Books
and
Software
Getting the Basics of NMR
A Complete Introduction to Modern NMR Spectroscopy Roger S. Macomber John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 605 Third Ave. New York, NY 10158 1998, 382 pp., $49.95
For all of us who use NMR in research and need to initiate newcomers on how it works, what it is good for, the extent of its capabilities, and where one needs to exercise caution in choosing instrumental parameters, there is a problem as to what book to prescribe for authoritative but readable information. Almost 40 years ago, I wrote a small book for that purpose during an era in which the instrumentation was so simple that there was not a lot to say about how it worked. As a result, I could concentrate mostly on applications of NMR to chemistry. In retrospect, the most noteworthy feature of that book, besides its colorful diagrams, was probably its introduction of exercisestfiatinvited readers to use SDectra and molecular formulas to deduce structures That age of simple innocence about the complexities of shifts, couplings, reactionrate effects, and relaxation began to disappear almost immediately—indeed, in the same year as the publication of Pople, Schneider, and Bernstein's thorough and authoritative, but rather difficult, work. Nevertheless, undergraduate chemistry students are usually taught rudiments of my kind of NMR in their organic chemis52 A
try courses, but what they learn is hardly sufficient for modern research. So to fill the resulting information gap, scores of books have been written, along with an eight-volume Encyclopedia of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance. These works span an incredible range of sophistication in terms of how they treat mathematics and physical theory. Macomber has tried to step into an important intermediate territory where, for the most part, the spectrometer can be regarded essentially as a black box and the underlying, increasingly complex, quantum theory, used in what Ray Freeman aptly calls "spin choreography", is pretty much taken for granted. The result is a helpful paperback for those who need to learn NMR for their research. Topics include how to interpret the results from the elaborate, but now almost routine, pulse sequences that give useful 2-D structural information. Macomber's book contains many excellent illustrative spectra and thought-provoking problems. The basic topics relating to chemical shifts, coupling constants, and relaxation and rate effects are usually taken to just that level of sophistication at which the fog of quantum theory starts to make explanations—in terms of nuclear-vector models—essentially impossible. The organization is quite logical and the narrative rather chatty. The book culminates with short, "orienting" chapters on solid-state NMR and NMR imaging Although titled as a "complete introduction" to NMR a few basic topics are omitted most notably liquid-crystal and gas-phase NMR Because of the chosen scope as an introduction the book does not cover such topics as the Bloch equations multiple-quantum coherences density-matrix calculations or product operators I found only one serious error, where it is stated that AA'X spin systems should behave like A2X and thus would give de-
Analytical Chemistry News & Features, January 1, 1999
ceptively simple spectra. Not so. The same argument would suggesttiiatAA'XX' behaves like A2X2 and for that there are many contrary examples. Within its stated scope and purpose, however, I think this is an excellent book. Reviewed by John D. Roberts, California Institite of Technology
A Tool for Understanding GFAAS
A Practical Guide to Graphite Furnace Atomic Absorption Spectrometry David J. Buther and Joseph Sneddon John Wiley & Sons 605 Third Ave. New York, NY 10158 1998, 241 pp., $69.95
This monograph is volume 149 in Chemical Analysis: A Series ofMonographs on Analytical Chemistry and Its Applications, edited by J. D. Winefordner. It addresses nearly every aspect of the use of a graphite furnace atomizer for atomic absorption (GFAAS) measurements. The authors do not claim this to be a comprehensive handbook for the analysis of every sample but as a tool for the understanding and development of such methodologies. It is the opinion of this reviewertiiatthey have achieved that goal.
Following an introductory chapter, the authors discuss the theory of the operation of GFAAS. They included not only the basic principles as found in most college texts but also an abbreviated description of the state-of-the-art understanding of the chemical and physical processes occurring within the graphite furnace. This theory-based foundation is then used in the discussions of quantitation, instrumentation, and the attainment of interference-free analysis. Practical applications are discussed in chapters addressing methods of sample preparation and introduction to the furnace and the of GFAAS in the determining of elements The authors then provide their insights regarding the relative costs and training opportunities for the various commercially available instruments The final chapter includes some of the authors' nersoectives on the future of this techni e The authors have also added, as an appendix, a historical discussion of the development of atomic absorption spectrometry and the use of flame and graphite furnace atomizers. Also found in the appendices are invaluable listings of resources such as books, periodicals, reviews, and even some of the Internet resources. Although a listing of operating conditions for numerous analyses are also included, it is not as comprehensive as would be expected in a handbook for analyses. This is an excellent resource for beginning and experienced analysts. It is refreshing to see a discussion of this powerful technique, which addresses its strengths and limitations from a perspective of the basic processes governing its operation. The lists of references provided, aldiough not exhaustive, provide a good introduction to the literature. This book will be a useful addition to the library of anyone involved in using GFAAS. ReviewedbyGaryD. Rayson, New MexicoStateUniversity
New Uses of MS
Mass Spectrometry of Biological Materials Edited by Barbara S. Larsen and Charles McEwen Marcel Dekker, Inc. 270 Madison Ave. New York, NY 10016 1998, 461 pp.. $195
Mass spectrometry has grown considerably since the introduction of MALDI and electrospray ionization into general practice. MS research areas as diverse as drug metabolism, protein identification, protein-protein and protein-drug interactions have improved or seen dramatic developments. This second edition ofMass Spectrometry of Biological Materials reflects this progress by highlighting representative work from various new uses of MS. This edition contains excellent chapters on the study of protein interactions, immunology, regulated biological processes and glycoproteins, as well as a chapter on basic ionization methods. My laboratory has already found the book useful for guidance on protein-ligand experiments. Many of the chapters present excellent insight into the use of MS to solve particular problems. The chapter by Edmondson and Russell provides perspective on recent advances in time-of-flight instrumentation for accurate mass measurement of peptides and proteins. A chapter on the use of tan-
dem MS to identify peptide antigens illustrates the power of the approach developed at the University of Virginia for immunology studies, and two chapters show the growing success of MS for the analysis of oligonucleotides. An area of great interest to biochemists is the use of MS data to search sequence databases, and this topic is covered in two separate chapters. Frontier research areas such as direct analysis of proteins from polyacrylamide gels and studies of protein conformation can also be found. Much of the research presented by the specialists is up-to-date and easily digested. References reflect research over the last few years, although at least one chapter references heavily in the 60s, 70s, and 80s. Subject indices are adequate for finding specific topics of interest. Specialists seeking a good starting point outside of their field and nonspecialists looking for an overview of MS applications will find this book useful. The editors have done a good job of distilling important representative applications for inclusion in this second edition. ReviewedbyJohnR.Yates, University of Washington
BOOKS RECEIVED Crystallographic Instrumentation L. A. Aslanov, G. V. Fetisov, and J.A.K. Howard J.A.K. Howard. Ed. Oxford University Press 198 Madison Ave. New York, NY 10016 1998, 309 pp.. $120
This book provides a current overview of crystallographic instrumentation and the various methods for diffraction measurement, which are used for crystal and mo-
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