Solid state chemistry

Even though non-molecular solids comprise only a small fraction of all known compounds, they have been technologically very important. These materials are the focus of Solid State Science. Once a new compound is synthesized, we have powerful tools of analysis to determine its structure and a host of physical properties and to connect these through increasingly sophisticated theoretical models. With perhaps the exception of high temperature superconductivity, the understanding of physical phenomena in solids is impressive. A similar understanding of the chemistry of solids is still, however, rather elusive in that we are quite unable to predict new crystal structures or the composition of compounds that are more than derivatives of known materials. In spite of this shortcoming, new discoveries through empirical searches and focused inquiries are accelerating. This article gives a short, admittedly biased and certainly incomplete, view of current progress and challenges in Solid State Chemistry and points out promising new developments in experimental and theoretical research. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.