Consider for a few moments the staggering magnitude of technological advance which has occurred since the birth four centuries ago of that early progenitor of the scientific method, Galileo. Think also about the extent of scientific knowledge avail able during the lifetime of Galileo and his associates; knowledge increasing slowly through several centuries, accelerating rapidly during the past twenty years, culminat ing at the present time in a virtual impossibility that one person - one communit- possibly even one nation - can hope to generate or use productively more than a minute portion of the world's scientific knowledge. New developments - expanded technological concepts - occur with dazzling rapidity, often faster than they can be assimilated. At the same time there are practical limitations to the extent of formal education. Continuing education, upgrading of scientific know-how, retraining to assure full utilization of existing knowledge - these are urgent problems which today confront the nation's scientific community. And there is never enough time. The problem is compounded by the increasing burden of information retrieval.

The papers presented in this volume of Advances in X-Ray Analysis were chosen from those presented at the Fourteenth Annual Conference on the Applications of X-Ray Analysis. This conference, sponsored by the Metallurgy Division of the Denver Research Institute, University of Denver, was held on August 24,25, and 26, 1965, at the Albany Hotel in Denver, Colorado. Of the 56 papers presented at the conference, 46 are included in this volume; also included is an open discussion held on the effects of chemical com bination on X-ray spectra. The subjects presented represent a broad scope of applications of X-rays to a variety of fields and disciplines. These included such fields as electron-probe microanalysis, the effect of chemical combination on X-ray spectra, and the uses of soft and ultrasoft X-rays in emission analysis. Also included were sessions on X-ray diffraction and fluor escence analysis. There were several papers on special topics, including X-ray topography and X-ray absorption fine-structure analysis. William L. Baun contributed considerable effort toward the conference by organizing the session on the effect of chemical combination on X-ray spectra fine structure. A special session was established through the excellent efforts of S. P. Ong on the uses and applica tions of soft X-rays in fluorescent analysis. We offer our sincere thanks to these men, for these two special sessions contributed greatly to the success of the conference.

The torrential flow of technical information appearing in the world sources of literature is creating concern and apprehension among scientific people at all levels. It is extremely difficult to keep abreast of information flowing into a specific field. It is nearly impossible to transcend traditional confines of individual disciplines and put to effective use all pertinent information which stems from continuously increased trans disciplinary research. At the same time the researcher is faced with problems of in creasing complexity, with the requirement for new knowledge and new techniques, and must frequently, with little time, bridge the gap between his own sphere of experience and a sometimes apparently unrelated new interest. This is readily observed with X-ray analysis, where the chemist, physicist, metallurgist, and engineer are each faced with the solution of problems peculiar to specific disciplines but where solutions frequently correlate with the particular needs of the others. The Annual Conference on Applications of X-Ray Analysis and the subsequent Advances in X-Ray Analysis contribute to better understanding of multidisciplinary accomplishments; they are a ready source of information for the researcher who must undertake an abrupt change in emphasis for new objectives. The scope of this conference is broad--concerning itself, as it does, with latest developments in high-temperature and cryogenic techniques, phase equilibria, crystal structures, polymers, microprobes, and new developments in instrumentation.

A real need exists for ways to bridge the gap between basic research and prac tical application, for faster utilization of new discoveries and new developments in the world of technology, and for technical transfer of defense and space accomplish ments to the civilian economy. The problem is compounded by the torrential flow of technical information. Thirty million books are available on technical subjects, the total increasing at the rate of six hundred every day. There are one hundred thousand technical journals. More scientific work has been published in the past ten years than in all preceding recorded history. Scientists and engineers only a few years beyond academic pursuits are already encountering a continuing need for retraining and expansion of their own knowledge. At the same time, the re searchers - scientists, engineers, students - must exhibit bold creative thinking to evolve new technology, to better understand nature's secrets, to conceive new theories, and to reduce old theories to practical utilization. Research in the physical sciences and the engineering sciences provides the ever-flowing spring of knowledge for the investigation of new ideas. Such research is sometimes hindered by classification as "basic" or "applied. " There are many times when a research program has no immediate or ultimate objective and is truly contributing to our reservoir of knowledge - a reservoir which will certainly be tapped in the future.