Biological Horizons in Surface Science presents techniques used in surface science research as well as experimental data. It is organized in such a way that there is a transition from the more theoretical or molecular to the more biological. Emphasis is placed on the importance of water in determining molecular architecture and interactions. Methods of examining molecular associations and complex formation of molecules are discussed, and the results from such studies are reviewed. Permeability is examined from the point of view of the energies required to penetrate between two different phases, and from the role that multicellular membranes may play in directing the diffusion of ions or solutes in general. Current concepts of membrane structure based on membrane models are discussed and some new models are suggested. Application of surface science techniques and the unique energies present at interphases are considered with regard to drug interaction with biological tissue and immunological phenomena. The importance of surfactant protein-lipid association is also discussed in regard to alveolar mechanics. This book is directed particularly to biologists who will find many of the techniques used of significance in their own research. It also aims to interest graduate students in this area of investigation.

Horizons in Sustainable Industrial Chemistry and Catalysis, Volume 178, presents a comprehensive picture of recent developments in terms of sustainable industrial processes and the catalytic needs and opportunities to develop these novel routes. Each chapter includes an introduction and state-of-the-art in the field, along with a series of specific aspects and examples. The book identifies new opportunities for research that will help us transition to low carbon and sustainable energy and chemical production. Users will find an integrated view of the new possibilities in this area that unleashes new possibilities in energy and chemistry.

First multi-year cumulation covers six years: 1965-70.

PH. BOURDEAU Directorate-General Science. Research and Development. Commission of the European Communities. Brussels. Belgium We are living on a unique planet, the only one in the solar system where life exists. The very existence of life has modified the physical and chemical environment of the earth, its atmosphere and oceans, in a way that makes life sustainable. This system with its complex cybernetic mechanisms has been named GAIA by Lovelock. Man has always interfered with it on a more or less limited scale. This interference is now reaching global proportions such as climate modifications resulting from CO and trace gas 2 accumulation in the atmosphere or the destruction of stratospheric ozone, not to speak of global radioactive contamination. GAIA will probably prevail as a living system but it probably does not give much importance to man's survival as such, and it is man that has to take care of his own survival. In the ecosystem of Planet Earth, soils are the thin interface between lithosphere and atmosphere which constitutes the essential substrate for the terrestrial biosphere, the productivity of which far exceeds that of the oceans, even though the latter cover a much larger area than the continents. Soils themselves are complex systems. They develop through weathering of minerals, are colonised by living organisms which in turn modify their substrate making it suitable for other organisms. This induces a primary ecological succession which eventually reaches a climax, in equilibrium between climate, soil and the biological communities.

Recent Progress in Surface Science, Volume 3 covers topics on the structure and mechanisms of the cell membranes. The book discusses the incorporation of chemisorbed species; the recent developments in the study of epitaxy; and the "diffusion" or "hydride" component of overpotential at cathodes of the "platinum metals". The text also describes the mechanism of hydrogen exchange in proteins; the nuclear magnetic resonance studies of lipids, lipoproteins, and cell membranes; and the monolayers of synthetic phospholipids. The formation, electrical properties, transport, and excitability characteristics of black lipid films; the structure of biological membranes: the lamellar versus the globoid concept; and some aspects of the role of lipids in lipid-protein interactions and cell membrane structure and function are also considered. The book further tackles ordered water and the ultrastructure of the cellular plasma membrane. Chemists, biophysicists, biochemical pharmacologists, and biochemists will find the book useful.

Cell Surface Reviews, Volume 3: Dynamic Aspects of Cell Surface Organization reviews the progress in the study of the dynamic nature of membrane organization. The book is comprised of 14 chapters that discuss the various areas of concerns relating to membrane dynamics. The coverage of the text includes techniques and methods employed in the analysis and manipulation of the various aspects of cell membranes, such as freeze-fracture techniques; manipulation of the lipid composition of cultured animal cells; and somatic genetic analysis. The book also talks about some of the traits and behaviors of membrane dynamics including shedding of tumor cell surface antigens; dynamics of antibody binding and complement interactions at the cell surface; and structure and function of surface immunoglobulin of lymphocytes. The text will be of great use to microbiologists, biochemists, and other researchers whose work requires a good understanding of the various aspects of cells.