OUTLINES OF ENZYME CHEMISTRY
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J. B. Neilands, Assistant Professor of Biochemistry, and P a u l K. Stumpf, Associate Professor of Plant Biochemistry, University of California, Berkeley. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York, 1955. x 315 pp. 73 figs. 39 tables. 15.5 X 23.5 cm. $6.50.
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STARTING on B level understandable to graduate students who have had a thorough grounding in chemistry, biochemistry, and physiology, and advancing to the level of the specialiat, this book discusses in 24 chapters all aspects of enzyme chemistry. The history of the field is described first. Equilibria and ionization, reaction rates, effect of external conditions and inhibitors, the mechanism of enzymatic catalysis and its specificity are presented in physicochemical terms. The isolation, purification, characterization, and classification of enzymes and c+factors form a. bridge to more biochemical considerations of the many facets of metabolic pattern8 in which enzymes are involved. In this part of the book, glyeolysis, the carbohydrate cycles, oxidative phosphorylstion, and fatty-acid oxidation are the main chapters. The book closes with a unique discussion of emyme synthesis by the cell. This chapter, written by Roger Y. Stanier, of the University of California, calls attention to complex phenomena too often disregraded by biochemists who have not worked with bacterial enzymes themselves. One is impressed with the relative newness of the field; few references are mare than five years old, and many are of most recent date. The book is attractively printed; the many formule. schemes add to the understanding, and the photogrsphs of outstanding enzyme chemists add to the enjoyment of this excellent monograph. ALFRED BURGER U m v e n e l ~ ror V~namr* C x ~ n ~ o ~ ~ e n v rVrnarmA bm.
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PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY MADE PLAIN
I. H. Mondelberg. viii
+ 287 pp.
Cleaver-Hume Press, Ltd., London, 1952.
14.5 X 22 om.
15s.
author sometimes gives three or even iour significant figures in answers to problems where only two are given in the data. The discussion of principles is necessarily too abbreviated to be of much value, hut some students may profit by studying the solutions to the problems, and instructors may find in the book some useful suggestions. WILLIAM E. CADBURY. JR. H ~ v m n o n oCOLLEOE H*venrono, P E N N ~ ~ V A N I *
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ORGANIC RERCTIONS. VOLUME VIII
Roger Adoms, University of Illinois, Editor-in-Chief. John 437 pp. 59 tables. Wiley & Sans, Inc., New York, 1954. viii 15.5 X 23.5 om. $12.
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VOLUME VIII of this well known series presents another significant contribution to the literature of organic chemistry. The high standards for excellence of the previous volumes have been maintained. The breadth of the field of organic chemistry is well illustrated by the fact that the reections discussed in Volume VIII are of no less importance than those covered in earlier volumes. The chapters included in this volume are: "Catalytio hydrogenation of esters to alcohols," by Adkins (27 pp.); "The synthesis of ketones from acid halides and org~nometalliccompounds of magnesium, nine, and cadmium," by Shirley (30 pp.); "The aoylstion of ketones t o form Bdiketones or 6-keto aldehydes," by Hauser, Swamer, and Adams (137 pp.); "The Sommelet reaction," by Angyal (20 pp.); "The synthesis of aldehydes from carboxylio acids," by Mosettig (39 pp.); "The metalation reaction wlth org.anolithium compounds," by Gilman and Morton (46 pp.); "pLactones," by Zmgg (58 pp.); and "The reaction of diaeamethane and its derivatives 'with aldehydes, and ketones," by Gutsche (65 pp.). The literature is reviewed through 1949 for the hydrogenation of esters, through mid-1950 for the synthesis of ketones, and only through 1948 for the scylstion of ketones. In the remainine chanters. the literature is covered through 1952. T h e edito;s and aut,hors are to be conm&lsted for the auditv and usefulness of this work. Organic &mists will welcon;e this newest addition to an indispensable series.
VASTnumbers of students of chemistry would welcome a book which could "make plain" physical chemistry. Unfortunately for their hopes, this little book has much too big a. title. I t is written by an industrial chemist who is, according to his preface, ROBERT K. INGHAM "a chronic and incurable non-mathematician." H e points out O ~ r oUN~YBRBITY that experts, who are the usual author8 of textbooks, are someATHENS,OHIO times "out of touch with the elementary difficulties of the inexpert, because they have never themaelves experienced these difficulties and can hardly imagine anything so stupid." The hook is written for the "intermediate" level-a little heSUPERFLUIDS. VOLUME 11: MACROSCOPIC yond an advanced freshman oourse, but below that of the usual 0 THEORY OF SUPERFLUID HELIUM physical chemistry course in this country. Brief outlines of principles are given, hut most oi the book consists of problems Fritz London, late Professor of Theoretical Chemistry, Duke worked out in considerable detail. Although many of these are University. John Wiley Q Sons, Inc., New York, 1954. mi of the type which involve direct substitution in familiar equations, 217 pp. 56 figs. 6 tables. 15.5 X 24 cm. $8. there are s. number which involve more complex reasoning, and THISpo~thumusbook b y Professor London maintains the high their study can be helpful. One error noted by this reviewer is the statement that three standard which we have learned to expect from him. The high sets of data are needed to evaluate the van der Waals constant^ price per p w e reflects the expense of setting mathematical equaa and b, since "there will be three unknowns, a, b, and the product tions, but reflects even more the author's unwillingness to tolerate ob." In ~ p i t eof advice in the appendix about precision, the less than his best, even when the type has already been set. 4!35
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