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BOOKREVIEWS
scribes the properties of the individual reactions. While several questions and hypotheses are presented, the accornplishments of the last three years, especially those of the authors, Bloch, Lynen and their asssociates in describing the reactions of mevalonic acid, the isoprenyl pyropliosphates and squalene, justify the optimism of the authors in predicting rapid progress in reve:iliiig the obscure portions o f the picture. Koshland’s discussioii uf the active site of enzymes is necessarily preliminary arid speculative. The justification for revieiviiig this subject is contained in t h e sumrnary, whicli metaphorically prochinis the uvailability of methods for elucidating enzyme structure and function. T h e conipilation i i i suggestive inforniatiiiii about n u ~ i i e r enzymes ~~~s is organized to sho\v systematically the sorts of information t h a t can be obtained by a large variety of techniques. Since no single enzyinc has been aiialyzed sufficiently t o permit a description of its catalytic properties in terms Of its structure, it is tci be liciped t h a t future ~ v o r kwill ccimbine and extend the approaclies outlined and that subsequent reviews m a y describe 1 i i i . i ~specific eiizjmes do wtirk. Coenzyme binding, an essciitial component of studies on reactive sites for a proniiiieiit group of eiizjmes, is described in comprehensive detail by Shifriii and Kaplan, but no generalizatiiiiis are draw: and little attempt is made t o evaluate critically \-arious fiiidings. This article reports the properties of man>-iiidividual enzymes, primarily those t h a t use pyric!itie nucleotides, but also those t h a t use flavines, pyridosal phosphxte and thianiine p>-ropliosphate. T h e synthesis o f nucleotidc coeiizyines defines the principles involved in forming phosphate derivatives. Essentially all of the naturally occurring small nucleotides have been synthesized, along with many analogs. T h e properties of acid anhydrides, carbodiiinides and phosphoramidates are discussed, arid numerous examples of their uses are described. Column chromatography Of enz>-iiies is discussed in a n article t h a t niakes it gallant attempt to produce a theory without mat1ieni;ttics. Unfixtunately, our dependence on incompletely understood resins and completely undefined proteins would seem to offer little hope a t this time for a useful theory even with matheniatics. % . large number of examples of chromatograms of various enzymes is included, but the prospect seems uiifortunately clear t h a t the separation of i1idividur:l enzymes from other proteins will remain empirical. There are inany functions to be served b y review articles. All of those included in this volume will he valuable t o those seeking a compilation of literature on the topics included. Of the articles on enzymatic subjects three are especially noteworthy in t h a t they do more for t h e reader. T h e review on cholesterol biosynthesis presents 5 coherent picture t h a t orients those outside the field and clearly indicates t h e problems of current interest. The two articles on geiietics a n t i enzyme induction similarly make the questions being investigated today not onl3- conipreliensible, hut cxcitiiig t o the general render as well as t h e expert. Thcsc ai-ticlcs and the optimistic approach t o thc question nf :tci ive sites are certain t o provoke csperiinerits, which aloiic ivould justify the publication uf this interesting volume. LAHOKATORI’ O F AIOCHENISTRY SATIOXAL INSTITUTE OF DESTALRESEARCH AS H.h k I l 1 , E R S A T I O S A L ISSTITUTES O F HEALTH RETHESDA, hf ARYLAND
Annual Review of Physical Chemistry. Volume 11. H. ETRISC, Editor, Crniversity of Utah, C. 3. CKRISTESSES, Associatc Editor, Universith- of Vtali, and H. S. JOHWSociate Editor, LTiiiversit>-of Ca1ifurni:t. Annual Inc., Palo Alto, Califimiia. 1960. vii 4- 588 pp. 16 X 22.5 cni. Price, $7.00 (U.S.A.); $7.50 (elsewhere ). \.oluine I 1 of this valuablc series iiiclutles 21 cliaiiters coiitributed by 31 authors. .limost uniformly the authors liave rei-iewed articles available t o them through some time in December, 1958. T h e ilnnual Revicu of Physical C h e w i s t r ~is truly annual. Sixteen of t h e chapters deal with toGcs or some phase of topics which have been reviewed annually in this series for four t o ten years. Of 4201 reference5 only some 830 were published prior t o 1958, and iiver 60nc of thcsc occur in the remaining 5 chapters. T W J of thcsc cover subjects never before reviewed in this scries,
