The study of the interaction of molecules with surfaces and interfaces is of great importance for the understanding of adsorption and catalysis on solid surfaces, the complex properties of molecules on fluid interfaces and the relationship between structure and functionality in macromolecular biological systens. It is the aim of this volume to present and analyse in a comprehensive and accesible way the methodical achievements and the recent proress in this field. The broadness of both scope and selection of the topics should help in particular non-expert readers to become familiar with this exciting field of research.

Intermolecular and Surface Forces describes the role of various intermolecular and interparticle forces in determining the properties of simple systems such as gases, liquids and solids, with a special focus on more complex colloidal, polymeric and biological systems. The book provides a thorough foundation in theories and concepts of intermolecular forces, allowing researchers and students to recognize which forces are important in any particular system, as well as how to control these forces. This third edition is expanded into three sections and contains five new chapters over the previous edition. Starts from the basics and builds up to more complex systems Covers all aspects of intermolecular and interparticle forces both at the fundamental and applied levels Multidisciplinary approach: bringing together and unifying phenomena from different fields This new edition has an expanded Part III and new chapters on non-equilibrium (dynamic) interactions, and tribology (friction forces)

Molecular surface science has made enormous progress in the past 30 years. The development can be characterized by a revolution in fundamental knowledge obtained from simple model systems and by an explosion in the number of experimental techniques. The last 10 years has seen an equally rapid development of quantum mechanical modeling of surface processes using Density Functional Theory (DFT). Chemical Bonding at Surfaces and Interfaces focuses on phenomena and concepts rather than on experimental or theoretical techniques. The aim is to provide the common basis for describing the interaction of atoms and molecules with surfaces and this to be used very broadly in science and technology. The book begins with an overview of structural information on surface adsorbates and discusses the structure of a number of important chemisorption systems. Chapter 2 describes in detail the chemical bond between atoms or molecules and a metal surface in the observed surface structures. A detailed description of experimental information on the dynamics of bond-formation and bond-breaking at surfaces make up Chapter 3. Followed by an in-depth analysis of aspects of heterogeneous catalysis based on the d-band model. In Chapter 5 adsorption and chemistry on the enormously important Si and Ge semiconductor surfaces are covered. In the remaining two Chapters the book moves on from solid-gas interfaces and looks at solid-liquid interface processes. In the final chapter an overview is given of the environmentally important chemical processes occurring on mineral and oxide surfaces in contact with water and electrolytes. Gives examples of how modern theoretical DFT techniques can be used to design heterogeneous catalysts This book suits the rapid introduction of methods and concepts from surface science into a broad range of scientific disciplines where the interaction between a solid and the surrounding gas or liquid phase is an essential component Shows how insight into chemical bonding at surfaces can be applied to a range of scientific problems in heterogeneous catalysis, electrochemistry, environmental science and semiconductor processing Provides both the fundamental perspective and an overview of chemical bonding in terms of structure, electronic structure and dynamics of bond rearrangements at surfaces

This NATO Advanced Study Institute centered on large-scale molecular systems: Quantum mechanics, although providing a general framework for the description of matter, is not easily applicable to many concrete systems of interest; classical statistical methods, on the other hand, allow only a partial picture of the behaviour of large systems. The aim of the ASI was to present both aspects of the subject matter and to foster interaction between the scientists working in these important areas of theoretical physics and theoretical chemistry. The quantum-mechanical part was mostly based on the operator-algebraic formulation of quantum mechanics and comprised quantum statistics of infinite systems with special em phasis on macroscopic observables, equilibrium conditions, irreversibility on the one hand, symmetry breaking for molecules in the radiation field and macroscopic quantum phenomena in the theory of superconductivity (BCS-theory) on the other hand. In addition, phase-space methods for many-body systems were also presented. Statistical physics was the main topic in the other lectures of the School; much emphasis was put on the statistical features of macros copic ("large") systems, the lectures dealt with mass and energy transport im polymers, in gels and in microemulsions, with aggregation and growth phenomena, with relaxation in complex, correlated systems, with conduction and optical properties of polymers, and with the means of describing disordered systems, above all fractals and related hierarchical models.

This book provides an outline of theoretical concepts and their experimental verification in studies of self-organization phenomena in chemical systems, as they emerged in the mid-20th century and have evolved since. Presenting essays on selected topics, it was prepared by authors who have made profound contributions to the field. Traditionally, physical chemistry has been concerned with interactions between atoms and molecules that produce a variety of equilibrium structures - or the 'dead' order - in a stationary state. But biological cells exhibit a different 'living' kind of order, prompting E. Schrödinger to pose his famous question “What is life?” in 1943. Through an unprecedented theoretical and experimental development, it was later revealed that biological self-organization phenomena are in complete agreement with the laws of physics, once they are applied to a special class of thermodynamically open systems and non-equilibrium states. This knowledge has in turn led to the design and synthesis of simple inorganic systems capable of self-organization effects. These artificial 'living organisms' are able to operate on macroscopic to microscopic scales, even down to single-molecule machines. In the future, such research could provide a basis for a technological breakthrough, comparable in its impact with the invention of lasers and semiconductors. Its results can be used to control natural chemical processes, and to design artificial complex chemical processes with various functionalities. The book offers an extensive discussion of the history of research on complex chemical systems and its future prospects.

This volume is the first of a set of two which contain the invited lectures given at the international seminar of the same title held at the Centre de Mecanique Ondulatoire Appliquee du Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique in Paris (France) from October 1983 to May 1985. They are intended to provide a survey of topics of current interest relative to the structure and the dynamics of molecular systems. The papers have been selected on the basis of their relevance to the following four topics: i) molecular conformations and transformations; ii) molecular relaxation and motion; iii) charge, spin and momentum distributions in molecular solids; iv) collective phenomena in condensed matter. The first volume deals f)1ostly with the first two topics, the second volume mostly with the last two. Each volume consists of about fifteen self contained, reference contributions covering recent achievements in active branches of molecular physics and physical chemistry. The first four papers of the present volume deal with theoretical aspects of structure and reactivity problems, with particular attention being paid to topology considerations, which have joined symmetry con siderations as an important tool in approaching chemistry problems. The treatment of nuclear probability density distributions is performed on a model basis for a simple system, even though it has come to the attention of theoreticians through experimental results for complex systems.