in the analytical chemistry of organic peroxides.

"Oxidative stress" is used as the generic term describing the involve ment of reactive oxygen species in various human diseases. The scope of such a topic is becoming increasingly wide. The recent interest in radicals such as nitric oxide and the discovery of new mechanisms such as the effect of free radicals on redox sensitive proteins and genes are enlarging our understanding of the physiological role of free radicals. Oxidative stress is involved in numerous pathological. processes such as ageing, respiratory or cardiovascular diseases, cancer, neurological pathologies such as dementia or Parkinson's disease. It still remains difficult, however, to demonstrate by chemical measurement the in vivo production of free radicals and even more to realise their speciation. Therefore, the development of new tools and indicators is engrossing many researchers working in this field. Reliable indicators are abso lutely necessary not only to monitor the evolution of oxidative stress in patients but also to evaluate the efficiency of new antioxidant treat ments. The French Free radical club of Grenoble, the CERLIB has been involved for many years in the organisation of international training programs on methodology, in order to provide both theoretical and practical help to researchers from various countries. Such training sessions have been highly successful and participants value the oppor tunity to learn reliable techniques. This positive echo explains why the researchers of CERLIB decided, with the help of Prof. Dr. B. Kalyanaraman, to publish selected techniques on free radical re search.

Masters Theses in the Pure and Applied Sciences was first conceived, published, and disseminated by the Center for Information and Numerical Data Analysis and Synthesis (CINDAS) * at Purdue University in 1 957, starting its coverage of theses with the academic year 1955. Beginning with Volume 13, the printing and dissemination phases of the activity were transferred to University Microfilms/Xerox of Ann Arbor, Michigan, with the thought that such an arrangement would be more beneficial to the academic and general scientific and technical community. After five years of this joint undertaking we had concluded that it was in the interest of all con cerned if the printing and distribution of the volumes were handled by an interna tional publishing house to assure improved service and broader dissemination. Hence, starting with Volume 18, Masters Theses in the Pure and Applied Sciences has been disseminated on a worldwide basis by Plenum Publishing Cor poration of New York, and in the same year the coverage was broadened to include Canadian universities. All back issues can also be ordered from Plenum. We have reported in Volume 29 (thesis year 1984) a total of 12,637 theses titles from 23 Canadian and 202 United States universities. We are sure that this broader base for these titles reported will greatly enhance the value of this important annual reference work. While Volume 29 reports theses submitted in 1984, on occasion, certain univer sities do report theses submitted in previous years but not reported at the time.

In October 1979 the First European Symposium on Physico-Chemical Behaviour of Atmospheric Pollutants was held In Ispra (Italy); 83 scientists attended the conference contributing 44 papers. Ten years later, the Fifth European Symposium on Physico-Chemical Behaviour of Atmospheric Pollutants, organized as for the previous Symposia In the framework of the Concerted Action *COST 611, was held in Varese (Italy) from 25 to 28 September 1989. This Volume contains the oral papers and the posters presented at this Symposium. Participation at this Conference Is more than doubled of that In 1979 In terms of scientists (185) and contributed papers (110). This simple comparison demonstrates once more the growing attention of the scientific community to the problems related to the pollution of the atmosphere. During these years, Important new Issues have arisen (global pol lutlon/cl Imatlc changes) whl Ie old ones have been reviewed due to new experimental evidence (depletion of stratospheric ozone). The Symposium offered the best opportunity for a review of the current studies and technical progress achieved In the various sectors of the Concerted Action since the Fourth Symposium held In Stresa (Italy) In September 1986. In 1987 the scientific programme and the operational structures of the COST 611 Project were revised. The Project Is now structured into three Working Parties: 1. Development of Analytical Methods to measure Trace Components of the Atmosphere. 2. Atmospheric Chemical and Photochemical Processes. 3. Field measurements and their Interpretation.