In recent years mineralogy has developed even stronger links with solid-state chemistry and physics and these developments have been accompanied by a trend towards further quantification in the theoretical as well as the experimental aspects of the subject. The importance of solid-state chemistry to mineralogy was reflected in a symposium held at the 1982 Annual Congress of The Royal Society of Chemistry at which the original versions of most of the contributions to this book were presented. The meeting brought together chemists, geologists and mineralogists all of whom were interested in the application of modern spectroscopic techniques to the study of bonding in minerals. The interdisci­ plinary nature of the symposium enabled a beneficial exchange of information from the various fields and it was felt that a book presenting reviews of the key areas of the subject would be a useful addition to both the chemical and mineralogical literature. The field of study which is commonly termed the 'physics and chemistry of minerals' has itself developed very rapidly over recent years. Such rapid development has resulted in many chemists, geologists, geochemists and mineralogists being less familiar than they might wish with the techniques currently available. Central to this field is an understanding of chemical bonding or 'electronic structure' in minerals which has been developed both theoretically and by the use of spectroscopic techniques.