Solvents are used in nearly all industries, from cosmetics to semiconductors, and from biotechnology research to iron and steel production. This book is a comprehensive and extensive textual analysis of the principles of solvent selection and use. It is a balanced presentation of solvent performance, processing characteristics, and environment and health issues. The book is intended to help formulators select ideal solvents, safety coordinators to protect workers, legislators and inspectors to define and implement technically correct public safeguards on solvent use, handling, and disposal.

The third edition contains the most recent findings and trends in the solvent application. This volume, together with Vol. 2: Use, Health & Environment, Databook of Green Solvents, and Databook of Solvents, contains the most comprehensive, and up to date information ever published on solvents.

Each chapter in this volume is focused on a specific aspect of solvent properties which determine its selection, such as effect on properties of solutes and solutions, properties of different groups of solvents and the summary of their applications' effect on health and environment (given in tabulated form), swelling of solids in solvents, solvent diffusion and drying processes, nature of interaction of solvent and solute in solutions, acid-base interactions, effect of solvents on spectral and other electronic properties of solutions, effect of solvents on rheology of solution, aggregation of solutes, permeability, molecular structure, crystallinity, configuration, and conformation of dissolved high molecular weight compounds, methods of application of solvent mixtures to enhance the range of their applicability, and effect of solvents on chemical reactions and reactivity of dissolved substances.