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Rapidly increasing interest in the problems of air pollution and source-receptor relationships has led to a significant expansion of knowledge in the field of atmospheric chemistry. In general the chemistry of atmospheric trace constituents is governed by the oxygen content of the atmosphere. Upon entering the atmosphere in a more or less reduced state, trace substances are oxidized via various pathways and the generated products are often precursors of acidic compounds. Beside oxidation processes occurring in the gas phase, gaseous compounds are often converted into solid aerosol particles. The various steps within gas-to-particle conversion are constantly interacting with condensation processes, which are caused by the tropospheric water content. Thus in addition to the gaseous state, a liquid and solid state exists within the troposphere. The solid phase consists of atmospheric conversion products or fly ash and mineral dust. The liquid phase consists of water, conversion products and soluble compounds. The chemistry occurring within this system is often referred to as hydrogeneous chemistry. The chemist interprets this term, however, more strictly as reactions which occur only at an interphase between phases. This, however, is not always what happens in the atmosphere. There are indeed heterogeneous processes such as reactions occurring on the surface of dry aerosol particles. But apart from these, we must focus as well on reactions in the homogeneous phase, which are single steps of consecutive reactions running through various phases.

Environmental engineering has a leading role in the elimination of ecological threats, and deals, in brief, with securing technically the conditions which create a safe environment for mankind to live in. Due to its interdisciplinary character it can deal with a wide range of technical and technological problems. Since environmental engineering use

In the summer of 1999, an international group of experts convened in Jerusalem, Israel, in order to define the major environmental challenges facing humanity at the dawn of the new millennium and - where possible - propose ways of addressing them. Almost 50 selected articles are collected in the present book, which constitutes a striking interdisciplinary combination of state-of-the-art science with the latest views on environmental law, education, and international cooperation. Whilst a major fraction of the book is devoted to water-related issues (water quality monitoring, water and wastewater treatment, water-based international cooperation, and more), other sections deal with timely topics relating to air pollution, biodiversity, conservation, and education. The book is intended for environmental scientists, professionals, and students of all disciplines.

The Acid Rain 2000 Conference in Tsukuba, Japan, held 10-16 December 2000, was the sixth such conference in the series, starting with Columbus, Ohio, USA, in 1975, and including Sandefjord, Norway, in 1980, Muskoka, Canada, in 1985, Glasgow, UK, in 1990, and Göteborg, Sweden, in 1995. This series of International Conferences on the acid rain problem has made a very important contribution to the process of summarising the state of current understanding and making this information available. In the 6th Conference, approximately 600 papers were presented, including talks and posters. About 300 peer-reviewed papers from the presentation appear in this volume, and will provide readers with a comprehensive review of the history and scientific aspects of the acid rain problem. The papers appear in three volumes: the first containing the plenary and keynote papers and the other two the remaining scientific papers. (Volume 1: ISBN 0-7923-7132-1; Volume 2: ISBN 0-7923-7133-X; Volume 3: ISBN 0-7923-7134-8). The Conference was arranged under the joint auspices of The Science Council of Japan, The Japanese Society of Limnology (representative academic society), Japan Association of Aerosol Science and Technology, The Japan Society for Analytical Chemistry, Japan Society for Atmospheric Environment, Chemical Society of Japan, The Ecological Society of Japan, The Japanese Society of Environmental Education, Society of Environmental Science, Japan, The Japanese Forestry Society, Japanese Society of Snow and Ice, Japanese Society of Soil Science and Plant Nutrition, and Japan Society on Water Environment, with the cooperation of Ibaraki Prefecture and Japan Environment Agency.

Specialist Periodical Reports provide systematic and detailed review coverage of progress in the major areas of chemical research. Written by experts in their specialist fields the series creates a unique service for the active research chemist, supplying regular critical in-depth accounts of progress in particular areas of chemistry. For over 80 years the Royal Society of Chemistry and its predecessor, the Chemical Society, have been publishing reports charting developments in chemistry, which originally took the form of Annual Reports. However, by 1967 the whole spectrum of chemistry could no longer be contained within one volume and the series Specialist Periodical Reports was born. The Annual Reports themselves still existed but were divided into two, and subsequently three, volumes covering Inorganic, Organic and Physical Chemistry. For more general coverage of the highlights in chemistry they remain a'must'. Since that time the SPR series has altered according to the fluctuating degree of activity in various fields of chemistry. Some titles have remained unchanged, while others have altered their emphasis along with their titles; some have been combined under a new name whereas others have had to be discontinued. The current list of Specialist Periodical Reports can be seen on the inside flap of this volume.