book reviews Techniques and Toplcs In Blolnorganlc
Chernlstry Edited by C. A. McAuliffe, University of Manchester. Halsted Press, New York, 1975. xv 351 pp. Figs. and tables. 24 X 16 em. $34.95.
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Thisis an outstanding hook that should be read hv all chemists and biochemists inde~, pendent oftheir resenrrh sperislty. For the specinlrst m hioinor~anicchrmistrythe hook covers many of the active research areas of current interest; the coverage is done both in depth.and with critical insight. The authors have done a careful job and have executed well-written chaoters: thev should he conrratulated for their efforts:~he aooroaeh of ~
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and the chemical implications deduced from these structural studies was very appealing t o me. The further elaboration of the chemistry of the bioinorganic systems in terms of the emolovment of ohvsical methods and , model syrtems toelurldate the roleof met4 ion- in thew biological nctian completes thr approach of the book. 3lany of the current aspects of bioinorganic chemistry are covered; oxygen carriers; heme proteins, nitrogen fixation; enzymatic activity of metallaproteins especially carboxypeptidase and carbonic anhydrase; molybdenum in nature; nonheme iron; and nuclear magnetic resonance as a tool in biochemistry. The most attractive aspect of this book is that it conveys the flavur and d i r r d o n of bioinorganic chemistry. The melting together of the structural information as determined
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and model systems to salve some of the important and interesting problems concerning the role of metal ions in nature is nicely integrated in this hook. Everly 6. Fleischer University of California Itvine. Csiifornia 92664 Horizons in Blochernlstry and Blophyslcs
Edited by Ernesto Quogliariello, and F Palmieri, University of Bari; Thomas P. Singer, University of California, San Francisco. Addison-WesleyPublishing Co., Reading, Massachusetts, 1974. xiii 344 pp. Figs. and tables. 23 X 16 em. xiii 344 pp. $6.75
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This book is the first volume of a new series which is intended to present reviews from all areas of biochemistrv and bioohvsics. The , . ed~rorc'stnredpurpozr is:mcnll thenrrentiun ui studtwti, tmchers, and pmetmng srientists in rhr biological and physical q c i ences, including medicine, to the major eoneeptual and methodological advances and important discoveries in biochemistry and biophysics; to the need for reevaluating widely accepted theories; to the direction future research in these fields is likely to take; and to the possibility of applying new discoveries to developments in other fields." This first volume contains nine reviews, each about 35 typewritten pages in length (the A326 / Journal of Chemical Education
volume is produced by a high quality photoreproduction process). The reviews included are: "Superoxide and Evolution" by Irwin Fridovich, "Molecular Nature of Isozymes" by William C. Kenney, "Covalently Bound Flavin Coenzymes" by Edna B. Kearney and William C. Kenney, "Biochemical Foundations of Preventive Medicine: The Study of Abnormal Enzymes" by David Zakim, "Membrane Fluidity and the Regulation of Memhrane-Bound Enzymes" by Donald A. Vessey and David Zakim, "Metabolic Regulatory Functions of Oxalacetate" by Brian A. C. Ackrell, "Multiple Pathways of NADH Oxidation in the Mitochondrion" by J. M. Palmer and J. 0. D.Coleman, "The Quest for Coupling Site 1" by Thomas P. Singer and M. Gutman, and "Ferredoxins and Photosynthesis" by Daniel I. Arnon and Bob B. Buchanan. The style of the reviews is similar to that found in "Accounts of Chemical Research," hut the backmoundmaterial moolied in most , .mi&- ik3twh that a*tudcnt u,ith n one year course in biurhemistry should easily appreciate the material presenttd. Kach rwiea has a n introduction in which the relevance and historical development of the topic are described. A summary a t the end of each article moves to be a useful tool for emohasizine the mocr unportnnr mt'ormar~ond ~ s c u s w and l for purting thrs iniormnrion intu the proper perspective. Although comprehensive literature surveys ire not intended, sufficient documentation of each article is provided far the scientist or student who wishes an entr6e t o the original literature. An assessment of the relative merits of this series and "Annual Reviews of Biochemistry" is difficult since there is only one issue of "Horizons" for comparison, but several general comments appear to he necessary. The reviews in "Horizons" are shorter, and there is less than a third of the number of reviews in this volume of "Horizons" than in the latest volume of "Annual Reviews." The reviews in "Annual Reviews" are more intensive and would probably be of greater use to the specialist and mature scientist. As acknowledged in a preface note, the selection of authors (and therefore topics) in this first volume of "Horizons" is rather limited. However, the overall quality of the reviews and the modest price for the paperback edition of "Horizons" should encourage a n individual to obtain a personal copy. Students should be made aware of the availability of this series which could be a valuable addition to the library of any future scientist interested in biochemistry. William S. Mumgall Hope College Hoiiand. Michigan 49423
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Blochernlcal and Blophyslcal Perspectives in Marlne Blology. Volume 1 Edited by D.C. Mali&, Seattle University and U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service; J R. Sargent. Natural Environment Research Council, Institute of Marine Biochemistry, Aherdeen. Academic Press, London, 1974. rv 343 pp. Figs. and tables. 23.5 X 15.5 cm. $23.25.
