Book Review [Surfaces of Nanoparticles and Porous Materials. Edited by James A. Schwarz and Cristian I. Contescu. 1 999. Marcel Dekker, New York, USA. ISBN: 0824719336]

The volume is organized into three sections. The first section deals with the preparation, characterization and transport properties of this unique class of materials. A total of twelve contributions are included in this section, ten of which are full reviews and two are essentially short papers. The topics include: the synthesis of polysilazane coatings on the surface of silica gel; preparation of molecular sieves by the pillaring of synthetic clays; the acid/base behavior of surfaces of porous materials; electro-optical spectroscopy of colloid systems; NMR studies of colloidal oxides; polymer surface dynamics via contact angle measurements; collagen fibers; the role of diffusion on adsorption on oxide surfaces; transport processes in microemulsions; electrokinetic phenomena in porous media, and structural effects on diffusivity within colloidal zirconia. The remaining two sections deal with the fundamental and practical utilization of nanostructured materials in gaseous and liquid environments. The second section addresses the former case. A total of seven well documented contributions are included in this section. The papers address studies in diverse areas: energetically heterogeneous surfaces as studied using experimental adsorption isotherms; computer simulations of adsorbed surface layers; the effect of surface heterogeneity on adsorption equilibria and kinetics; single and multicomponent adsorption; surface properties of modified porous silicas; heats of adsorption of pure gases; and nanodimensional magnetic assembly of confined oxygen. The final section includes a total of ten reviews that address adsorption from the liquid phase. The following topics are covered: surface chemistry of activated carbon; charge regulation at the surface of porous solids; surface ionization and complexation; ionic adsorbates on hydrophobic surfaces; adsorption of metals on humic acid surfaces; hydrated metal oxides as adsorbents for heavy metals; adsorption of ions on alumina; protein adsorption on latex particles, and adsorption of pharmaceutical organic compounds on porous materials