Cluster chemistry is one of the recent, exciting areas of Inorganic Chemistry. The occurence of molecular clusters, like fullerene C60, constitutes a fundamental feature midway between the chemistry of isolated chemical compounds and that of the elements. Main features of the Cluster Chemistry of both main group and transition metal elements are treated in this book. The author highlights aspects releated to the synthesis, the structure, the special bonding and the reactivity of these species. The book is written as a textbook for senior undergraduate and postgraduate students. References in tables andillustrations permit the reader to reach relevant original information. Professor Gonzalez-Moraga fills a demand for a publication appropriate for dissemination and specially for teaching this exciting subject. From the Contents: Current Concepts in Modern Chemistry - Transition Metal Cluster Chemistry - Main Group-Transition Metal Mixed Clusters - Cluster Compounds of the Main Group Elements - Synthetic Analogues of the Active Sites of Iron-Sulfur Proteins.

Filling the need for a solid textbook, this short primer in cluster science is ideal for a one-semester lecture for advanced undergraduate students. It is based on a series of lectures given by the well-established and recognized authors for the past ten years. The book covers both the basics of the domain as well as up-to-date developments. It can be divided roughly into two parts. The first three chapters introduce basic concepts of cluster science. Chapter 1 provides a general introduction, complemented by chapter 2 on experimental and chapter 3 on theoretical aspects. The second half of the book is devoted to a systematic presentation of free cluster properties, and to a thorough discussion of the impact of clusters in other domains of science. These explicitly worked-out links between cluster physics and other research areas are unique both in terms of fundamental aspects and of applications, and cannot be found elsewhere in the literature. Also suitable for researchers outside of the field looking for an introduction to cluster science.

Clusters as mesoscopic particles represent an intermediate state of matter between single atoms and solid material. The tendency to miniaturise technical objects requires knowledge about systems which contain a "small" number of atoms or molecules only. This is all the more true for dynamical aspects, particularly in relation to the qick development of laser technology and femtosecond spectroscopy. Here, for the first time is a highly qualitative introduction to cluster physics. With its emphasis on cluster dynamics, this will be vital to everyone involved in this interdisciplinary subject. The authors cover the dynamics of clusters on a broad level, including recent developments of femtosecond laser spectroscopy on the one hand and time-dependent density functional theory calculations on the other.

On Friday, February 20, 1980, I had the pleasure to be present at the inaugural lecture of my colleague Jan Reedijk, who had just been named at the Chair of Inorganic Chemistry of Leiden University. According to tradition, the ceremony took place in the impressive Hall of the old University Academy Building. In the course of his lecture, Jan mentioned a number of recent developments in chemistry which had struck him as particularly important or interesting. Among those was the synthesis of large metal cluster compounds, and, to my luck, he showed a slide ofthe molecular structure of [PtI9(C)b]4-. (To my luck, since at traditional Leiden University it is quite unusual to show slides at such ceremonies.) This constituted my first acquaintance with this exciting new class of materials. I became immediately fascinated by this molecule, partly because of the esthetic beauty of its fivefold symmetry, partly because as a physicist it struck me that it could be visualized as an "embryonically small" metal particle, embedded in a shell of CO ligands.

Clusters of Atoms and Molecules I is devoted to theoretical concepts and experimental techniques important in the rapidly expanding field of cluster science. Cluster properties are dicussed for clusters composed of alkali metals, semiconductors, transition metals, carbon, oxides and halides of alkali metals, rare gases, and neutral molecules. The book contains several well-integrated treatments, all prepared by experts. Each contribution starts out as simple as possible and ends with the latest results, so that the book can serve as a text for a course, an introduction into the field, or as a reference book for the expert.

Transition metal carbonyl clusters (TMCCs) continue to inspire great interest in chemical research, as much for their fascinating structures as for potential industrial applications conferred by their unique properties. This highly accessible book introduces the bonding, structure, spectroscopic properties, and characterization of clusters, and then explores their synthesis, reactivity, reaction mechanisms and use in organic synthesis and catalysis. Transition Metal Carbonyl Cluster Chemistry describes models and rules that correlate cluster structure with electron count, which are then applied in worked examples. Subsequent chapters explain how bonding relates to molecular structure, demonstrate the use of spectroscopic techniques such as NMR, IR and MS in cluster chemistry, and outline the factors contributing to the stability, dynamics and reactivity of clusters. The second part of this book discusses the synthesis and applications of TMCCs. It emphasizes the differences between the reactivities of clusters vs. mononuclear metal complexes, contingent to the availability of multiple-bonding sites and heterosite reactivity. The final chapters discuss reactions in which clusters act as homogeneous catalysts; including discussion on the use of solid and biphasic liquid-liquid supported clusters in heterogeneous catalysts. A useful reference for those commencing further research or post-graduate study on metal carbonyl clusters and advanced organometallic chemistry, this book is also a cornerstone addition to academic and libraries as well as private collections.