When, in my capacity as President of the Societe de Chimie physique, I opened the 24th Annual Meeting of this Society, devoted this year to 'molecular motions in liquids', I was stirred by a particular emotion. This had two reasons, one general and the other rather personal. I would like to give an explanation in the Foreword to this volume of communications to the Meeting and their ensuing discussions. An essential characteristic of science is its international nature. It is like a symphony composed of contributions by all the countries playing together as an orchestra in unison. Just as a melody has different 'colours' when played by strings or woodwinds, so there exist similar 'colour' differences, subtle ones, between scientific contributions from different countries, rooted as they are in their own cultural history and liable to impoverish the ensemble if they should cease to participate. I have always had an impression of marked 'colour' differences prevailing among American, Russian, Japanese and European contributions, although within the latter group the timbre is very much the same. This is why I have dreamed of a European 'chamber orchestra' in addition to the great world orchestra.

A unified overview of the dynamical properties of water and its unique and diverse role in biological and chemical processes.

This ASI was planned to make a major contribution to the teaching of the principles and methods used in liquid phase ~esearch and to encourage the setting up of collaborative projects, as advocated by the European Molecular Liquids Group (secretary: Dr J. Yarwood, University of Durham, U. K. ). During the past five years considerable progress has been made in studying molecular liquids. The undoubted advantages of international collaboration led to the formation of the European Molecular Liquids Group (EMLG) in July 1981. The activities of the EMLG were widely disseminated in a special session of the European Congress on Molecular Spectroscopy (EUCMOS) held in September 1981 (for details, see J. Mol. Structure, 80 (1982) 375 - 421). Following the success of this meeting, it was thought that the aims and objectives of the E~G would be best served by the organisation of a broader-based gathering designed to attract those interested in the study of the structure, dynamics and interactions in the liquid state. Thanks to the generous support by the Scientific Affairs Division of NATO, it was possible to hold a NATO ASI on Molecular Liquids at the Italian Centre of Stanford University, Florence, Italy during June-July 1983. This book is based on the lectures presented at that meeting. The contents of this volume cover the three broad areas of current liquid phase research: (a) Analytical theory.

The classic guide to mixtures, completely updated with new models, theories, examples, and data. Efficient separation operations and many other chemical processes depend upon a thorough understanding of the properties of gaseous and liquid mixtures. Molecular Thermodynamics of Fluid-Phase Equilibria, Third Edition is a systematic, practical guide to interpreting, correlating, and predicting thermodynamic properties used in mixture-related phase-equilibrium calculations. Completely updated, this edition reflects the growing maturity of techniques grounded in applied statistical thermodynamics and molecular simulation, while relying on classical thermodynamics, molecular physics, and physical chemistry wherever these fields offer superior solutions. Detailed new coverage includes: Techniques for improving separation processes and making them more environmentally friendly. Theoretical concepts enabling the description and interpretation of solution properties. New models, notably the lattice-fluid and statistical associated-fluid theories. Polymer solutions, including gas-polymer equilibria, polymer blends, membranes, and gels. Electrolyte solutions, including semi-empirical models for solutions containing salts or volatile electrolytes. Coverage also includes: fundamentals of classical thermodynamics of phase equilibria; thermodynamic properties from volumetric data; intermolecular forces; fugacities in gas and liquid mixtures; solubilities of gases and solids in liquids; high-pressure phase equilibria; virial coefficients for quantum gases; and much more. Throughout, Molecular Thermodynamics of Fluid-Phase Equilibria strikes a perfect balance between empirical techniques and theory, and is replete with useful examples and experimental data. More than ever, it is the essential resource for engineers, chemists, and other professionals working with mixtures and related processes.

This unique volume presents a comprehensive but accessible introduction to the field of ultrafast two-dimension infrared (2D IR) vibrational echo spectroscopy based on the pioneering work of Professor Michael D Fayer, Department of Chemistry, Stanford University, USA. It contains in one place a qualitative introduction to the field of 2D IR spectroscopy and a comprehensive set of scientific papers that underlie the qualitative discussion. The introductory material contains several detailed illustrations, and is based on the Centenary Lecture at the Indian Institute of Science given by Professor Fayer July 16, 2008 as part of the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the founding of IIS in Bangalore, India. The second part of the volume contains reprints of Fayer's relevant papers. The compilation will be very useful because it presents the historical background, motivation, methodology, and experimental results at a level that is accessible to the non-expert. The reprints of the scientific papers, from review articles to detailed theoretical papers, provide rigorous supporting material so that the reader can delve as deeply as desired into the subject.