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This review presents systematically most of the experimental data which have been obtained from measurements of bulk properties of alloys and intermetallic compounds containing atoms of transition metals, rare earths or actinides which can be considered as non-interacting with each other. Criteria for the observation of effects due to non-interacting atoms are given. Data are reported from measurements of magnetic properties, electrical resistivity, specific heat, superconductivity, thermoelectric power, thermal conductivity, thermal expansion and compressibility, De Haas-van Alphen and Hall effects and optical properties. Systematic trends in experimental behaviour can be observed in many of these data, and using this observation experimental parameters are defined which are used to classify the data before attempting a comparison with theories.

The depression in critical temperature T c of several dilute solid solutions of transition elements in Al, Zn, In, and Sn was measured as a function of residual resistivity and concentration. In Zn-Mn and Zn-Cr, localized moments are present and T c decreases linearly with concentration with a slope -dT c /dc of 315 and 170°K/at.%, respectively. By comparing these numbers with theory, a value of about 1.4 eV was found for the s-d exchange integral. In all other alloys, the critical temperature is still depressed but much less than in Zn-Mn and Zn-Cr, and the depression becomes less rapid with increasing concentration of impurities. However, no saturation is found up to the maximum concentrations reached. The effect here found is different from that taking place in dilute alloys containing nontransition metals in that the depression of T c is larger, giving rise to suppression of superconductivity at sufficiently high impurity concentration. An analysis of the data for Al-Mn, Al-Cr, Al-Fe, Zn-Fe, Zn-Co, and Zn-Ni shows that in these systems the observed decrease of T c is satisfactorily accounted for by the smoothing out of the gap anisotropy and by the formation of localized virtual states, whose effect on the superconducting properties has been studied theoretically by Zuckermann. In-Mn and Sn-Mn do not fit the foregoing picture; however, the results obtained rule out the presence of magnetic moments in these two systems in bulk form. The apparent contrast with the results obtained in thin films is discussed. Some results on ternary alloys are also reported. It is shown that no effect on the critical temperature of In-Mn dilute solutions is produced by the addition of Pb.

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The low temperature electrical resistivity data on A1, Cu, Au, Ag, Pt, Mg, Sn, Zn, In and Ga are reviewed with particular emphasis on the variation of the phonon contribution with the magnitude of the impurity resistivity. A comparison is made within the various alloys having the same base metals, and also between the different solvents, by developing a phenomenologieal fitting formula for the deviations from Matthiessen's rule. The derived phenomenological parameters show a strong similarity for all metals. The limits imposed on this type of comparison by the uncertainty of data obtained on different samples and in different laboratories are discussed.An updating of the references given in an earlier review in this journal by Bass (1972) is also included. CONTENTS