Wiley-VCH: New York, 1998. xii + 580 pp. ISBN 0-471-18590-6. $94.50.

The editors of this collection of monographs define materials chemistry as "chemistry related to the preparation, processing and analysis of materials" and point out that a growing number of scientists trained in the area of chemistry find themselves working in the field of materials science. This fact, together with the growing interest among chemists in the opportunities and challenges currently offered by the field of new materials, provides the rationale for the appearance of a text covering this area.

The subject areas chosen by the editors represent some of the most exciting areas currently under investigation in the development of new materials whose ultimate function and utility are now beginning to dictate their design. Chapter 1 (Introductory Terms and Concepts), written by the editors, briefly introduces the reader to materials science from a historical perspective and provides a personal perspective on the "state of the science". The next four chapters focus on different materials with interesting electronic properties and their applications: Electron-Transfer Salt-Based Conductors, Superconductors and Magnets (Chapter 2), Advanced Polymeric Materials: Functional Electroactive Polymers (Chapter 3), Polymers in Electronics (Chapter 4), and Chemical Vapor Deposition (Chapter 5). Chapter 6 (Introduction to the Nonlinear Optical Properties of Organic Materials) presents a longer theoretical introduction than found in other chapters, commensurate with the state of the field and the perceived needs of most readers seeking to become acquainted with nonlinear optical behavior. This theoretical introduction is followed by a short survey of systems currently being investigated. Chapter 7 (Nanoparticles and Nanostructural Materials) describes the preparation and properties of particles 1-100 nm in size, containing 10-10⁶ atoms, which have recently been recognized as bridging the realms of traditional small molecular systems and solid-state physics. Chapters 8 (Nanoporous Materials) and 9 (Molecular Precursor Routes to Inorganic Solids) cover ceramics, zeolites, and sol-gels. Chapter 10 (Layered Transition-Metal Oxides and Chalcogenides) presents an overview of the design and preparation of ordered metal chalcogenides, including high-temperature superconductors. The final chapter, Biomaterials (Chapter 11) is concerned with the design, synthesis, and properties of materials that mimic the function and properties of materials found in biological systems, for example, collagens and biominerals such as calcium carbonates and phosphates.

Without exception, the chapters are well written and will provide the reader with a quick introduction to and overview of the current state of each area. The cited literature extends into 1995. The chapters in this text do not, in general, provide enough background or introductory material for the book to be used as a text for a course, but it certainly could be used for supplemental reading at both the graduate and undergraduate levels.