The second is a special issue of Bull. Soc. Chem. Belg., 105 (2-3) (1996). This issue contains ten papers covering topics on catalysis, five by authors from Belgium and five by authors from France. The topics covered in this issue are more 'traditional' from the viewpoint of most readers of Applied Catalysis. The issue begins with a description of the application of 13C-NMR of adsorbed molecules to heterogeneous catalysis and ends with a review of catalytic automotive exhaust gas depollution: present status and new trends. Other papers consider catalysis at the molecular level, e.g., one on kinetics of surface reactions on the atomic scale and one on the variation of the number of metal atoms involved in active sites, to engineering oriented papers, e.g., a study of the behavior of an autothermic catalytic reactor.
These articles should be of interest to North American readers for at least two reasons. First, the quality of the papers is high and they provide a broad coverage of catalysis. Perhaps more importantly, the papers illustrate forcefully that catalysis can no longer be considered a "North American science and technological clomain". During and following WWII, the U.S. assumed a dominant role of leadership in catalysis, both at the academic level and in its technological application. The two special issues of these journals should alert those in leadership positions in the U.S. that other regions of the world have attained, if not exceeded, the status of catalysis in North America. In the jargon of the sport's minded, the momentum for catalysis research and research funding seems to be transferring to Europe and