Vol. 83
namely, dielectric polarization and fused salts. T h e topics of the other three chapters, the statistical theory of transport, combustion and flames, and photosyiithesis, have not been covered for a number of years. The chapters on fused salts and combustion and flames reflect the current lively interest in high temperature chemistry. T h e chapter on aspects of the statistical theory of transport, dedicated t o the lxte John G. Kirkwood, is a short monograph. I t is no reflection on the importance of the subject, or the competence of the survey of such subjects as are reviewed annuall>-,t o say t h a t one finds the chapters dealing with initial treatments and less freqiient treatment of sulijects more rewarding. IVhile the rxther strictly ‘annual” reviews of fields in whicli the number ot contributions is large may serve the specialist already a t home in the field lxgcly :IS :I check against careless oversight, they are valuable t o the inany others mho have only secondary interests in these fields, and to the young research worker beginning his specid interest. The authors are generallL- ver>- helpful in pointing o u t other reviews arid inonograplis, a s well as limitaticlns o n coverage under which their chapters have been written. X special feature of the current volume is the cumulative index by author and b y chapter title of the first eleven volumes of the series. T h e 237 articles are listed by chapter titles under 42 subjects. Though there are significarlt variations in the areas covered by articles under the same subject, it may be noted that 20 of the subjects have been reviewed A t o 11 times. This index is extremely valuable, for with it cine may make much more efficient use of the set as a whole. T h e editors, the late Gerhard K. Rollefson a n d Henry Eyriiig, and their editoral boards deserve our thanks and praise for the skill and devotion with which they have nurtured this well-planned and useful project. The price is reasonable and should encourage those M l i ( i have a n interest in physical chemistry t o become regular purchasers. TIEPARTMEST OF CHEMISTRY USIVERSITY OF \,-IRGINIA HUGHM. SPENCER CHARLESTOX, VA. Inorganic Syntheses. Volume VI. Editor-in-Chief, El:GENE G . ROCHOV, Harvard Giiiversity. McGraw-Hill Book C o . , Inc., 330 IVest 42nd Street, S e w Uork 36, S. Y . 1960 xi f 272 pp. 16 x 23.5 cin. Price,
$7.75. Volume 1’1 of “Inorganic Syntheses” follows the sanie general pattern as previous volumes. Each synthesis is an individual entity including a brief historical introduction, the procedure, a general description of the properties uf the compound and a bibliography. A11 procedures have hecu independently checked in a laborator)- other than thc i i ~ i c from which submitted. There are several novel features in this vululiie v!iicli :ire worthy of mention. There is a n increase iii the nunibcLr ( i f coiitributors from abroad indicating increased iiiternatiiiiial prcstige for this series. All foreign articles have been tr;iiiv lated into English. Articles on the synthesis of sulfur nitrogen compounds b y Professor Goehring, and dibcrizencchromium b y Professor E. 0 . Fischer are included. 111 addition, there are contributors from India, Poland, .\ustria, England, .lustralia, etc. A most welcomed inovation are the procedures submi ttc’tl by F . P. Dwyer, d al., on the resolution of several optically active coniplexes. :Z partial asymmetric synthesis als(i is included. Tlie syntheses of clcutcrio coiiipnuntis 1i:tve heen iiiclutlcil f i n - tlic first tinic and it is hoped t h a t inure isotopic syxitliescs \vi11 be fortlicoiniiig in view of thc man>- research al~plications of tliese materials. .A general discussion on the syntheses of halun~ethyldci-ioatives of silicon, gertnanium and tin by using diazometliai IC’ is very well written and quite informative. Several procedures for synthesizing compounds which are currently popular are also included, e.g., Sax4, Si(PC13)4,, [PNC1?]3, [PNCl?Ia,,TiCI3,dibenzenechrornium and magnesium cyclopen tadienide. A s in past volumes, there also appear in \701unie \ ‘ I several procedures in the area of metal ion complexes that ;ire obvious. \\list is needed in this areit is a set of gc~iic~il Iiruccdurcs applic:il,le t o tlie syiitliesis o f iiiost ciililple~ca.
