Solid state chemistry

Solid State C h e m i s t r y . P r o c e e d i n g s of the 5th M a t e r i a l s R e s e a r c h Symposium. Edited by R. S. Roth and S. J. Schneider. Pp. 799. t~BS ~Spec. Publ. No. 364. U. S. Government Printing Office, Washington~ D . C . , 1972. P r i c e : $7.50. The 5th M a t e r i a l s R e s e a r c h Symposium on Solid State C h e m i s t r y was held at the Bureau of Standards in Gaithersburg, Maryland on October 18-21, 1971. The symp os i um was organized by R. S. Roth and S. J. Schneider of the Inorganic M a t e r i a l s Division, Institute for M a t e r i a l s R e s e a r c h , National Bureau of Standards. The principle purpose of the conference was to d i s c u s s r e s e a r c h in the a r e a of new inorganic compounds relating c h e m i s t r y , various physical p r o p e r t i e s , and s t r u c t u r e . This a r e a of r e s e a r c h is an important part of the p r o g r a m of the Inorganic M a t e r i a l s Division whose chief is J. B. Wachtman, J r. T h e r e w e r e a l a r ge n u m b e r of fo reig n v i s i t o r s including Sten Andersson, Lund University, J. S. Anderson, Oxford University, J. G. A l l p r e s s , C. S. I. R. O., D. J. M. Bevan, F l i n d e r s University, F. Jellinek, University of Groningen, and P. H a g e n m u l l e r , University of Bordeaux. The s u c c e s s of the meeting was in l a r ge m e a s u r e due to the contributions f r o m these visitors. P a p e r s throughout the e n t i r e symposium e m p h a s i z e d the contributions made by the late David Wadsley and his attempts to s y s t e m a t i z e the s t r u c t u r a l c h e m i s t r y of inorganic solids. W h e r e a s a larg e part of the c o n f e r e n c e dealt ~,ith oxides, t h e r e v,ere interesting and stimulating s e s s i o n s devoted to borides, c a r b i d e s , silicides, as well as chalcogenides. The papers p r i m a r i l y dealt with c u r r e n t r e s e a r c h , although a n u m b e r of rev iews w e r e presented. The s p i r i t of the symposium was by and larg e informal. A concluding s e s , sion v~as held devoted to the subject of n o n - s t o i c h i o m e t r y . The facilities at the Bureau of Standards ~,ere excellent and e v e r y effort was made to provide for the needs and comforts of the participants. T h e r e w e r e s e v e r a l informal m e e t ings held after the f o r m a l s e s s i on s, which proved as informative and enlightening as the planned program. It is most unfortunate that such meetings a r e held so infrequently. If t h e r e is to be a complaint, it would not be d i r e c t e d toward the Bureau or the scientific p r o g r a m but at the poor hotel facilities in downtown Washington and the need for bus t r a n s p o r t a t i o n back and forth f r o m the Bureau. A. WOLD Brown University