Describes several specific spectrometric techniques that are very useful in elucidating the fundamental nature of matter: EXAFS--Extended X-Ray Absorption of Fine Structure; SEXAFS--which is EXAFS applied to Surface Phenomena; and XANES--X-Ray Absorption Near Edge Structures. Articles explain the phenomena and describe examples of X-ray absorption applications in several fields, including chemistry, biochemistry, catalysis, amorphous and liquid systems, synchrotron radiation, and surface phenomena. Contributors explain the underlying theory, how to set up X-ray absorption experiments, and how to analyze the details of the resulting spectra. This volume will be of particular interest to physicists, chemists, biologists, and materials scientists.