[en] The study of the chemical changes consequent upon the nuclear transformation of an atom that is linked with other atoms in a molecule and surrounded by other similar or dissimilar molecules has intrigued chemists for a number of years. This interest is certainly not static but if anything is increasing. The main theme of this meeting was a discussion of the suggestions and theories that have been advanced to explain the wealth of experimental observations on the behaviour of atoms at energies and in situations not normally accessible in the laboratory. Though the subject has some practical implications in the preparation of radioisotopes, this was not an important consideration at this Symposium. The first Symposium on hot-atom chemistry organized by the Agency was held in Prague in October 1960. Comparison of the past and the present state of the subject shows that a greater variety and sophistication of techniques are now being applied as the simpler approaches used in the past have been shown to be inadequate. Progress has been made in the understanding of the simpler gas system, but in liquids and solids there is still much to clarify. It is also of interest that for the majority of the work reported in these Proceedings a reactor was the radiation source, and in this field much experimental work still remains to be done. The Symposium on Chemical Effects Associated with Nuclear Reactions and Radioactive Transformations was held from 7 to 11 December 1964 in Vienna, and was attended by 136 participants from 29 countries and 4 international organizations. It was organized by the International Atomic Energy Agency in co-operation with the Joint Commission on Applied Radioactivity. The publication of these Proceedings makes the content of the papers and discussion available to a wider audience than was possible at the meeting in Vienna