Charmless B decays

This paper reports on the study of b-quarks and their decays which is a tool in exploring the physics of heavy quarks and the correctness of the Standard Model. Weak decays in the current Standard Model with three generations can be parameterized in terms of the Kobayashi-Maskawa matrix, which contains the couplings of the quarks. Current experimental efforts are directed toward the measurement of the matrix elements Vub and Vcb and the effects of the top quark as exhibited in Bo bar Bo mixing. Measurements of the lifetimes and semileptonic branching ratios indicate that the simple spectator model for the decay is true to 10-20 percent. Hadronic decays, m on the other hand, are poorly understood theoretically. Rare B decays are searched for as a probe of higher order electroweak processes and to search for effects of a possible fourth generation