istry of the Amino Acids" is a two volume work which inoludes the following chapters: The Natural Amino Acids, The Role The authors indicat,e that they are of Amino Acids in Nutrition, Amino Arid aware of the impact of the recent explosion Antagonists, General Biochemical and Physiological Considerations, Formation of knowledge in biochemistry in the of Peptide Bonds and Protein Synthesis, preface. However, all but about 5% of Intermediary Metabolism of the Amino the book could have been written withAcids, and Some Disardera of Amino out this new knowledge and what is presented is not integrakd with the older Acid Metabolism in Alan. The format is material. essentidly the same as that whieh was Chapters which are most appropriate used in the first edition, with the exceptiou and are well done are those dealing with that t,he material on amino acid antagocarbohydrat,e and lipid metabolism. nists and protein synthesis has been inThese chaprerr are preceded by a simple rluded in two new chaoters. and quite effective int,roduction to enDr. Meister's qualifications for writing zymes and a brief description of proteins. such 8, treatise cannot be questioned and The strong physiological flavor of the he has succeeded in providing a very text coupled with the discussion of elethorough reference work. T o see this, mentary chemistry and biology suggests one needs only to look a t the extensive that the book will be most useful to those bibliography which has been included with people without strong prerequisite science each chapter. These two volumes uncourses wishing to become oriented in the doubtedly provide one of the most comrelationship between chemistry and physiplete bibliographies on srnino acid biooloev. chemltry. MANCOURT DOWNING As Dr. Meister states in the preface to Univerailu of Colorado the second edition, all chapters have been Boulder revised and brought up-to-date. However, the most extensive additions have been made in srens concerning the funeBiochemistry of the Amino Acids. tions of vitamin B. in amino acid metabVolvmar 1 and 2 olism, protein synthesis and metabolism Alton Meister, Tufts University Sohaol of the amino acids. The entire second of Medicine, Bost,on. 2nd ed. Acavolume is taken u p with the metabolism demic Press, Inc., New York, 1965. and disorders in metabolism of amino xxvi 1084 113 pp. Figs. and acids. Although the amount of material tables. 16 X 23.5 em. Vol. 1, 522; presented may seem overwhelming to the Val. 2, $20; set, $38. new graduate student, the author has
BOOK REVIEWS
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+
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The second edition of "The Biorhem-
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(Continued on page 488.9)
BOOK REVIEWS helpfully inrluded many excellent tables and metabolism summary schemes which will greatly aid both students and professors in their study. The book is very well organized and the order of present&tirm is easy t o follow. The amount of detail in e a t h chapter has heen greatly increased; an example of this in the f i r 4 chapter is the inclusion of s. page of notes nu the origin of ihc trivial trames of the amino acids. 1 I a n y workers may wish for n mnrr complete disrnssim of the methods of irolat,ian nnd identification of amino arid.; as well ss n a m disrussion or nmino arid sequence d~termitretiou. T o have rovered these areas in greeter detail, however, would undrruht,etlly have involved the addition of \-olunre 3. The author hns given mfiirient references sn t h a t those interested in a more d~tailerldisruwion will he nble t,o sepk them nut themselves. Berause of the extensive hihliograplrp and great a m r u n t of information inrluded i t , the two volumes, they are w,meahat rliffiedt t,r, read. I~lowever, any nnthol. must deride whether t o omit information in order to produce an easy-reading book or t o fwithRdly include all pertinent illformation, therehy producing n valunhlc reference wrrk. The aut,hrr has ehosel~ the latt,er. I n the opinkm of this reviewpr this t ~ v u volumo set should be i n the library of
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areas 1 intermediary metaholism amino avid hiochemislry.
or
age engineering undergraduate may prove rlificult. I n general the text is clearly writ,ten and < h a i n s numerous exam&s and questions. Methodology of nnalysis is stressed and well ~ r e s e n t e d .
Thermodynamics William C. Reynolds, St,nr\ford University, Stanford, California. AIeCrawRill Book Co., Inr., New York, 1965. 4.58 pp. Figs. and tables. 17 X 24 r w > . Fi0.50. This text represellls
:i
WILLIAM J. JAMES (hz,lzrule Centev /or Materials Research Unifwrsitv " of . Missmrri
Rollo
depart,ure from
I he usual elnssir.nl appruxeh t o engineering
therm~,dyr~an,ir.is ill t,hat the subject, matter is developed using microscopir r.onrep1.s Lrt prrwide an insight into thermodytmmir laws derived from mncroscopir postulates. The tea6 is written explicitly for engirleeritig students as a hssir first mnrse in thenaody~mnios. The thern~odynarnimof mxguetic end rlielertrir materials are discussed t,lrroughout the lcxt. Chapters 6 and 12 relnt,r entropy and the second law to quantum i d s t ~ t i s t i ~ smerh~nics. l Chapler 18 i l l 1943 is inrluded. Phase diagrams for the biuzry systems w e described in detail. The preparation of the alloys folluws. Physical propert,ies, (Conlinued on page A670)
