This volume includes papers presented at the second International Workshop on Oxide-based Systems at the Crossroads of Chemistry, held at Villa Olmo in Como, Italy, 8-11 October.The selected papers present the highlights of recent research in the field of oxide structure. A wide range of oxidic materials, including real oxides, zeolites and layer-structured systems, is considered and described in terms of preparation methods, structural characterization and the relation between active sites, structure and catalytic properties. The application of the most powerful simulation and physical-chemical techniques show their usefulness in discovering and explaining structural and dynamic properties of complex materials. Moreover the development of sophisticated spectroscopical and analytical techniques are shown to significantly improve the growth of surface oxide science, generating new tools for the knowledge of catalyst structure and reaction mechanisms. An interesting feature is the inclusion of papers which show the mutual roles of experiment and theoretical models.

The proceedings of the VIIth International Symposium on the Scientific Bases for the Preparation of Heterogeneous Catalysts, are in line with the general scope of this series of events. Emphasis in all Symposia has been on the scientific aspects of the preparation of new and industrial catalysts, or on new methods of preparation, rather than on the catalytic reactions in which such solids are ultimately used. In the present context, the catalytic event itself has only been considered as another, though often decisive, method of catalyst characterization.

"Spillover and Mobility of Species and Solid Surfaces" collects the papers which were presented at the Fifth International Conference Spillover, either as oral or poster contributions, as well as the summaries of the invited lectures. This congress and its publication in the Studies on Surface Science and Catalysis series follow the tradition of previous conferences on spillover, initiated in Lyon, 1983, and continued in Leipzig, 1989, Kyoto 1993 and Dalian, 1997. For the fifth conference, held in S.L. el Escorial (Madrid), the organising committee has attempted to compile representative contributions which illustrate the advances in understanding the spillover phenomenon since 1997. Spillover is a process taking place during the interface of gas reactant molecules (mainly hydrogen and oxygen) on solid surfaces. However, different contributions to the more general area of the chemistry at surfaces, related with the mobility and migration of species, diffusion through membranes, fuel cell catalysts, etc., have also been included. In fact the title of the present volume summarizes this attempt to extend the conference topics towards dynamics at surfaces.Among the 70 contributions received, the 56 accepted papers were selected on the basis of the reports of at least two international reviewers, according to standards comparable to those applied for other specialised journals. These papers are from 21 different countries.

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.

The original properties of mesoporous molecular sieves are so unique that the design of most existing catalysts could be reconsidered. It might indeed be of interest to introduce MMS either as a support or as the active phase, merely on the basis of their high surface areas, narrow pore size distribution and flexibility in composition. The recent literature provides examples of MMS based catalysts of many types such as acid-base solids, supported metals and supported oxides, mixed oxides, anchored complexes and clusters, grafted organic functional groups and others. Examples of all these developments are documented in the present proceedings including some spectacular new proposals. The new metallic (Pt) mesophases are specially worth mentioning because they represent a new approach to producing non-supported highly dispersed metals.In these proceedings the reader will find feature articles and regular papers from many worldwide groups, covering all aspects of synthesis, physical characterization and catalytic reactivity of MMS and their chemically modified forms. It is actually remarkable that this recent development brought together an even broader spectrum of scientists from traditionally unrelated fields such as those of liquid crystals, surfactants, sol-gels, amorphous oxides and mixed oxides, solid state, adsorbents and heterogeneous catalysts. Obviously, this is a fast-growing research area which triggers the imagination and creativity at the cross-road between material design, molecular surface tailoring and catalytic applications.

This unique book covers the latest surface science studies on model catalysts, including single crystals, non-colloidal nanocatalysts, and nanoparticles in various forms with the control of size, shape and composition. This book addresses the issue of bridging “materials and pressure gaps” and also discusses the important issue of metal-oxide interface and hot electron flows in heterogeneous catalysis. The current development of in-situ surface techniques that is relevant to bridging “pressure gaps” is also highlighted.

It has become a tradition that every four years, the Université Catholique de Louvain and the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven jointly organize a symposium devoted to the scientific bases for the preparation of heterogeneous catalysts. These meetings bring together researchers from academia and industry and offer a forum for discussions on the chemistry involved in the preparation of industrial heterogeneous catalysts. This volume containing the Proceedings of the 8th International Symposium on Scientific Bases for the Preparation of Heterogeneous Catalysts consists of papers summarizing most of the 139 oral communications and posters selected by the international scientific committee, composed of 27 experts in the field of catalyst preparation, holding an industrial or academia appointment.The contributions focus on the aspects of catalyst preparation. The main topics are: new approaches in catalyst preparation; advanced preparations of nanoporous and mesoporous catalysts; catalysts preparation for special performances and purposes; catalysts for environmental purposes; and molecular catalysis. Emphasis is put on the role that catalysis can play as an essential element of sustainable development.