The papersin this volume are as a resultofcontributions given at the NATO Advanced Study Institute heldat L1andinam Building, University CollegeofWales, Aberystwyth, 10 - 23 September 1989. The Institute considered the physical and chemical propertiesof a variety ofcolloidal systems ranging from simple micellar solutions to concentrated colloidal dispersions. The purpose ofthe NATO Advanced Study Institute was to create a forum so that research scientists working in different areas concerned with colloid science could interact. The emphasL oft1"l.;: contributions were on the interpretation ofthe different experimental and theoretical approach to give information on the structure, dynamics and equilibrium propertiesofthese systems. The application ofseveral different techniques in colloid science have been described; new developments and perspectives have been covered by several authors. The present volume reviews the current stale ofthe art in this area and it is hoped that it will be used as an incentive for further studies particularlywith reference to new areas ofresearch. In the organisation ofthe scientific programme for the NATO meeting we would like to acknowledge the assistance ofProfessors J. Lyklema, D. G. Hall and J. Holzwarth. We wish to thank Miss Mandy Rudd for all the secretarial assistance in setting up the meeting and for the invaluable assistance in preparing the manuscripts. In connection with the proceedings we would also like to thank Miss Sandra Fahy for assistance. The help of Paul Jones and Mrs G. Wyn-Jones during the meeting is also gratefully acknowledged.

Chemical relaxation spectrometry involves the application of several different relaxation techniques to investigate the kinetics and mechanisms of fast chemical reactions and also dynamic molecul 10 ar processes that occur in liquids in the time range 1 - 10- secs. These methods have been used widely in several disciplines of the natural sciences including molecular biology, biochemistry, organic stereochemistry, detergent chemistry and inorganic chemistry. The purpose of the Advanced Study Institute was to provide a forum for scientists to discuss the role, scope and limitations of the various applications of chemical relaxation methods in order to stimulate discussion and interaction between workers in these different fields. The papers described in this volume are a summary of the contributions that were discussed at the meeting. The brief given to the authors was to attempt to prepare an article contain ing a good supply of references so that the book can be used not only by those starting in the field, but also by the specialist and research worker. These contributions cover a varied range of topics summarizing the achievements, the current state of knowledge and possible application in many disciplines. It is to be hoped that this volume will help to point out some new directions towards which research efforts are required and to attract new researchers with fresh points of view."

As a result of the pioneering efforts of Eigen, de Maeyer, Norrish and Porter, the kinetics of fast reactions in solution can now be studied using chemical relaxation methods, as well as many other fast reactions techniques. These methods have been applied successfully in many branches of the natural sciences. The simultaneous growth in the number of investiga tors and the diversity of their research interests has inevitably led to communication problems. The purpose of the NATO Advanced Study Institute entitled "New Applications of Chemical Relaxation Spectrometry and Other Fast Reaction Methods in Solution," was to create a forum so that research scientists working in different areas concerned with fast reactions could interact. This meeting was held at the Llandinam Building, University College of Wales, Aberystwyth from September 10th-20th, 1978. In addition to lectures on techniques and theory, two days of the NATO Advanced Study Institute, were spent discussing the current state of the art in this field. This two day meeting was also run under the auspices of the Chemical Society, Fast Reactions in Solution Group. The papers in this volume are the result of the contribu tions given in the Aberystwyth meeting. We have attempted to make this volume useful for the non-expert and a comprehensive introduction to theory, as well as the instrumentation used in the studies are discussed in detail."