text was to provide a basis for a general introductory course for undergraduates in such curricula as preprofessional programs, biological and agricultural sciences, chemistry, engineering, and science education. This end was only partially achieved with the first edition, which had some deficiency in its coverage of areas such as metabolic interrelationships and control which limited suitability for majors in biological sciences, preprofessional programs, or chemistry. In this new third edition, these deficiencies have been largely made up at the cost of an approximate 20% increase in size from the first edition. As before, the hook is very dearly written, withattractiveand well chosen illustrations, diamams. and formulas. The format and producti& are convenient and attractive with few typographical or mechanical errors. ~
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The sequence of the 26 chapters is quite conventional. The first four chapters are introductory, representing an attempt to bring students of various backgrounds up to the same knowledge level. Included here are a brief discussion of the develonment of molecular biology and an overview of cell hiology. The book then proceeds to a second section of eight chapters covering the chemistry of the various classes of biomoleeules. One of the chapters contains an excellent discussion of amino acid sequencing including modem technological advances. The molecular basis of bioenergetics, involving the discussion of the intermediary metabolism of the various classes of biomolecules, oecupies the next seven chapters. There is some slight update and modernization of this material. The fourth section of three chapters is devoted tomolecular biology and includes quite current information on DNA sequencing, gene expression, protein proceasmg, and uhiquitin proteolysia. The use of molecular biolom in biotechnolow -.isalso a part of this seeti%. The last three ehapters are devoted to immunology, hormones, second messengers, and human nutrition. The chapter on immunology is a new addition to the text and the hormane/second messenger chapter is much expanded and includes timely new material such as membrane transduction and polyphosphoinositol systems. Every chapter is followed by a hrief listing of suggested general readings and also by a list of more immediately relevant journal articles; while some of the material is classical, there is a significant amount of reference to modern publications. Finally, all the chapters end with a small but carefully selected and thoughtful set of problems. As before. the sections on bioenereetics and intermediate metabolism are especially well written and logically assembled, but other chapters, partirulnrly those covering biochemical genetics, immunology and endocrinology are very good and surprisingly complete, and tend to increase the overall quality of the text. While somewhat shorter than some of the emoloved better known and more wid& ~, teak, and hampered at least shghtly hy its brebity, this thrrd edition goes a long way toward meeting rts avowed purpme uf underpinning an introductory course designed to accommodateundergraduates from widely varying curricula. I t continues to he well written although concise, and provides adequate, and in some cases more than ade-
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quate, coverage of much of what is important in contemporary biochemical information. Melvin F r i d College of Madie ne Unwersty ol Flor da Gamesv~lle.FL 32610
M l c r o s a l e Organlc Laboratory, Second Edltion Dana W. Mayo, RonaldM. Pike, and S a m elS. Butcher. Wiley: New York, NY, 1989. u 522 pp. Figs. and tables. 22 X 28.5
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cm. $38.95.
