Some 20 years ago, I was privileged to share in writing a book on the descriptive chemistry of the 4d, 5d, 4f and 5f metals that included these eight elements within its compass (S.A. Cotton and F.A. Hart, The Heavy Transition Elements, Macmillan, 1975). This volume shares the same aim of covering the descriptive chemistry of silver, gold and the six platinum metals in some detail at a level suitable for advanced undergraduate and postgraduate study. It does not attempt to be a comprehensive treatise on the chemistry of these metals. It attempts to fill a slot between the general text and the in-depth review or monograph. The organometallic chemistry is confined to a-bonded com pounds in normal oxidation states; compounds with IT-bonding ligands are generally excluded. Their inclusion would have increased the length of the book considerably and, moreover, their recent chemistry has been extensively and expertly reviewed in the new Comprehensive Organometallic Chemistry, II, eds G. Wilkinson, F.G.A. Stone and E.W. Abel, Pergamon, Oxford, 1995.

Some 20 years ago, I was privileged to share in writing a book on the descriptive chemistry of the 4d, 5d, 4f and 5f metals that included these eight elements within its compass (S.A. Cotton and F.A. Hart, The Heavy Transition Elements, Macmillan, 1975). This volume shares the same aim of covering the descriptive chemistry of silver, gold and the six platinum metals in some detail at a level suitable for advanced undergraduate and postgraduate study. It does not attempt to be a comprehensive treatise on the chemistry of these metals. It attempts to fill a slot between the general text and the in-depth review or monograph. The organometallic chemistry is confined to a-bonded com pounds in normal oxidation states; compounds with IT-bonding ligands are generally excluded. Their inclusion would have increased the length of the book considerably and, moreover, their recent chemistry has been extensively and expertly reviewed in the new Comprehensive Organometallic Chemistry, II, eds G. Wilkinson, F.G.A. Stone and E.W. Abel, Pergamon, Oxford, 1995.

The use of copper, silver, gold and platinum in jewelry as a measure of wealth is well known. This book contains 19 chapters written by international authors on other uses and applications of noble and precious metals (copper, silver, gold, platinum, palladium, iridium, osmium, rhodium, ruthenium, and rhenium). The topics covered include surface-enhanced Raman scattering, quantum dots, synthesis and properties of nanostructures, and its applications in the diverse fields such as high-tech engineering, nanotechnology, catalysis, and biomedical applications. The basis for these applications is their high-free electron concentrations combined with high-temperature stability and corrosion resistance and methods developed for synthesizing nanostructures. Recent developments in all these areas with up-to-date references are emphasized.

Extensively revised and updated, this edition provides the broad base of knowledge required by all working in the gold extraction and gold processing industries. It bridges the gap between research and industry by emphasizing practical applications of chemical principles and techniques.

This book re-evaluates epidemiological and occupational health studies, experimental studies in animals and in vitro experiments relating to the toxicity of 27 metal and metalloid elements for which evidence of carcinogenicity has been presented. Human carcinogenic risk is substantiated in relation to arsenic, beryllium, thorium, chromium, radioactive elements, probably lead, and some nickel and cobalt compounds, and respirable silica particles, but the carcinogenicity of iron, aluminium, titanium, tungsten, antimony, bismuth, mercury, precious metals, and certain related compounds in humans is unresolved. The toxicity and carcinogenicity of each element is specific but correlates poorly with its position in the Periodic Table. Carcinogenicity differs according to the valency of the ion and its ability to interact with and penetrate membranes in target cells and to bind, denature or induce mutations by genotoxic or epigenetic mechanisms. This important text comprehensively examines each of the elements providing detailed information on the carcinogenicity and toxicity and detailing the most up-to-date research in this area. The book is an essential tool for toxicologists, medicinal and biochemists, and environmental scientists working in both industry and academia.

The future of the precious metals is shiny and resistant. Although expensive and potentially replaceable by transition metal catalysts, precious metal implementation in research and industry shows potential. These metals catalyze oxidation and hydrogenation due to their dissociative behavior toward hydrogen and oxygen, dehydrogenation, isomerization, and aromatization, etc. The precious metal catalysts, especially platinum-based catalysts, are involved in a variety of industrial processes. Examples include Pt–Rh gauze for nitric acid production, the Pt/Al2O3 catalyst for cyclohexane and propylene production, and Pd/Al2O3 catalysts for petrochemical hydropurification reactions, etc. A quick search of the number of published articles in the last five years containing a combination of corresponding “metals” (Pt, Pd, Ru, Rh and Au) and “catalysts” as keywords indicates the importance of the Pt catalysts, but also the continuous increase in the contribution of Pd and Au. This Special Issue reveals the importance of precious metals in catalysis and focuses on mono- and bi-metallic formulations of any supported precious metals and their promotional catalytic effect of other transition metals. The application of precious metals in diverse reactions, either homogeneous or heterogeneous, and studies of the preparation, characterization, and applications of the supported precious metal catalysts, are presented.