1. Introduction. There is much interest in the general subject of porous inorganic materials with respect to their use as sorbents or catalysts. Such inorganic solids may be microporous, mesoporous or macroporous according to the sizes of the pores within the solid. Often there is a range of pore sizes within any given solid and so there is special interest in the synthesis, characterisation and application of porous inorganic solids with well defined pores. Pores of diameter larger than 50 nm are generally termed macropores. Those with diameters of less than 2 nm are micropores and pores of intermediate size are called mesopores. Solids, which contain only mesopores, are correctly called mesoporous but very often there is a combination of different types of porosities within one given solid. The synthesis, characterisation and application of microporous solids is much more advanced than is the case with mesoporous substances. Moreover, the synthesis of crystalline mesoporous materials is one clear goal for the future but which has not been attained so far. Consequently, it is of interest to examine the current state of our knowledge of microporous materials and to examine how this may apply to mesoporous materials. Both catalytic and sorption processes could benefit from studies of mesoporous solids because the mesopores could permit diffusion of larger reactants or products than is the case in microporous materials. 2.

Mesoporous materials are a class of molecules with a large and uniform pore size, highly regular nanopores, and a large surface area. This book is devoted to all aspects and types of these materials and describes, in an in-depth and systematic manner, the step-by-step synthesis and its mechanism, as well as the characterization, morphology control, hybridization, and applications, of mesoporous molecular sieves. In so doing, it covers silicates, metal-doped silicates, nonsilicates, and organic-inorganic hybrids. Although the emphasis is on synthesis, the expert authors also discuss characterization and applications, ranging from catalysis and biochemistry to optics and the use of these materials as templates for nanomaterial synthesis. Both the fundamentals and the latest research results are covered, ensuring that this monograph serves as a reference for researchers in and newcomers to the field.

ZEOCAT '95 is the eleventh in the series of symposia devoted to special fields of zeolite chemistry. Six plenary lectures, forty oral and forty-two poster presentations were included in the program. The accepted papers cover every aspect of catalysis on microporous materials. A significant number of the contributions describe the synthesis, modification, instrumental and chemical characterisation of zeolites and other micro- and mesoporous materials. Catalytic reactions involve hydrocarbon cracking, nucleophilic aromatic substitution, methanol to hydrocarbon conversion, hydration of acetylene, various alkylation reactions, redox transformations, Claisen rearrangement, etc.

Inorganic membrane science and technology is a new field of membrane separation technology which until recently was dominated by the earlier field of polymer membranes. Currently the subject is undergoing rapid development and innovation.The present book describes the fundamental principles of both synthesis of inorganic membranes and membrane supports and also the associated phenomena of transport and separation in a semi-quantitative form.Features of this book:- Examples are given which illustrate the state-of-the-art in the synthesis of membranes with controlled properties- Future possibilities and limitations are discussed- The reader is provided with references to more extended treatments in the literature- Potential areas for future innovation are indicated.By combining aspects of both the science and technology of inorganic membranes this book serves as a useful source of information for scientists and engineers working in this field. It also provides some observations of important investigators who have contributed to the development of this subject.

This comprehensive reference collects fundamental theories and recent research from a wide range of fields including biology, biochemistry, physics, applied mathematics, and computer, materials, surface, and colloid science-providing key references, tools, and analytical techniques for practical applications in industrial, agricultural, and forensic processes, as well as in the production of natural and synthetic compounds such as foods, minerals, paints, proteins, pharmaceuticals, polymers, and soaps.

Spectroscopic Properties of Inorganic and Organometallic Compounds provides a unique source of information on an important area of chemistry. Divided into sections mainly according to the particular spectroscopic technique used, coverage in each volume includes: NMR (with reference to stereochemistry, dynamic systems, paramagnetic complexes, solid state NMR and Groups 13-18); nuclear quadrupole resonance spectroscopy; vibrational spectroscopy of main group and transition element compounds and coordinated ligands; and electron diffraction. Reflecting the growing volume of published work in this field, researchers will find this Specialist Periodical Report an invaluable source of information on current methods and applications. Specialist Periodical Reports provide systematic and detailed review coverage in major areas of chemical research. Compiled by teams of leading experts in their specialist fields, this series is designed to help the chemistry community keep current with the latest developments in their field. Each volume in the series is published either annually or biennially and is a superb reference point for researchers. www.rsc.org/spr

The Zeolites and Mesporous Materials at the Dawn of the 21st Century Proceedings are the expression of the oral and poster communications which where presented during the 13th International Zeolite Conference (IZC). They are subdivided into 32 thematic sessions starting from the genesis of materials to their applications through their characterisation. The paper volume contains the full texts of the 5 plenary and 6 keynote lectures and informative summaries of 150 oral and 540 poster presentations. These contributions have been selected among the 903 submissions received from a total of 57 countries! In order to gather all the communications in a handy document, the full texts of oral and poster presentations are available in CD-ROM. Besides the fields of zeolite science always represented at IZC (synthesis, characterisation, catalysis, etc¿), some subjects strengthened their position (mesoporous materials, theory and modelling), new areas emerge (advanced materials, environmental and life sciences) and older ones regain interest (natural zeolites). The understanding and development of the unique properties of porous materials relies on a unique blend of multidisciplinary knowledge: material science, with the implication of organic and colloid chemistry, to prepare micro- and mesoporous materials, surface and adsorption science sustained by theory and modelling to understand the peculiar behaviour of molecules in confined systems, special branches of catalysis, physics, chemical engineering and life science to design novel applications. The gathering of these elements is at the basis of a fruitful and evolutionary zeolite science, as it is hopefully reflected by these proceedings.