Book excerpt: Refractory Materials, Volume 7: Transition Metal Carbides and Nitrides discusses the developments in transition metal carbide and nitride research. This volume is organized into nine chapters that emphasize the mechanical and superconducting properties of these compounds. The introductory chapters deal with the general properties, preparation techniques, characterization, crystal chemistry, phase relationships, and thermodynamics of transition metal carbides and nitrides. The following chapter highlights the mechanical properties of these compounds, such as elastic and plastic deformation, fracture, strengthening mechanisms, and hardness. The discussion then shifts to specific electrical and magnetic properties, including electrical resistivity, Hall coefficient, and magnetic susceptibility. A separate chapter is devoted to carbides and nitrides as superconductors. The concluding chapters explore certain theories that explain the mechanisms of band structure and bonding in carbides and nitrides. This volume is of great value to research workers in metallurgy, ceramics, physics, chemistry, and related fields, as well as to advanced students investigating problems concerning high temperature materials or interstitial compounds.