Chemical Education Today
The Information Column
book & media reviews
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Lists of Available Textbooks and Other Classroom Materials • Book Buyer's Guide: a print resource in each September Journal; updates each March. • Chemical Education Resource Shelf: an online resource (http://www.umsl.edu/~chemist/books/ index.html) of JCE Internet, includes Index to Chemistry Textbooks in Print; has hyperlinks to publisher's sites; lists publisher’s addresses.
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Bioinorganic Chemistry: Inorganic Elements in the Chemistry of Life. An Introduction and Guide Wolfgang Kaim and Brigitte Schwerderski. John Wiley & Sons: New York, 1994. ISBN 0471 94369 X (paper); 0471 94368 1 (cloth). The text under review is designed for use in an introductory-level course in bioinorganic chemistry, a field that has only recently come of age. Most institutions do not yet offer a separate undergraduate course in this area, but rather include selected topics in a regular inorganic chemistry course. However, anyone teaching such a course would find this text worthy of consideration. Since not many introductory-level texts are available, this is a welcome addition to the relatively short list. The authors mention that this book is a result of a twosemester course taught at two German universities. Basic knowledge of chemistry and biochemistry acquired in the first year at university level is considered sufficient background for this course sequence. This would not be the case at most U.S. institutions. Owing to the highly interdisciplinary nature of the area, at least a semester each of inorganic chemistry and biochemistry beyond the usual the organic and physical chemistry would be recommended. Thus, this text would be more suitable for a course at the senior, possibly junior, level. The authors aspire to comprehensive coverage of their subject. The 19 chapters cover a wide range of topics, which are treated in sufficient depth. Literature references up to 1993 are cited at the end of each chapter. The first chapter provides a brief historical background of the subject, and the second provides the basis for examining living systems and their processes from an inorganic perspective. The function of inorganic elements required by these systems, biomolecules that are potential ligands, and metals in various roles are examples of some topics surveyed in this chapter. It concludes with a discussion of the approach used by inorganic chemists to study biological systems, namely, utilizing model compounds. Of the remaining chapters, 12 are devoted to the occurrence and participation of particular elements in various processes. For example, one chapter is devoted to nickelcontaining enzymes and another to copper-containing proteins; yet another looks at the biological functions of molybdenum, tungsten, vanadium, and chromium. Biomineralization, functions of nonmetallic elements, and bioinorganic chemistry of toxic metals are each treated in a separate chapter. The final two chapters deal with medical applications of radionuclides and chemotherapeutic compounds. In the individual chapters, before the bioinorganic chemistry of an element(s) is discussed, the relevant basic chemistry is reviewed first when appropriate. For instance, in Chapter 5 on dioxygen, the properties of this molecule and its behavior as an oxidant are first examined, as are its various modes of coordination to metals. In other cases, the overview of the chapter provides background information of a biochemical nature, such as in the chapter on iron–
Journal of Chemical Education • Vol. 74 No. 4 April 1997
Chemical Education Today
sulfur proteins, which first reviews their occurrence and function in a variety of situations. Also given throughout the text are “boxed sections”, which are used to review or introduce specific ideas pertinent to the discussion at hand. In Chapter 2, for example, hard–soft interactions and the basics of ligand field theory are reviewed in this way. Theoretical background on physical methods used to obtain important evidence is also provided briefly in boxed sections. In the case of alkylcobalamins, for example, EPR is used to determine which of the three possible pathways for Co–C bond cleavage, each resulting in a different intermediate, is likely under physiological conditions. A short discussion of this technique is thus included. In a later chapter, more on EPR is given in another boxed section, but this further development is necessary to the topic of discussion in that chapter. These brief interludes are quite effective in that they do not unduly distract the reader from the main discussion. While there is naturally a certain amount of referring to earlier sections, the chapters are sufficiently free-standing to permit a course to utilize a selection of chapters, even in a sequence different from that in the text. I have offered a one- or two-credit course called “Special Topics in Inorganic Chemistry”, in which topics from bioinorganic chemistry can be covered in some depth. I would consider adopting this text the next time the course is offered and using a few selected chapters. The fact that the book is a product of courses already taught is an advantage. The organization and the way the material is treated is student-tested. In conclusion, this would make a very good primary text for a course in bioinorganic chemistry for students with the necessary background. It would not be easy to cover the entire text in a single semester, but a good selection of chapters resulting in a coherent course may be put together without much difficulty. Gulnar H. Rawji Southwestern University, Georgetown, TX 78626
Book Notes What we hope to do in Book Notes is to provide space where we can note a book that is particularly important but that has missed a full review. There will also be books of interest to our readers that may not lend themselves to a full review but are important to characterize and announce. Mini-reviews in this section are solicited from our readers as well as our editorial staff. Please send us your "Notes" so that we can share them. E. J. Walsh
Organic Reactions: Simplicity and Logic Pierre Laszlo. Wiley: New York, 1995. xv + 696 pp. Figs. 18.9 × 24.5 cm. $39.95 PB. This book is a translation from the French of the author’s lecture notes from the Ecole Polytechnique. The author, an eminent research chemist, has attempted to produce a small set of mutually consistent, logical ideals that link the main train of thought of successful organic synthetic chemists. The translation retains the two-track format of the original, in which chemical formats appear on a page facing the written commentary on the opposite page. The writing style is compact. The book has been designed for studying and browsing; that is, it can be read from front to back, or it can be dipped into at random. Each chapter is in two parts: the first, in large type, presents the core material, which any teacher of the subject may want to feature in a presentation. The second part, in smaller type and with flags, presents general cultural material, addressing questions about the impact of chemistry in everyday life. This book should prove a useful adjunct to teachers and to students. I have used it extensively in my own teaching, and I am impressed with its clarity and its ability to put a human face on much of organic chemistry. Ed Walsh
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