This book has been conceived to collect the most important recent advances in all areas of hydride chemistry research, including chemical reactivity, instrumental investigation, theory, and applications in the areas of catalysis, biochemistry and materials science. Many of the chapters have been written by the plenary lecturers of the EURO-Hydrides 2000 conference, but other leading scientists in this field have also been invited to contribute. The first part of the book focuses on the chemistry and catalysis of transition metal hydrides. Another block of chapters illustrates the most recent advances in the application of instrumental techniques to the study of the properties and reactivity of hydride compounds.