bcmk reviews other solvents. The book will he a worthy addition to departmental safety references for student use. Faculty members also may profit from perusing the sections on fire and fire prevention. Malcolm M. Renfrew University of Idaho
line rerrhook for a graduate lrwl nmr ape. cialty course. l u two shuncomings are it< lark of problems and its rather concise discussions in places where the student might need a more detailed discussion. Both of these shortcomings can he compensated far in the first case by numerous problems available from other sources and in the second by an expanded discussion provided by the instructor. Bearing this in mind, this text should be given serious consideration by anyone planning a graduate course in the applications of nmr to chemistry.
MOSCOW, !&ha 83843
Stephen 8. W . Roeder San Diego State University San Diego, Califwnia 92182
Analytical Applications of NMR
D. E. Leyden and R. H. Cox, University of Georgia. John Wiley & Sons, New York. 1977. ix t 456 pp. Figs. and tables. 15.5 X 23.5 cm. $27.50.
applications," it encompasses such a variety of nmr techniques and topics as to he more eeneral than one mieht euess from the title.
Biosynthetic Products for Cancer Chemotherapy, Volumes 1 and 2
George R. Pettit, Arizona State University. Plenum Press, New Yark, 1977. (Volume 1)rii 215 DD. Fies. and tables. 16 X 23.5 c k $19.50. i h l u m e 2 to be released in May 1978)
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These volumes present a comprehensive, current review of efforts t o identify and develop cancer chemotherapeutic agents from natural sources. Emphasis is placed on research developments from the five years nreceedine 1976. Volume 1 presents an overview of the cancer problem. The first chapter (43 pages) serves as an introduction to cancer as a disease state and provides a review of possible cancer causes including chemical carcinogenesis. A description of therapeutic properties and chemical structure of 32 agents in use in the clinical management of cancer is included. Chapter 2 (12 pages) entitled, "Naturally Occurring Antineoplastic and Cytotoxic Agents" is a brief history of pharmacognosy and cancer research which provides further justification for considering natural sources far potential therapeutic agents. The remaining chapters of Volume 1cover, in a polished writing style, brief descriptions of specific hiosynthetic products for cancer chemotherapy which possess in uiuo antineoplastic activity. Chapter 3 (26 pages) covers terpenoids derived from higher plants. Other compounds with antineoplastic aetivity from higher plants are the subject of short chapters an steroids (chapter 4, 6 pages), lignanes (chapter 5 , 8 pages), and quinones, flavans, and other nan-nitrogenous higher plant products (chapter 6, 4 pages). Many promising compounds which are alkaloids, amides, or Ansa maerolides derived from higher plants are described in Chapter 7 (21 pages). A chapter on fungi and other lower plant biosynthetic products (chapter 8, 32 pages) covers an extremely wide variety of structural types ranging from aziridines to the terpenoid epoxide, verruearin A. The anticancer antibiotics are included in this chapter. Chapters 9 (10 pages) and 10 (9 pages) describe biosynthetic products from other sources including marine invertebrates and vertebrates. Volume 2 provides a summary of the better known naturallv occurrine anticancer and qtoroxic wb.tances tnat havr nppenred in the I:lerarure 10Aprll l97R. An intr~rlurticm 19 prgt.il briefly desmhec rhe prurcis hy which a potential chemotherapeutic agent is
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mented with references and also appendices listing general references, specific references on different topics, and a compound as well as a subject index. It is an excellent survey of the use of nmr in chemistry with considerable depth and' extensive supporting information from many areas of chemistry. The range of supporting materials includes industrial applications as well as applications to fundamental chemical investigations. The discussions of chemical applications are excellent with a nice section on earbon-13 nmr, eonformational analysis, biosynthetic studies, chemical kinetics, and other quantitative measurements. In the industrial applications section topics include coatings, foodstuffs, petroleum, pesticides, and pharmaceuticals. This is a welcome addition to an already strong basic chemistry text. Relaxation mechanisms are dealt with briefly (but just to the extent necessary to understand their oriein and imoartance) as ing, sample preparation, and measurement of peak height. There is an up-to-date discussion of instruments and instrumental techniques including stochastic excitation, quadrature detection, and rapid scan nmr. The authors have chosen aniee balanceof knowing how great the range of nmr teehniques to include and knowing haw to limit the discussion to the level and scope that is necessary. Many of the descriptions are not only competent and very well stated but also a bit toosuccinct to beeasily understandable if one does not know much about the area. If one already knows something about the subject, they are very helpful in explaining the tooie eorrectlv. but the dewriotions mav mended highly. Equally important, this hook might he a A390 / Journal of ChemicalEducation
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isolated, purified, and screened for activity. The format for the following 8 chapters is an index-card type consisting of three compoundsper page. The compounds have been grouped into chapters according to natural products chemistry classification and biosynthetic origin and roughly match the sequence of Volume 1. Each group of substances is arranged according to increasing carbon atam content. A description of known properties of each compound is listed including common name, structure showing stereoehemistry, the system and results of screening for antineoplastic and/or cytotoxic activity, melting point, optical rotation, other soectral data,. organism of origin and reference. An appendix to Volume 2 describes the cancer chemotherapeutic in uitro and in uivo evaluation systems employed by the U S . National Cancer Institute. Whereas the index for Volume 1 seemed quite complete and adequately cross-referenced, the index for Volume 2 is a list of organisms and compounds without reference to page numbers in the text and would thus he of limited use in seeking information a n specific cam-
agents are discovered and developed. volume 2 is more appropriate for the specialist in cancer research and would be useful as a working reference for available data on complex molecules with possible therapeutic activity. Patrick S. Callery School of P h a m c y University of Maryland-Eaitimore Baltimore. Maryland 21201
Organlc Chemistry cd Sulfur
S. Oae, University of Tsukuha, Japan.
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Plenum Press, New York, 1977. ix 713 pp. Figs. and tables. 16 X 23.5 cm. $40. "Organic Chemistry of Sulfur" consists of 12 chapters organized topically and written by selected contributors. The editor describes it as a "guidebook" with primary use as a textbook for graduate courses. However, libraries should not overlook the fact that a compilation of this sort should be a part of all collections that involve general reference and research functions. The very rapid recent growth of sulfur chemistry has left much room for coordination of information into hook form, and this gap is partly filled by the present manuscript. The contents include single chapters on sulfur bonding, elemental sulfur and its reactions, and wlcanization of rubber, followd by a series of chapters organized by type of sulfur functional group (patterned according to oxidation states). Most notable in ommission as specific topics are the chemistry of sulfenic acids and their derivatives and the relatively recently described sulfuranes. The former, particularly with regard to sulfenyl halides, are represented somewhat through incidental mention in other chaoters. Reference is occasionallvmade to bioloeimore interest to chemists than biochemists,
