In this book the author presents an up-to-date summary of existing information on the structure, electronic properties, chemistry and catalytic properties of transition metal oxides.The subjects covered in the book can be divided into three sections. The first (chapters 1 to 3) covers the structural, physical, magnetic, and electronic properties of transition metal oxides. Although the emphasis is on surface properties, relevant bulk properties are also discussed. The second section (chapters 4 to 7) covers surface chemical properties. It includes topics that describe the importance of surface coordinative unsaturation in adsorption, the formation of surface acidity and the role of acidity in determining surface chemical properties, the nature and reactivities of adsorbed oxygen, and the surface chemistry in the reduction of oxides. The third section (chapters 8 to 14) is on the catalytic properties. Various catalytic reactions including decomposition, hydrogenation, isomerization, metathesis, selective oxidation, and reactions involving carbon oxides are discussed. Emphasis is placed more on reaction mechanisms and the role of catalysts than on kinetics and processes. Chapters on the preparation of oxide catalysts and on photo-assisted processes are also included. Whenever appropriate, relationships between various topics are indicated.Written for surface physicists, chemists, and catalytic engineers, the book will serve as a useful source of information for investigators and as a comprehensive overview of the subject for graduate students.

Layered double hydroxides are one of the variety of names given to a family of layered materials first discovered in Sweden in 1842. These materials are interesting because their layer cations can be changed among a wide selection, and the interlayer anion can also be (nearly) freely chosen. Like cationic clays, they can be pillared and can exchange interlayer species -- thus increasing applications and making new routes to derivatives. The principle areas of application include catalyst support, anion scavengers, polymer stabilisers, and antacids. In the last several years, reviews and studies of LDHs have dealt with these uses. This book aims to update the current body of LDH knowledge from a wide array of views. The first section addresses the synthesis and physiochemical characterisation of these materials, and section two focuses on the applications of LDHs.