It has been a decade since two seminal reviews demonstrated that mixed-valence compounds share many unique and fascinating features. The insight pro vided by those early works has promoted a great deal of both experimental and theoretical study. As a result of extensive efforts, our understanding of the bonding and properties of mixed-valence compounds has advanced substantially. There has been no compre hensive treatment of mixed-valence compounds since 1967, and the meeting convened at Oxford in September, 1979, provided a unique opportunity to examine the subject and its many ramifications. Mixed-valence compounds play an important role in many fields. Although the major impact of the subject has been in chemistry, its importance has become increasingly clear in solid state physics, geology, and biology. Extensive interest and effort in the field of molecular metals has demonstrated that mixed-valency is a prerequisite for high elec trical conductivity. The intense colors of many minerals have been shown to be due to mixed-valency, and the electron-transfer properties of certain mixed-valence metalloproteins are important in biological processes. Experts from all of these areas participated in this meeting, and the truly interdisciplinary nature of the subject made it a unique learning experience for all in attendance.

Mixed valency is one of various names used to describe compounds which contain ions of the same element in two different formal states of oxidation. The existence of mixed valency systems goes far back into the geological evolutionary history of the earth and other planets, while a plethora of mixed valency minerals has attracted attention since antiquity. Indeed, control of the oxidation states of Fe in its oxides (FeO, Fe304' Fe203) was elegantly used in vase painting by the ancient Greeks to produce the characteristic black and red Attic ceramics (Z. Goffer, "Archaeological Chemistry", Wiley, New York, 1980). It was, however, only 25 years ago that two reviews of mixed valency appeared in the literature almost simultaneously, signalling the first attempt to treat mixed valency systems as a separate class of compounds whose properties can be correlated with the molecular and the electronic structure of their members. Then mixed valency phenomena attracted the interest of disparate classes of scientists, ranging from synthetic chemists to solid state physicists and from biologists to geologists. This activity culminated with the NATO ASI meeting in Oxford in 1979. The 1980's saw again a continuing upsurge of interest in mixed valency. Its presence is a necessary factor in the search for highly conducting materials, including molecular metals and superconductors. The highly celebrated high T c ceramic superconducting oxides are indeed mixed valency compounds.

Comprehensive Coordination Chemistry II (CCC II) is the sequel to what has become a classic in the field, Comprehensive Coordination Chemistry, published in 1987. CCC II builds on the first and surveys new developments authoritatively in over 200 newly comissioned chapters, with an emphasis on current trends in biology, materials science and other areas of contemporary scientific interest.

Mixed-Valence Systems Comprehensive overview on the advanced development of mixed-valence chemistry Mixed-Valence Systems: Fundamentals, Synthesis, Electron Transfer, and Applications covers all topics related to the theory and experimental results of mixed-valence systems, including the design, synthesis, and applications of mixed-valence compounds containing inorganic, organometallic and organic redox-active centers. The text also covers the recent advances in mixed-valence chemistry, including the development of new mixed-valence systems, transition of mixed valency, better understanding of the spectral characteristics of intervalence charge transfer, and controllable electron transfer related to molecular electronics. In Mixed-Valence Systems, readers can expect to find detailed information on sample topics such as: Characterization and evaluation of mixed-valence systems, electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy, and electrochemical methods Optical analysis, important issues in mixed-valence chemistry, transition of mixed valency from localized to delocalized, and solvent control of electron transfer Theoretical background, potential energy surfaces from classical two-state model, and quantum description of the potential energy surfaces Reorganization energies, electronic coupling matrix element and the transition moments, generalized Mulliken–Hush theory, and analysis of the band shape of intervalence charge transfer Strengthening the relationship of mixed-valence electron transfer and molecular electronics, Mixed-Valence Systems is of immense value to researchers and professionals working in the field of electron transfer, molecular electronics, and optoelectronics.

During the Koln meeting (August 28-31, 1984), Irdia was chosen as the venue for the next International Conference on Valence Fluctuations. lhis was in recognition ard appreciation of the work done, both experimental ard theoretical, by the Irdian scientists in this area during the last decade. We decided to hold this Conference in the month of January, 1987 at Bangalore. lhe subject of Valence Fluctuations has kept itself alive ard active as it has provided many shocks ard suprises particularly among the Ce- ard U-based intermetallies. lhe richness of many interesting physical phenomena occurring in mixed valent materials, the flexibility of modifying their physical properties (by alloying, for example) ard the possibility of synthesizing a wide variety of new such materials seem to be the key factors in this regard. Barely six months before this Conference, an International Conference on Anomalous Rare Earths and Actinides (ICAREA) had been held at Grenoble (July, 1986) which also focussed on mixed valence ard heavy fermion phenomena. In spite of this, the response to this' Conference was very enthusiastic and encouraging. Many interesting ard important results were presented at this Conference which have been included in this volume.

