Table of contents

We shall discuss the behaviour of charged particles produced by radiation and their role in physical and chemical processes (e.g. electrical conduction, recombination luminescence, and various optical properties). By analysing existing physico-chemical theories and concepts we can describe these processes quantitatively (at least to a first approximation) as well as gaining a deeper understanding of their mechanism. 402 references.

The oxidation reactions of aromatic compounds and their alkyl derivatives under the influence of salts of variable-valence transition metals are examined. The bibliography includes 204 references.

The literature data on the rearrangements of vinyl cationoid intermediates arising in the solvolysis of various vinyl derivatives and in the addition of cationoid reagents to the triple bond are examined and the differences between the rearrangements of vinyl cations and those of the "usual" saturated carbonium ions are demonstrated. The influence of the structure of vinyl cationoid intermediates on the rate and mode of rearrangements of various types (the migration of alkyl and aryl groups, shifts via the double bond and to a double bond, and higher-order shifts) are discussed. The bibliography includes 87 references.

The methods of synthesis of α,α'-disubstituted pyridines are surveyed and recent advances in this field are indicated. Various ways of constructing the α,α'-disubstituted pyridine ring and of replacing one set of α,α'-substituents by another are described. The characteristics of the chemical behaviour of α,α'-disubstituted pyridines due to the steric and inductive effects of the substituents and their influence on the reactivity of the nitrogen atom and processes involving electrophilic substitution in the pyridine ring are examined. The chemical behaviour of the various functional groups in pyridine systems with α,α'-substituents as well as the characteristic features of the tautomerism and the dual reactivity of substances of this class are discussed. The bibliography includes 254 references.

Physicochemical aspects of the stabilisation of polymers are discussed. Attention is paid mainly to the aging and stabilisation of polymers under processing conditions. Topics considered are the kinetics and mechanism of the high-temperature oxidation of polymers, critical phenomena in the inhibited oxidation of polymers, the theory of synergism and antagonism among antioxidants, the reasons for differences in efficiency of antioxidants, and certain aspects of the relation between the efficiency of antioxidants and their molecular structure. A list of 132 references is included.

Data on the catalytic activity and stereospecificity of alkaline-earth metals in the polymerisation and copolymerisation of unsaturated monomers are summarised, and the nature of the active centres is examined togeher with the kinetics and the mechanism of these processes. The principal methods of preparing initiators for anionic polymerisation that contain compounds of these metals are outlined, and the most probable immediate prospects for practical application of the compounds in polymerisation processes are noted. A list of 175 references is included.