For more than a century, national and international governing bodies have had some involvement in regulating the quality and safety of food during production and delivery. Since the beginnings of this "modern" food regulation in the early 20th century, the way that food is produced, packaged and distributed has changed drastically. It is difficult to determine if technological advances in the areas of polymer science, refrigeration, and transportation have driven the globalization of the food supply or if the food industry has drawn from these technologies to satisfy consumer's desire and need. Ensuring the safety of food requires a complex and ever-changing set of interactions between producers, distributors, consumers and regulators. As advances are made in packaging and food additives, as food distributions systems evolve to meet consumer needs, or as these respond to environmental and population changes, adjustments to regulatory systems may become necessary. Analytical, environmental and materials chemistry can often play important roles in responding to these changes and in continuing to help with the improvement of food safety and security. These five co-editors bring their respective expertise to the subject of the food system and the chemical advancements behind it.

Much of traditional solid state chemistry invokes changes in the structures and properties of solids via addition or substitution of cations. In the vast majority of cases, the anion remains a constant, and due in part to the ubiquity of oxygen, that anion is oxide. This book considers the role and importance of nitrides, pnictides, chalcogenides, carbides and halides, among others, in redefining modern solid state materials chemistry. The true flexibility of the anion is explored in a summary of heteroanionic (“mixed anion”) materials in which two or more anions can be incorporated in crystalline structures, either “ab initio” or via doping and substitution. The concept of “pseudo oxides” (where compounds with multiple anions isoelectronic to O2- can be designed) is explored. Throughout, the onus of the volume is on linking fundamental solid state chemistry with properties, performance and applications to illustrate how useful - and sometimes unique - materials can be designed “beyond oxides”. Written in an accessible style, Non-Oxide and Heteroanionic Materials provides a valuable resource for advanced undergraduates and postgraduates across solid state chemistry, catalysis and materials science, as well as researchers looking for an introduction to the subject.