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This is the first volume of a series edited by D. C. Malins and J. R. Sargent. I t will not appeal to the casual reader. It is recommended as a reference teat for the advanced
student and researcher in biochemical and biophysical marine biology. The contents of this relatively small volume should add to and enrich basic knowledge of marine hiochemistry and biophysics in five specialized and related areas. The authors have succeeded in producing informative and comprehensively documented reviews. The selectivity refleets the experience and point of view of each author. There is a n excellent choice of examples and citations from the literature with same exceptions noted below. The chapter of Maetz on adaptation in hypo-osmotic and hyper-osmotic environments includes well over 500 references, but is limited to vertebrates and invertebrates that are primary aquatic organisms. I t is a useful review for those wishing togo further into the subject. Throughout, there is a comparative approach which can be helpful t o workers in related fields. Fox provides a comprehensive review of the literature on marine hiochromes through the late fifties. The broad generalizations are made possible by FOX'Smany years of firsthand experience at one of the world's leading oceanographic institutions. Color from physical processes such as light scattering and interference. as well as from o. i..w e n t s is discussed hriefly. The rarotenoida are discuised in relarlonshq to the bird*, fishes, tunicatw. cru*tacenns, molluscs, echinoderms, ruelmterates, porifera, and sediments. Quinones, indolic pigments, melanins, tetrapyrroles, hilichromes, and hemocyanins are also treated. Omitted is important research in the sixties and current decade: e x . Weedon's contributions t o the carotenoid pigments such as fucoxantbin; Seheuer on the pigments of echinoderms; Strain's work on chlorophyll c and peridinim; Sutherland's structure elucidation of the precursor of Tyrian purple. Reference also could have made of the more recent and updated hook by Thomson on naturally occurring quinones (p. 191). Utter, Hodgins, and Allendorf have written a brief review of biochemical genetics studies of fishes using electrophoretic methods that should be scrutinized by anyone planning such work. The chapter presents an excellent introduction to contemporary work. It would he valuable for f ~ hbreeders, h fish geneticists, and fish biochemists as well as for those seeking an entry into the pertinent literature. The authors show the reader the promise and problems of biochemical genetic variants in fish culture, hybridization, cytogenetics, and linkage studies. Bilinski's selective treatment of hiochemical aspects of fish locomotion will he of interest t o students of comparative biochemi s t ~The . e m ~ h a s i sis olaced an the differencis existingbetweenhsh and mammals in the energy supplying metabolisms. Dewier reports on an area that has been progressing a t an accelerated rate. He surveys the cold marine environments, the freezing problem encountered by both vertebrates and invertebrates. and the mechanisms of coping with the prohlem Fascinating inform n t m i i provided on glgeq>rolain, w h ~ r h protect many of the nnrnrctw flshrs from freezing by producing a substantial lowering of the freezing point.
