book reviews An lntroductlon to Comparative Biochemistry. Fourth Edition Ernest Baldwin, University College in the University of London. Cambridge University Press, New York, 1975. xix 179 pp. Figs. and tables. 18.5 X 12 em. $3.95.
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Occasionally one reads an introductory textbook which is not written to present to the student most of the basic theories and supporting data, but instead introduces a few representative topies in order to convey the author's enthusiasm for his subject. The result is often a delighfully tantalizing introduction to the discipline which stimulates the student's curiositv and aooreciation for the . suhlect as much hg the qurst~nnsleft unanswered as by the heauty of thr presentation. These werr my feelings when I first rea' Hnldwin's book ten years ago as an underpnrluate student ~ h o n l yafter the puhltcaticm of the fourth rdirmn, and the same feelings were again present when I reread the book to write this review. Many books written for students fail miserably in presenting too complete a picture whieh robs the student of the chance to apply his imagination and any tendency towards problem solving. Baldwin, as much by his style as by the nature of his suhject, has left many unanswered questions to tease the student's imagination. The first four chaoters in the book exolore primnnly the m r c h n k n s of rrgularinp, water and R I I ( m t e n r and dlspusal ut'n~rrofienuuu u,wrr by fkht.. and hy land animnls. A unifying theme which ties these chapters together is the use of comparative biochemistry to deduce the evolutionary relatedness of land and aquatic organisms. The student is introduced then not just to the mechanisms whieh different organisms have evolved to survive in their own peculiar environment, but he is also enticed into thinking about how this information can he integrated into a pattern of evolution. Chapter five presents observations on the distribution of nitrogenous bases and phosphagens, again t o illustrate evolutionary relatedness of vertebrates and invertebrates. This chapter also includes same biochemical observations which support the morphologically based arguments that Protochordata are "border-line" animals between the invertebrates and vertebrates. The sixth chapter presents an introductory discussion of the advantages t o land organisms of respiratory pigments in oxygen and earban dioxide transport, and acquaints the student with some of the other oxygen transport molecules found within nature as well as the seldom mentioned oxygen storage, as opposed to transport, functions of hemoglobin. Perhaps chapter seven on animal pigmentation is the weakest in the hook, not for the lack of interesting observations hut for the less apparent way in which these observations contribute to the overall themes and problems presented in the hook. Even within the chapter, there is less "comparison" of the biochemistry of one organism with that of another and the student is left witha feeling that he has read something interesting hut is unable to ictegrate it very well into the picture he has been building up from earlier chapters. Chapter 8 returns t o the author's original approach t o examine the comparative aspects of nutrition and digestion with
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some special consideration being given to symbiosis and parasitism. The final chapter of the book, entitled "Metabolism and the Environment," is a summary chapter in which the author leads the student to a final conclusion, "that there exists a common, fundamental chemical mound-olan of comoosition and metabolism which all anim&and very prohnhly other liringorganisms nlnr,rmiorm, nnd that,su. perimposed on these ftvmdations, there are numerous secondary, specific and adaptatianal variations, some of addition and others of omission." As Sir F. Gowland H o ~ k i n s writes in the forward to the first editi&,one of the ultimate tasks of comparative biochemistry is "to decide on what, from the chemical standpoint, is essential.. as distinct from what is secondary and specific." Baldwin's hook is an excellent introduction to some of the progress made towards this end.
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W. L. Cairns University of Arkansas Fayeneville, Arkansas 72707
An OutNne of Organic Chemistry: P m b l e m and Answers, 3rd Edltlon
J. Ernest Simpson, California State Polytechnic University, Corwin Hansch, Pomona College, and George K. Helmkomp, University of California, Riverside. McGraw-Hill Boak Company, New York, 1975. xii 446 pp. Figs. and tables. 21.5 X 21 cm. $8.95. This useful text contains 21 chapters written in outline form. With the exception of chapter 8 dealing with spectroscopic methods and chapter 12 on carbanion chemistry, the approach is directly along function .. erouo . lines. At the end of each c h q n r r thew i* nn excellent irr of problems of graded d:ffirulty. Included in rhe chapters on alcohols and ethers, aldehydes and ketones, aromatic compounds, aromatic nitro and sulfur eompounds, and aromatic amines and diazonium compounds, are specific sections describing utilization of these comoounds in oreanic .. synrheiii. Thew sections are especinllg u~eful nnd appropriatrlv placed Chapter 13, mhirh deals withstcr~ochern. isrry, includes moat the cuncrpu usually prewnted at this IwPI, hut it is especially brief con~lderinrthe rrouhle mans Lwninnuw students encounter with this to&. The au: t h a n haw ehuien rouse Fischer prolrcrlons almost eaciusivrly, whereas in~tialutilization of hall-and-strck drau,ings and then Fischer projections would be much more instructive. The authors have separated aliphatic compounds from their aromatic counterparts. Although this may be justified in the cases of phenols, aromatic sulfanie acids, aromatic nitro compounds, and perhaps aromatic amines and halides, i t does not appear neeessary in the eases of aldehydes and ketones and carhoxylic acids and their derivatives. For example, aromatic earhonyl compounds are discussed in the chapter on polynuclear aromatics near the end of the text. With oersonal oreferenees concernine orpniratibn put aside, chis i r x t Irrwidk a modern, compreheniive trearmmt nf organic ~ h e m i ~ t rFor y . the instructor whcr wishes to (Continued on page A436)
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book reviews add material t o an outline format, or for the student who wishes t o review organic chemistry after some time away from the subject, the present book would be eminently suitable. It is generally error free, and contains more than enough material for a typical one-year organic course for science majors. Students who master the contents of t b text would certainly have a firm foundation in organic chemistry. James F. Wolfe Virginia Polyi~chnic
instihrte and State University Blacksburg, Virginia
Principles 01 Medlclnal Chemlstq Edited by William 0. Foye, Massaehusetts College of Pharmacy, Boston, Massachusetts. Lea & Febiger, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1974. xviii 857 pp. Figs. and tables. 19 X 26.5 cm. No price given.
