Earlier efforts in the field of thermal analysis were concerned with the
demonstration of the applicability of techniques to a broad spectrum of
materials and to establish the relationship of such techniques with
other more accepted methods. While such efforts will and should
continue, the Third International Conference was unique in that the
first standards were disclosed for differential thermal analysis. This
was the culmination of the international, cooperative effort of the
ICTA's Standardization Committee. The standards currently are available
from the United State's National Bureau of Standards. Thus, thermal
analysis can be considered to have attained its majority. Reali- zation
of full maturity can be expected in the near future. Inclusion of
plenary lectures in these volumes represents a significant departure
from previous Conferences. This change is the result of the ICTA's
recognition of its educational responsibilities. In the Foreword of the
Proceedings of the Second International Confer- ence, Professor L. Berg
expressed the hope that thermal methods of analysis would find wider
application in science and technology. The citation above, together with
the papers presented, indicate the fulfillment of this hope. Xerox
Corporation C. B. Murphy Rochester, N.Y., U.S.A. President, ICTA
1968-1971 X Ill PREFACE For the past two decades thermoanalytical
methods have reached a stage of considerable importance, which is
particularly due to the developments in the area of instrumentation.
