This is formed, in the ideal situation, when two monomers in a reaction mixture add consecutively to create a polymer chain with a regular {ABABAB} structure, irrespective of the monomer feed ratio. When this happens the resulting copolymer will always have the same composition, a feature which can be advantageous but also somewhat restrictive, as the ability to vary the properties is then limited. Within a series entitled Speciality Polymers it seems appropriate then to deal with this subject, particularly as no previous attempt has been made to draw together the various facets of alternating copolymerization into one volume. It also seems timely to present a more unified picture of the subject which will also illustrate the progress made.

After an introductory overview on the antioxidant compounds, the volume goes into the description of the natural and synthetic polymeric antioxidants in detail, with a particular attention to both their chemical and biological properties. The extraction and modification of naturally occurring polymers, as well as the fabrication of totally synthetic compounds, is treated as well.

Along with the above topics, the Handbook of Transition Metal Polymerization Catalysts provides tables of valuable data to assist in reproducing a synthesis or applying the knowledge to a new problem. Polymerization reactivities, polymer properties, monomer and solvent purity requirements, molecular weights, distribution, and reactivity ratios are also covered. The Handbook of Transition Metal Polymerization Catalysts offers an excellent one-stop resource for understanding and applying polymerization catalysts.

The second of a two-volume set, Volume II explores various compounds of interest in inorganic chemistry and describes their electronic structures from the perspective of spectroscopic studies. Areas discussed include:

* Bioinorganic Spectroscopy
* Mixed Valence
* Multiple Metal-Metal Bonds
* Transition Metal Nitrosyls
* Electronic Structure of Heme Sites

With contributions from leading authors in their respective fields, Characterisation of Bulk Solids provides the reader with a sound understanding of the techniques, importance and application of particulate materials characterisation. It covers the fundamental characteristics of individual particles and bulk particulate materials, and includes discussion of a wide range of measurement techniques, and the use of material characteristics in design and industrial practice.

Recent years have seen tremendous progress in research on cold and controlled molecular collisions, both in theory and in experiment. The advent of techniques to prepare cold and ultracold molecules and ions, to store them in optical lattices or in charged quasicristalline structures, and to use them in crossed or merged beam experiments have opened many new possibilities to study the most fundamental aspects of molecular interactions. At the same time, theoretical work has made progress in tackling these problems and accurately describing quantum effects in complex systems, and in proposing viable options to control chemical reactions at ultralow energies.

This book describes medical applications of photochemistry. In the first part, a general introduction to photochemistry and related phototechnologies is provided. In the second part, photochemistry-based medical applications for diagnostics (biochips and bioimaging) and therapeutics (biomaterials for artificial organs, medical adhesives, dental materials, drug-delivery systems, tissue engineering, and photodynamic therapy) are described, with examples of recent research.