Over the past decade, numerous books have attempted to explain ions in aqueous solutions in relation to biophysical phenomena. Ions in Water and Biophysical Implications, from Chaos to Cosmos offers a physicochemical point of view of the spread of this matter and suggests innovative solutions that will challenge the biophysics research establishment. Starting with a throughout discussion of the properties of liquid water, in particular as a structured liquid with an extensive hydrogen bonded structure, the book examines water as a solvent for gases, non-electrolytes, and electrolytes and reviews the properties, sizes and thermodynamics of isolated and aqueous ions, as well as their interactions, including those of polyelectrolytes. The effects of ions on water structure, including those on solvent dynamics and certain thermodynamic quantities, are presented. This volume investigates water surfaces with its vapour, with another liquid, and with a solid, as well as the effects of solutes, including simple ions and the water-miscible non-electrolytes. Surfaces are relevant to biomolecular and colloidal systems and the book discusses briefly surfactants, micelles and vesicles. Finally, the book concludes with a review of the various biophysical implications involving chaotropic and kosmotropic ions in homogeneous solutions and the Hofmeister series for ions concerning biomolecular and colloidal systems and some aspects of protein hydration and K+/Na+ selectivity in ion channels. Ions in Water and Biophysical Implications, from Chaos to Cosmos will appeal to physical chemists, biophysicists, biochemists, as well as to all students and researchers involved in the study of aqueous solutions.

As the First International Conference on Water and Ions in Biological Systems (Bucharest, June 25-27, 1980) was appreciated as a success, a second one was organized in the fall of the year 1982 under the sponsorship of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the Romanian Academy of Medical Sciences, the Romanian Biophysical Society (Union of Societies for Medical Sciences in the Socialist Republic of Romania) and in co operation with the International Union for Pure and Applied Bio physics (IUPAB). The responsibility for the scientific program and organization of the Second Conference on Water fell on an International Scientific Committee which included Prof. J. Tigyi (Pees), President of the UNESCO Expert Committee on Biophysics, Prof. K. Wuthrich, Secretary General of IUPAB and Prof. H. Eisenberg, (member of the IUPAB Council) under the guidance of an Executive Board whose members were Prof. J. Jaz (representative of UNESCO), Prof. B. Pullman (Vice President of IUPAB) and Prof. V. Vasilescu (President of the Romanian Biophysical Society). The Meeting was attended by more than 250 specialists including 150 Romanian participants and others from Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, England, the Federal Republic of Germany, the German Democratic Republic, Greece, Hungary, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Nigeria, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, USSR, USA, Venezuela, Yugoslavia. The proceedings of the Conference took place in the Medical Faculty of Bucharest. The theoretical and practical importance of the Meeting was pointed out by the speakers, among whom were Prof.

This book is a printed edition of the Special Issue "Nucleation of Minerals: Precursors, Intermediates and Their Use in Materials Chemistry" that was published in Minerals

About 80 scientists from allover the world have gathered at the Parc Valrose Scientific Campus of Nice -Sophia Antipolis University, for the 5th UNESCO International Conference on "Water and Ions in Biornolecular Systems," to present and discuss current problems in the field. The Conference proceedings comprise selected and reviewed contributions of invited plenary lectures, lectures and posters presentations which cover all the Biophysical sectors of research on the following three major topics: * Water, Ions and Nucleic Acids * Water, Ions and Membranes * Water, Ions and Proteins The organizers of the 5th UNESCO International Conference on "Water and Ions in Biomolecular Systems" have obtained financial support from various sponsors. They would like to express their appreciation and gratitude to these organizations for the valuable moral and financial support which has made the arrangement of these Conference in Nice possible. The Meeting has been sponsored by: * United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization * The University of Nice -Sophia Antipolis * D. R. E. T. (Defence Ministery) * Conseil General des Alpes Maritimes * Ville de Nice * The International Union of BiochernistIy * The International Union of Pure and Applied Biophysics * Banque Nationale de Paris * Air Liquide * Nice Congres The Executive Committee, Professors J. JAZ, B. PULLMAN and D.

There is no doubt about the importance of hydration in many areas of every day life, technology, biology, medicine, science etc. During the last years many investigations have been carried out upon problems of hydration and a large amount of experimental and theoretical data has been obtained by the application of different methods. One effi cient possibility to stimulate progress in scientific problems is to come together and discuss existing results and ideas. This was the aim of the 35th Bunsenkolloquium and a subsequent seminar held in Marburg, FRG from April 2 -4, 1987 with respect to the "Interaction of Water in Ionic and Nonionic Hydrates". The meeting was attended by more than one hundred participants from 25 countries. It will be seen from the content of the chapters in this book, which comprises the introductory papers and more or less extended abstracts of research seminars, that it was possible not only to stress the advantages and disadvantages of each method, but also to show how information gained by one method can complement the results of another one in order to increase our overall understanding of hydration pheno mena. The papers are divided into sections concerning the hydration of: ions, nonionic substances, biological and macromolecular substances, surfactants as well as a section containing methods, models and theo ries, which may stimulate investigations on hydrations.