BOOH REVIEUJI
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the actlve slte, one on the chemistry of catalysis,.an!'a +apter n a ~ e d'msignificance of Slmoldal Behav~our."The oresentation on enzyme kinetics is very lucid, reasonably complete, and represents the stronchemistry majors alike, although the latter gest section of the hook. By comparison, the may tend t o lose sight of the principles inchapters on the chemistry of enzymes and volved due to some of the mathematical electronic effects in catalysis are relatively complexities. I t should he given careful consketchy. The last chapter in Part 2 seems t o sideration by anyone adopting a new textbe misnamed, as it presents an overview of hook for a one-semester introductory course metabolic regulation and discusses sigmoidal in analytical chemistry. behavior only as i t fits into the overall oidure Wayne H. Smith of metabolic regulation. Texas Tech University Part 3 consists of six chapters dealing with BOX4260 practical matters of enzymology. This inLubbock. TX 79409 cludes the assay, purification, and characterization of enzymes, the use of enzymes as analytical reagents, some clinical applications Understanding E n z y m e s of enzymatic analysis, and hiotechnalogical Trevor Palmer, Halsted Press. New York, uses of enzymes in industry. A variety of 1981. 405 pp. Figs. and tables. 23.5 X techniques for analyzing enzymic activity are 15.5 cm. $80.95. nresented. It wwld have been helpful if the author The author meant what he said when he hadprov~dedsome indication n8 to the relaentitled this hook "Understanding Eutive sensltwities uf the vnrious methuds of zymes," for he attempted to touch practically enzymic assay, since these vary widely. Some every aspect in which enzymes are involved. information is presented on the preparation, The result is a collection of very good and properties, and use of immobilized enzymes, useful ideas for teaching courses on enzymes. and Chapter 15 contains a very useful section However, such broad coverage does not come on the design and use of kinetic assays. The without cost. In this particular hook, the cost presentations on medical and industrial apoccurs in the form of an uneven and freplications of enzymology are rather limited quently superficial roverage that indudes and somewhat dry. some oversimplifications and a few inacThe author attempts to identify unifying curacies. concepts and generalities, which should help The hook is divided into three parts. Part the student t o learn and understand the 1 deals with the structure and function of material, but erroneous statements may enzymes; Part 2 discusses the kinetic and mislead the student. For example, in Chapter chemical mechanisms of enzyme-catalyzed 2 the author states that a limited deeree of reactions; and Part 3 outlines present and serondarv structure is urunlly present in potential applications of enzymology. The globular pruteins. Inactual tnrr,theamount book is intended for lecturers and students, of secondary structure can vary widely. A mainly a t the undergraduate level. No statement on the next page snying that "nknowledge of biochemistry and little of hrlirrs are mmt readily formed i i all amino chemistry is assumed. acid sidcrhainsaw small and unchsrged"is The first chapter begins with an introsimilarly a gross oversimplification. duction and a very hrief history of the study mes The statement in Chanter 11that e n , of enzymes. A fairly extensive description of requirrng ('a" for arlivatiun are mainly exthe Enzvme Commission's classification of tracellular ones ignores the role of intmeelenzymer follows that includps an explnnnrion lular Ca" fm muarle rontractim, as well as 01' thr E. C. numbering iy3tem and reveral some new and very exciting 8apect.i uf mernexamplrs of enzyme reaction types. T ~ P bolic rrgulation that are affcrrrd hv t h i ~i m second chapter describes the general struethrough iueffect, either d m r t or indireut,on ture of proteins, including a description of intracellular enzymes. various types of proteins, the structures and Chapter 15contains a t least two misleading stereochemistry of the constituent amino statements about tissue culture. The first acids, and hrief outlines of secondary, tertirmplier rhar srparating cells from each other ary, and quaternary aspects of protein is the SRmC as tissue cullure, which it is nut. structure as well as the forces thought to l'he same paragraph implies that long-term maintain these structures. Methods for detissue culture is very difficult. While tissue termining the primary structure of proteins culture does not require care to prevent and for their analysis by X-ray crystallogracontamination, this technique is already phy are described hriefly. The chapter on quite advanced and has been used t o main"The Biosynthesis and Properties of Protain or grow a number of different cell types, teins" is extremely broad, as i t attempts t o particularly transformed cells. describe the genetic code, the structure of Problems also occur in the chapter on Exnucleic acids, protein hiosynthesis and its traction and Purification of Enzymes reedation. as well as the chemical and am(Chapter 16). Solubility studies are presented photeric properrlea of proteins. 'l'he fuurth as a method for detecting the presence of chapur discusses enzyme sprcifirities and more than one protein. This is a very insenassuciated hypotheses, r . ~ ,Og~mn'sthreesitive method, and I know of no one who uses point interactions t o explain enzyme specii t today. ficity, lock-and-key and indueed-fit hyIn several places, the author describes s potheses, and transition state stabilization. moiety as being"firmly hound," (e. g., biotin The fifth chapter describes selected enzymic binding t o its carrier protein), when a more structures and reactions. accurate description of the binding would be Part 2 ronrains fire chapters on enzyme covalent. kinetics, inrlurling one on ligand binding w Useful, appropriate prohlema are given a t proteins, one chapter on thr elucidation of the end of each chapter, as are a few refer~~
