The concept of this book was developed during the Winter Seminar held in the Austrian mountains at the Alpengasthof Zeinisjoch, Tirol-Vorarlberg, from February 27 to March 3, 1988. Leading experts and advanced students in math­ ematics, physics, chemistry and computer science met to present and discuss their most recent results in an informal seminar. These were the circumstances that led to the idea of compiling some of the essential contributions presented at this seminar together with others describing basic features of "optimal struc­ tures in heterogeneous reaction systems". The aim of this book is to present the scientific results of the intensive work carried out in each of the specific fields of research. Each contribution therefore presents the current state of the art together with a deeper treatment enabling a more comprehensive understanding of that particular field of work. The common ideas which unite all the different contributions are already ex­ pressed in the title of this book. The nature of heterogeneous reaction systems is quite varied. An example is provided by the chemical systems such as noble metal particles which may act as heterogeneous catalysts for gaseous chemical compounds. Under these circumstances the metal particles and/or their sur­ faces may undergo phase transitions during reaction. Imbihl and Plath report on special catalytic systems of this kind, which are of industrial importance.