Surface Chemistry

Abstract

THE immense progress that has been made in unravelling the details of surface phenomena, since the fifty years old generalisation of J. J. Thomson and Willard Gibbs that the energy conditions at surfaces may profoundly modify not only the concentrations, but also the chemical equilibria at surfaces, were well surveyed on September 6 in a vigorous and crowded discussion held by Section B (Chemistry) at the Norwich meeting of the British Association. The principal speakers were Profs. H. Freundlich, E. Waldschmidt-Leitz, E. C. C. Baly and E. K. Rideal, and Drs. N. K. Adam, A. H. Hughes and J. H. Schulman. Many of the outstanding points in the behaviour of molecules at the principal types of surfaces which occur in systems of actual or potential biological importance were touched upon in more or less detail.