book reviews t u r d Priwiples xud (!A) Molecular liissymmetry m e very well done and made very en.y ~.endiug. Chapter (3) entitled Cnrhohydrates had the most errors of any siugle chapter and the reading became a hit dull. The remaining chapters, (4) P n ~ l e i w (, 5 ) Nualeic Acids, and (6) Lipids, showed R, mmked improvement over Chxpte1.(3)hot are not a5 good as the first two. I>espile its shihortcomit~gs this little monograph is rwtainly worth reading and would make n good nddilion lo (he library of nmst tenchel.~of hiorhemislry. 1). I). C ~ m a r : Fordham Uniuwsilf, Bronz. A r m York
Natural Products:
A Laborotory Guide
Raphael Ikan, Hebrew University, Jerusdem. Academic Press, Inc., London 293 pp. and New York, 1969. xvi Fig. and tzhles. 17.5 X 24 om. $10.00.
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This book is based upon 8. laboratory course developed a t the Hebrew University in Jermdem and contains a number of experimental procedures dealing with the chemistry of natural products. The milterial covered is quite broad in that it
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describes both the secondary plant products such as pigments, alkaloids, and terpenoids which are dear to the organic chemist's heart and the primary products such as the lipids, carbohydrat,es, and proteins which me more frequently dealt with in biochemistry. The organization is along biogenetic lines: first, the acetogenins, then the nitrogeneous compounds followed by cwbohydrates and isoprenoids. The book would appear t o be unique. The only similar text,s availahle are the laboratory manuals used in pharmacognosy. Each sect,ion of the book is preceded by a brief and concise description of the general chemistry of the type of compounds being considered. These are especially well done and, taken together, provide an excellent introduction to natural product chemistry. The experiments themselves deal not only with t,he isolation of natural products, but also their characterization, degradation, and sometimes synthesis. For example, the isolation of piperine from black pepper is accompanied by its degradat,ion t o piperidine and piperic acid. I n the section on amino acids, the isolation of glutamine from red beet is described. However, experiments involving the synthesis of DL-phenylalanine and a dipeptide me dao given. Along with each section, short discussions of the separation methods commonly used are given. Most of these involve some type of chramstogr~phy. There is, however, no discussion of any technique as such. I n this sense, the book would be
more likely to be used in an advanced laboratory. The experiment,^ themselves are of the "set" or "exdicit" tvoe in contrast to some of the open-end o~ganielaboratories being developed now in the United Ststes. While they require and help t o develop laboratory skills, they involve relatively little initiative on the part of the students. The times required for each experiment are given and range from 2-3 hr for most of t,hem to 7 hr for a few. Some require operations on consecutive days. The materials required for each euperiment are carefully listed, and each section and experiment is thoroughly documented with journsl art,icles, review articles, and suggested reading. This reviewer was somewhat annoyed because several of t,he isolation experiments give no indication of how much of the product might be ohtained. There is some question about whether this text would be suit,ahle for a normal American university laboratory system. The times involved are s. little erratic and most instructors do not want to devote so much time to natural products. I t is quite possible, however, that it might he useful in a phannocognosy course in a pharmacy school or even as an advanced organic laboratory course. To this reviewer, a t least, such a coursesounds most fascinating.
JAMESM. B ~ B B I T T University of Crmneelimt Stows, Crmneetimt