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ences. The maioritv of the references refer to textbooks, and m&y of these were published a t least five years ago. While the author does refer in the text to names and dates of primary publications, very few complete references to the primary literature are given. The lack of complete, up-to-date primary references seriously limits the usefulness of the hook. Overall, my assessment of the book is somewhat mixed. The author produces a broad coverage, includes some unique, interesting ideas, seeks out underlying generalities, and ends each chapter with praetical, if not particularly profound, problems. However, I did not feel that the hook presents enzymology as I know it today. Many of the generalities overstate reality. The presentation is somewhat dated, and i t does not give one a feel for what is useful or reasonable and what is not. Nor does one get from the book much of a sense of direction as to where enzymes are taking us or are likely to take us in the futwe. I see the hook as agood framework that could he used by a knowledgeable instructor who can extract the more pertinent, accurate sections and disregard inaccurate generalities or out-of-date portions. The book has an unfortunately rather high price, which will probably limit its attractiveness in a field where several other good treatises have been published recently. M. Janet Cardenas National Eye Institute National Institutes of Health Bethesda. MD 20205 Synthesis with S t a b l e Isotopes of Carbon, Nitrogen, a n d Oxygen Donald G. Ott, John Wiley 8 Sons, New York. 1981. 224 pp. Figs. andtables. 17 X 24 cm. $28.50. "Synthesis with Stable Isotopes of Carbon, Nitrogen, and Oxygen" hy Donald G. Ott is a collection of experimental procedures for the preparation of specific compounds containing the stable isotopes W ,l5N, 170, and 180.The book contains seven chapters, the first of which deals, in a general way, with the properties, analysis, and enrichment of isotopes and apparatus, techniques, and svnthetic considerations involved in olanninc the ~ynthesrqota wmpound Inhelied w ~ t ha sprc11ictsotope. The remamma sir chapters. organ~zedarcordmg t o funrr~onnlgruups. contain experimental procedures for introducing the stable isotopes of carbon, nitrogen, or oxygen into organic molecules or communly used inorganic reagents. Thr chapter?. arr titled: (21 Acid*, Anhydridrs, Amides, Estrrs, and Nitrilci, (31 Aldehydes and Ketunes, (4) Alruhols. Kthers. and Phenols, (5) Amidea and Hydrorarbons, 16, Hetrn,cyrllc Ctrrnpc~un~ls, and ( 7 ) Orher ('ompmnds, which details the labeling of carbohydrates and commonly employed reagents. Each chapter contains a hrief introductory paragraph that outlines promising synthetic strategies for labeling the functional groups being discussed. The remainder of each chapter is structurally similar to that of "Organic Synthesis." Each entry for the incorporation of 13C, 15N, 1 7 0 , or '"0 into a specific compound contains a detailed experiment procedure, a set of experimental notes,description of alternative preparations, and references to the original literature. The
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complete so thst, generally, the original literature need not be consulted. The index lists all the labeled compounds mentioned in the text and indicates whether they are the product of a synthetic procedure or are employed aa reactants. The specificlabel(s) (e.g., W , ISN) are also clearly indicated. The book is not a textbook that covers the subject of isotopic labeling in a comprehensive manner. It is primarily a reference hook for the preparation of specifically labeled compounds. Research scientists in organic, biological, or pharmacological laboratories who are involved with the preparation of compounds labeled with the non-radioactive isotopes of carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen will find the book very useful. R. Karl Dieter Boston University Boston. MA 02215 A Literature Survey a n d Deslgn Study
of F u m e Cupboards and F u m e Dispersal S y s t e m s D. Hughes, Science Reviews LM., London, 1980. 82 pp. Figs. and tables. 15 X 21 cm. This brief monograph is a thoroughly British contribution to the chemical fume hood literature, a subject on which there is little well oreanized information. I t is a litprature survrg and design srudy of "fume ruphoards" and fume dispersal swtems in and from laboratory buildings. Kxtensive il. lustrations, diagrams, and tables make available, with clarity, information on the design of the fume hood, the siting of the hood in the laboratory, as well as the design of the air supply and exhaust systems. Little recognition is given to recent American work nor are references t o such work included in the bibliography. Several examples illustrate the practical inforrnationcontained in th~monograph.In Secrion 1 on fumr cuphmrd design and ~ n stallar~onrhere iua iist~nrd t h e rnatrrlalsof construction for both warking surfaces and w& on the hoods shown in two illustrations. Followine,. this is a discussion of the choice of sash materials fur diiierrnr hood usages. In Section 4 on funw dispersnl them arc a large numhcr of illustrations g w n g practical designs and placements t o discharge air properly from laboratory hoods to minimize re-entry into building air intakes. This is an often overlooked consideration, It is useful to have this type of practical information available in collected form with the referenw nrovided. Nut mverrd in this monograph rr impor. tanr Amer~mnwwk on criwna for and mtaruremrnt u l h