One of the most significant organic laboratory textbooks of the 1980's was the first edition of Microscale Organic Laboratory. Mayo, Pike, and Butcher were not the f i t to develop microscale organic experiments, but they were the first to prove that the entire two-semester laboratory course can be taught using micrwcale experiments without watering down the chemistry. Their textbook showed that any effective macroscale experiment can be converted to an effective microscale exoeriment. and the small scale facilitates experiments using reagents that aretootuxiuor tooexpenuivefor students to use on a macroscnle. Comidering its originality and the large number of new experimental proredured. the first editron had minor rough edger. In addition to the usunl firit-edition errors, the equipment diagrams were roughly drawn and the students were never introduced to important techniques such as downward distillation and the use of a separatory funnel. The second edition of Microscale Organic Laboratory is more polished than the first edition. The level of errors is law, the drawings are smooth and clear, and many procedures have been refined or clarified. Especially significant is the addition of six optional scaleup procedures using aseparatory funnel and and conventional glassware. More material on chemical safety and risk assessment has been added, perhaps to counter the media-induced chemophohia most of our students suffer. A Material Safety Data Sheet for acetone is given, together with a description of the information nrovided on the sheet ifor chloroform). Also r~ new are the references within experimenu to chemical testa uf the pnlducts, although in some caws the amounts of produrts re. covered are barely enough to carry out the tests. Several new techniques are introduced in the Second Edition, including the selective SiO-HNO. reaeent and a clever lens naver - ~ - disk technibue For the refractometer. k o k e primitive techniques remain,ruch as the use of sequential one-platediscillatic,ns tosimu. late a fractional distillation. Liquid mixtures produced in the experiments are generally separated using the Hiekman still or preparative gas chromatography, with no exposure to common distillation techniques except for a hrief reference to a specialized and expensive micro spinning band column. The use of spectroscopy for cbaracterizing products has been expanded in this edition. As in the first edition, spectroscopic techniques are divided into applicatione and theory. The NMR and UV sections are brief, relying on previous exposure in the ~~~~
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lecture course. In contrast, the sections on IR spectroscopy are complete and authoritative, covering such advanced topics as second-order coupling, Fermi resonance, sum tone patterns, and transannular interactions. The production of this hook is generally superb. The paper, printing, and binding are those of a high quality textbook having little in common with the coarse paperhack "lab manuals" of a decade ago. Page layouts are roomy, with an effectively used art column and space for clear reproduction of spectra. Both the camp art and the line drawings are elegant, with the exception of one crude Figure (4.9) enlarged from the first edition. By now, everyone teaching organic chemistry laboratory should he aware of the advantages and disadvantages of the microscale approach. Among the advantages are enhanced safetv. cost reduction (both for purchase and disposal), emphasis on careful tpchn~que,and speed of working. The primary disadvantage is the omission of conventional-scale techniques. This second edition and several other texts have accommodated varying amounts of conventional techniques to address this deficiency. For instructors who prefer the microscale approach, this Second Edition demands serious consideration, Those who have not used the first edition should look again at the second, to see if the broadening of techniques may suit this edition better to their courses. Those who like the first edition will like the second edition better. I t offers all the attributes of the first edition, plus fewer errors, clearer drawings, and refined procedures. Leroy G. Wade. Jr. ~
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Whim College Walk Walla, WA 99362
X-Ray Structure Determination: A Practical Guide, Second Edltion GewgeH. Stoutand LyleH Jensen. Wiley: New York, NY. 1989. m 463 pp. Figs. and tables. 16.1 X 24.1 cm. $45.00.
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The extraordinary importance of crystalstructure analysis can he attested to by the induction of eight Nobel laureates for research in this area in the 20 vears since the firat edition of th& text was published. This rwrewer favorably reviewed the first editim [ J .Chum. Educ. 1969.46, A441 upon which s generation of crystallographers was raised. Unfortunately, most of those same comments apply to this edition, even though there is a new publisher, references have been brought up to date, the diagrams have been redrawn..some of the material has heen rewitten, and the text has hem dumewhat rearranged. It is unfortunate because all the detailed descriptions, the "Practical Guide" material, are predominantly geared toward film methods. Similar information for the ubiquitous modern diffradometer, such as photographs of modern equipment, distinctions between different kinds of diffractometers, detailed practical guidelines, and a feeling that the authors are transmitting their hands-on experience, are missing. No new diagrams have been added to this edi~~~
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January 1990
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tion, and even the photographs of equipment are 20 years old! (It was startling to be reminded that an X-ray tube which cost $700 then, now costs about $3500.) One loses the sense of the exciting developments of the past 20 years: the construction of new instruments; the application of powerful computer techniques to data collection, reduction, and analysis; crystalstructure analysis by powder techniques and Rietveld analysis; the astounding new computer graphics; details regarding the availability of computer programs, the use of personal computers, the existence of data collection services, and the introduction of comprehensive data banks; accurate data collection techniques such as those that permit detailed electron-density determinations; and modem methods of structure refinement. For examole.. the workhorse of modem cryaral-structure determinations ia the moar c
