The Special Technical Publication is the result of aninternational symposium, which was held 16 and 17 March 1987 atPhiladelphia, PA. This symposium was organized and sponsored by theASTM Committee E37 on Thermal Measurements. The symposium as wellas the special technical publication cover a broad spectrum ofapplications of thermogravimetry to the compositional analysis ofmaterials. We are very pleased with the wide range of materialtypes (polymers, rubber, cements, coal, oil shales, clays, and soforth) as well as the fact that authors from seven differentcountries participated in this symposium and subsequentpublication.