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This new b w k on medicinal chemistry contains contributions from 38 capable authors. There is a wealth of information packed within the covers of this hook, a n d i t will be of value to anyoneinterested in medicinal chemistry and could serve as a goad textbook far underersduate oharmacv student,, a r ~ f e r e n r rbook for practicing medicinal chrmsti, or a source book for examplm of t,idog~cnllgactive moleuule~to add illustration to lectures in organic chemistry a t the ~
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undergraduate level. The hook stresses the biochemical mechanism of action of drugs whenever that is possible, and divides the discussion into chapters according t o the basic therapeutic classification of the drugs
cholinergic and sdrenergic nervous systems, cardiac glycosides and hypotensive agents, anti-coagulent drugs, diuretics, and antiallereic aeents (antihistamines).
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metnbt,l~smand endocrine function and include d~srusrimsof drugs affecting choler. terol levels, steroid hormones, non-steroidal anti-inflammntq agents, peptide hormones, thyroid hormones nnd drugsaffecting thyroid functwn. and \irnmms. Antihamn m d other chemotherapeutic agents are discussed in the next seven chapters. The last four chapters discuss pesticides (a useful addition to a book of medicinal chemistry), antiviral drugs, miscellaneous drugs acting on the respiratory system, and diagnostic agents. Each of the chapters fallows the same general outline and all are of good quality, most are excellent, and the depth of coverage varies considerably between chapters. As with any multi-authored text, there are likely to be omissions. Notable in this teat is a poor treatment of drugs used t o treat Parkinsonism and the only reference to L-DOPA occurs in an introductory chapter referring t o the effect of this agent on sleep patterns, and makes no mention of its use in the treatment uf Parkinaon's disease. 'l'here are 5everal ~ m u a r w not~commwdy used agent, in the chapters on antibiotics and chemotherapy, but if an instructor using this text looks for these, they are minor inconveniences and can be supplemented with assignments in other texts. The structural formulas, tables, and type are clear and of high quality. Inevitably, this book will be compared to the other texts on medicinal chemistry currently available. This book has theadvantage of being the latest and therefore the most current. It is considerably shorter than the classic two volume textbook of medicinal chemistry edited by Burger, and is not intended to compete with that treatise. In terms of topics and the depth of coverage, it is more comparable t o the textbook of "Organic Medicinal and Pharmaceutical Chemistry," edited by Wilson, Gisvold, and Doerge. The latter book concentrates in its format more on the official drugs and discusses USP and NF drugs in greatest detail. Foye's hook discusses all drugs and does not single o u t official items for more detailed discussion, and this makes for a more readable and more practical approach. While brief discussions of biochemical and metabolic transformations of drum are discussed in most of the chapters. renders wishinn to find details of the synthcsls and chcmicnl traniformar~ons of drugs may he disappointed.
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l'hr firat six chaptern cover n hrief but very informative intnducrion, an excellent revirw of phvs~corhemicalpmperties and drug action, a chapter ourlining the application of mderular orhital throw to the study of drug svstems with oartieuiar emohasis on the calculation i,f physical pn,prrlirs of drug mc,leculrs and their three dimrnsmnal curbformation and the implications of this in terms of interaction between drug and receptor, a discussion of the importance of stereochemistry and conformation on drug action, a goad introduction to the general asoects of drug metabolism and the conseqnencer of chis on ma~ntenwceof adequate b~olozicalar.tieit?and the principles ofdrug mteractions, m a a very hrief introduction to receptor site theory. The next seven chapters discuss drugs affecting the central nervous system and include chapters on the volatile anesthetics, sedative-hypnotic agents, anticonvulsants, neuroleptics (major tranquilizers), antianxiety agents, central nervous system stimulants, and analgesics (both central and peripheral acting compounds are discussed here with major emphasis on the narcotic analgesics and their analogs). The next seven chapters discuss drugs acting primarily on the peripheral nervous system, cardiovascular system or immune system, and include discussions of local anesthetics, agonists and antagonists of the
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Gary L. G ~ n e w a l d Schwi of Pharmacy University of Kansas Lawrence, Kansas 66045
A Guidebook to Mechanism in Organic Chemistry. Fourth Edition
Peter Sykes, Fellow of Christ College, Cambridge. John Wiley and Sons, New York, 1975. xii + 362 pp. Figs. and tables. 21 X 13 em. $7.95. In the fourth edition, as in previous editions, of Peter Sykes' "A Guidebook t o Mechanism in Organic Chemistry," the (Continued on page A438) A436 / Journal of Chemical Education