An advanced-level textbook of inorganic chemistry for the graduate (B.Sc) and postgraduate (M.Sc) students of Indian and foreign universities. This book is a part of four volume series, entitled "A Textbook of Inorganic Chemistry – Volume I, II, III, IV". CONTENTS: Chapter 1. Stereochemistry and Bonding in Main Group Compounds: VSEPR theory; dπ -pπ bonds; Bent rule and energetic of hybridization. Chapter 2. Metal-Ligand Equilibria in Solution: Stepwise and overall formation constants and their interactions; Trends in stepwise constants; Factors affecting stability of metal complexes with reference to the nature of metal ion and ligand; Chelate effect and its thermodynamic origin; Determination of binary formation constants by pH-metry and spectrophotometry. Chapter 3. Reaction Mechanism of Transition Metal Complexes – I: Inert and labile complexes; Mechanisms for ligand replacement reactions; Formation of complexes from aquo ions; Ligand displacement reactions in octahedral complexes- acid hydrolysis, base hydrolysis; Racemization of tris chelate complexes; Electrophilic attack on ligands. Chapter 4. Reaction Mechanism of Transition Metal Complexes – II: Mechanism of ligand displacement reactions in square planar complexes; The trans effect; Theories of trans effect; Mechanism of electron transfer reactions – types; outer sphere electron transfer mechanism and inner sphere electron transfer mechanism; Electron exchange. Chapter 5. Isopoly and Heteropoly Acids and Salts: Isopoly and Heteropoly acids and salts of Mo and W: structures of isopoly and heteropoly anions. Chapter 6. Crystal Structures: Structures of some binary and ternary compounds such as fluorite, antifluorite, rutile, antirutile, crystobalite, layer lattices- CdI2, BiI3; ReO3, Mn2O3, corundum, pervoskite, Ilmenite and Calcite. Chapter 7. Metal-Ligand Bonding: Limitation of crystal field theory; Molecular orbital theory: octahedral, tetrahedral or square planar complexes; π-bonding and molecular orbital theory. Chapter 8. Electronic Spectra of Transition Metal Complexes: Spectroscopic ground states, Correlation and spin-orbit coupling in free ions for Ist series of transition metals; Orgel and Tanabe-Sugano diagrams for transition metal complexes (d1 – d9 states); Calculation of Dq, B and β parameters; Effect of distortion on the d-orbital energy levels; Structural evidence from electronic spectrum; John-Tellar effect; Spectrochemical and nephalauxetic series; Charge transfer spectra; Electronic spectra of molecular addition compounds. Chapter 9. Magantic Properties of Transition Metal Complexes: Elementary theory of magneto - chemistry; Guoy’s method for determination of magnetic susceptibility; Calculation of magnetic moments; Magnetic properties of free ions; Orbital contribution, effect of ligand-field; Application of magneto-chemistry in structure determination; Magnetic exchange coupling and spin state cross over. Chapter 10. Metal Clusters: Structure and bonding in higher boranes; Wade’s rules; Carboranes; Metal carbonyl clusters - low nuclearity carbonyl clusters; Total electron count (TEC). Chapter 11. Metal-π Complexes: Metal carbonyls: structure and bonding; Vibrational spectra of metal carbonyls for bonding and structure elucidation; Important reactions of metal carbonyls; Preparation, bonding, structure and important reactions of transition metal nitrosyl, dinitrogen and dioxygen complexes; Tertiary phosphine as ligand.

Those well-intending workers, especially theorists, who have viewed hungrily the mixed valence problem, but have not yet made the bold leap, might be comforted to learn that the Rochester conference left the virginal state of that problem essentially intact. That is not to say that the event was prosaic. Indeed, the conferees exhibited a level of effervescence appropriate to the freshness and challenge of the problem at hand. If the meeting failed to solve major questions, it at least established several guidelines. One is that future experimental efforts, at least on a short time scale, might be spent most profitably on those substances which exhibit consistent, and hence probably intrinsic, behavior from laboratory to laboratory. A recurring message, not always subtle, to the·theorists was that piecemeal approaches to the mixed valence problem, characteristic of much of the work to date, are of limited usefulness. For at the core of the problem one has a melange of boot-strapping interac tions which must be sorted out and dealt with properly. Para phrasing Phil Anderson (see Epilogue), the mixed valence problem is in the same category of problems which are failing to be done in field theory these days.