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Harry Zeitlin University of Hawaii Homiollu. Hawaii 96822
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Computers for Speclrorcoplats Edited by R. A. Corrington. Halsted Press, New York, 1915. xiv + 275 pp. Figs. and tables. 14.5 X 22.5 cm. $35. This book was compiled by the UltraViolet Spectrometry Group and as such is comprised of 12 chapters written by 12 different authors. Any time sueh d i v & t y in authorship is utilized, some overlap of topics and redundancy exists. However. the editor. Mr. ~arrindan..has - . done an admirable ioh id coordinatine the whole. The hook is divided ~~
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very elementary, introduction into the world of computers. The first chapter informs the reader as to the ways a computer can he used in spectroscopy in a fairly superficial way. This chapter makes we of block diagrams showing how computers interact with the instrumentation. The second chapter describes the computer and is a fairly goad introduction into the workings of a computer. This is a very interesting chapter for those totally uninitiated in eomouter teehnoloev. "Chaoter 3 concerns the loeic of cornnuters. ~..~. 1t desciibes the waycomputers add, subtract, and perform logical steps. Once again, this is a very interesting chapter for those with little computer background. The next chapter concerns itself with computer languages and is an excellent introduction into the growth of the higher forms of computer language sueh as Fortran from themore fundamental languages sueh as assembly language and machine language. Examples are used in this chapter t o illustrate each type of language. Unfortunately, the example used most often (six times) contains errors on three separate occasions. Although these errors are minor, they could certainly lead the reader astray. Even with these rather disastrous errors, this chapter represents one of the best basic treatments on computer languages which I have read. The next chapter is an introduction into the way that the computer interacts with instruments. Chapter 6 is one of the better chapters in the hook. Further, i t is one of the few well documented chapters in the book. This is one of my major complaints concerning the hook; there is very little documentation. Many chapters have no references or recommendations far further reading. However, this chapter on the artificial intelligence in mass spectroscopy is an excellent discussion on how the computer can be utilized to make intelligent decisions and not simply as a data-crunching device. Section 2 is comprised of more or less spedficapplications in which the computerhas found general use in spectroscopy. Chapter 7 is a discussion of the need and use of eomputerr in Fourier tran\furm qprrtroscopy. Chapter X dlrcusies uliliraticm of an uffline rmhputer and Chapter 9 dwurses online systems and introduces the user to interfacing the computer with laboratory instrumentation. Chapters 10 and 11 both discuss specific applications of mini-computer controlled instrumentation. These chapters are very useful for those contemplating the purchase of minicomputers in their own laboratories. ~~
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There is much information concerning the strategy of computer choice for a laboratory. All in all, I would recommend this hook for those people who know little or nothing concerning computer usage with analytical instrumentation and to those contemplating the purchase of computers for the first time in their laboratory. My major complaint with this book concerns 1) the lack of documentation, and 2) in a very few cases, the somewhat commercial approach by authors associated with companies selling either computer or spectroscopy equipment. M. L. Parsons Arizona State University Tempe. Arizona 8526 1
Essential Aspects of Mass Spectrometry Alberto fiigerio, Mario Negri Institute for Pharmacological Research, Milan, Italy. Edited by Roy Corrington, Mario Negri Institute for Pharmacological Research, Milan, Italy. Spectrum Puhlications, Inc., Flushing, New Yark, 1974 121 pp. (Halsted Press, New York). a Figs. and tables. 23 X 16 cm. $7.95.
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I hi? h m f monograph on the applica~ions maas spertnmetry i i intrnded 11, be read by the nonspecialist who uses mass spectrometry for identification, structure elucidation, or molecular weight determination. The book provides sufficient basic information on the mechanism of mass soeetrometer rrnctims tho1 every chemist or h~ochcmiit w ~ t hthe stnndnnl traming in orannw chrm~ s tc qan undrnrnnd the inwrprcrn~amd t h e mass spectraof the samples that he has suhmitted for analysis. A cursory nonmathematical description of the various types of mass spectrometers is eiven toacauaint the reader with the current
