It is widely recognised that students on present-day chemistry courses need to develop a portfolio of practical skills. Progressive Development of Practical Skills in Chemistry is the second in a series of publications from the Royal Society of Chemistry which are directed towards the early part of an undergraduate chemistry programme. This book features a variety of practical activities, spanning a wide range of chemistry. Activities are arranged in order of increasing skills development and demand, and each is accompanied by a guide for demonstrators. A technical guide is also included detailing all reagent and equipment requirements. Trialled in universities across the UK pre-publication, students and lecturers will welcome this book as an aid to the development of skills in degree courses.

Two recent initiatives from the EU, namely the Bologna Process and the Lisbon Agenda are likely to have a major influence on European Higher Education. It seems unlikely that traditional teaching approaches, which supported the elitist system of the past, will promote the mobility, widened participation and culture of 'life-long learning' that will provide the foundations for a future knowledge-based economy. There is therefore a clear need to seek new approaches to support the changes which will inevitably occur. The European Chemistry Thematic Network (ECTN) is a network of some 160 university chemistry departments from throughout the EU as well as a number of National Chemical Societies (including the RSC) which provides a discussion forum for all aspects of higher education in chemistry. This handbook is a result of one of their working groups, who identified and collated good practice with respect to innovative methods in Higher Level Chemistry Education. It provides a comprehensive overview of innovations in university chemistry teaching from a broad European perspective. The generation of this book through a European Network, with major national chemical societies and a large number of chemistry departments as members make the book unique. The wide variety of scholars who have contributed to the book, make it interesting and invaluable reading for both new and experienced chemistry lecturers throughout the EU and beyond. The book is aimed at chemistry education at universities and other higher level institutions and at all academic staff and anyone interested in the teaching of chemistry at the tertiary level. Although newly appointed teaching staff are a clear target for the book, the innovative aspects of the topics covered are likely to prove interesting to all committed chemistry lecturers.

While the boundaries between the areas of chemistry traditionally labeled as inorganic, organic and physical are gradually diffusing, the practical techniques adopted by workers in each of these areas are often radically different. The breadth and variety of research classed as "inorganic chemistry" is readily apparent from an inspection of some of the leading international journals, and can be quite daunting for newcomers to this domain who are likely to have only limited experience of the methodologies involved. This book has therefore been written to provide guidance for those unfamiliar with the techniques most often encountered in synthetic inorganic / metalorganic chemistry, with an emphasis on procedures for handling air-sensitive compounds. One chapter is devoted to more specialized techniques such as metal vapor synthesis, and a review of preparative methods for a selection of starting materials is included as an aid to those planning research projects. While this book is aimed primarily at postgraduate and advanced undergraduate students involved in inorganic research projects, synthetic organic chemists and industrial chemists will also find much useful information within its pages. Similarly, it serves as a useful reference source for materials and polymer scientists who wish to take advantage of recent progress in precursor synthesis and catalyst development.

Each guide in this series is written by an examiner and explains the unit requirements, summarises the relevant unit content and includes a series of specimen questions and answers.

About 550 registrants from 51 different countries attended the Seventh Ottawa Conference on Medical Education and Assessment in Maastricht. We received 525 abstracts for the conference, divided in thematic poster sessions and platform presentations. Organising the conference was an honour and we tried to meet the high standards of a friendly and relaxed atmosphere which has characterized previous Ottawa conferences. During and after the conference about 250 papers were submitted for publication in the conference proceedings, leaving us little time for a post-conference depression. Despite the large number of papers, the editors have attempted to review and edit the papers as care fully as possible. Occasionally, however, correspondence exceeded reasonable deadlines, preventing careful editing of a small number of the papers. Although we felt that our editorial task was not quite finished, we nevertheless decided to include these papers. We thank the many authors for their enthusiastic and prompt response to - occasionally tedious - editorial suggestions and requests. We are sure that this collective effort has resulted in a book that will make an important contribution to the field of medical education. The editors want to thank Jocelyn Flippo-Berger whose expertise with desk top publishing and perseverance was a great help.