Books and Software
A Fitting Tribute to Cal Giddings
Advances in Chromatography, Vol. 3 8 Edited by Phyllis R. Brown and Eli Grushka Marcel Dekker, Inc. 270 Madison Ave. New York, NY 10016 1998, 341 pp, $175
Advances in Chromatography, Vol. 338egins with a reprinted tribute to Cal Giddings written by his son, Steven, and an excellent Preface written by the editors. These passages will provide insight to Giddings's many contributions as a father, scientist, and humanitarian. Chapters 1-4 and 6 address the fundamentals of modern chromatographic and electrophoretic separation strategies. These chapters, rich in historical perspective, are especially useful to teachers of separation science. "Band Spreading in Chromatography: A Personal View" (Chapter 1) by Knox and "The Stochastic Theory of Chromatography" (Chapter 2) by Dondi, Cavazzini, and Remelli focus on chromatographic band broadening at the most theoretical level. Knox gives an excellent historical perspective on how dispersion in the chromatographic process came to be understood. He also expresses his vision of the future of capillary electrochromatography. Chapter 1 is a good primer for Chapter 2, which is a more mathematically rigorous treatment of zone evolution based on Giddings and Eyring's Stochastic Considerations so Chromatographic Dispersion. Chapter 2's brevity is an asset. "Solvating Gas Chromatography Using 632 A
Packed Capillary Columns" (Chapter 3) by Shen and Lee and 'The Linear-SolventStrength Model of Gradient Elution" (Chapter 4) provide a healthy mix of theory and application on these topics. Those interested in better understanding the interplay of the physical properties of the mobile phase will enjoy Chapter 3. Chapter 4 describes one model that is intended to help simplify the application of gradient separations in LC. An excellent overview of gradient LC is provided in Sections I and II of this chapter. Chapter 4's discussion of the gradient separations of macromolecules is also noteworthy however it is longer than the subject matter warrants and should have been edited down "High-Performance Liquid Chromatography-Pulsed Electrochemical Detection for the Analysis of Antibiotics" (Chapter 5) by LaCourse and Dasenbrock appears out of place in this tribute edition. LC/MS would have been a more appropriate hyphenated technique to review. MS directly impacts technical developments in separation science. Moreover, the practical significance of peak shape and resolution in MS and for many applications is changing. This book would also have benefited from the inclusion of a theoretical-based chapter on recent strategies for chiral separations such as the use of charged cyclodextrins in CE Brown and Grushka's text concludes with "Theory of Capillary Zone Electrophoresis" (Chapter 6) by Poppe and "Separation of DNA by Capillary Electrophoresis" (Chapter 7) by Guttman and Ulfelder. The sections in Chapter 6 dealing with electromigration dispersion and the effect of electrolysis on buffer composition are some of the clearest discussions on these subjects that this reviewer has seen. Chapter 7, which is an excellent overview of this most significant application also has value as an instructional tool. Scientific historians, theorists, and advanced practitioners of the chromatographic
Analytical Chemistry News & Features, September 1, 1999
arts will find this text a very useful reference on zone dispersion and resolution. Reviewed by Robert L. St. Claire, III, Triangle Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Getting Down to the Basics of Sensors
Principles of Chemical and Biological Sensors Edited by Dermont Diamond John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 605 Third Ave. New York, NY 10158 1998, 334 pp, $ 89.95
Sensor technology represents an extremely dynamic and exciting area of analytical chemistry. Chemical sensors and biosensors are currently used in manyfields,including clinical diagnostics, environmental monitoring, food safety, industrial testing, or forensic. This book successfully covers the basic principles and practical applications of modern chemical and biological sensors. The subject is treated primarily in terms of the different transduction modes (potentiometry, amperometry, and optical), with less attention to the recognition elements. There is a strong emphasis on signal processing smart sensors and sensor arrays which reflects the expertise of Diamond and his colleagues. However little attention isffivento topics such as j?as senmicrofabrication
