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An introduction to marine biogeochemistry
The book flows gracefully from chapter to chapter, helped by section introductions and summaries, an impressive annotated bibliography, a comprehensive index, and an appendix on the basic mathematics. For unlike other writers of scientific interpretation, they are prepared to use equations to justify the dialogue, but always with extreme care to explain the meaning of the terms. However, the book is not only for the informed public, but for those like me who learnt thermodynamics as an examinable subject with no guidance to seek wider meanings and historical appreciation. Why did Lord Kelvin have such difficulty in accepting Joule’s evidence for conservation of energy and Darwin’s theory of evolution? What peer group tensions drove Boltzmann to depression? How does the intelligence of Maxwell’s demon prevent the second law of thermodynamics being contravened? Does the mass that turns to energy in a nuclear reaction reappear when that energy is absorbed in the environment? The book therefore has great value for teachers of thermodynamics who have difficulty keeping their classes awake. Here is a source of numerous lateral explanations, stories and asides that a good teacher can use to quiz the class. But watch out - you will really have to know the richness of thermodynamics to deal with the resulting discussion. By setting ‘refrigerator’ in the title, the Goldsteins imply a practical content to their book. They have obviously tried to take up the challenge, but sadly they are not engineers nor, it seems, practical people. They have missed the opportunity to discuss why power stations seeking to maximize power only reach about half Carnot’s criteria for maximum efficiency. They do not explain the importance of combined cycle generation of electricity using a gas turbine followed by a steam turbine. Exergy, as distinct from energy, is not mentioned. Renewable energy is not appreciated as a flow of energy having very low environmental impact. Indeed the environmental debate arising from the choice and use of energy supplies is not explained. However these criticisms should not detract from the importance of the book to stimulate interest and appreciation of thermodynamics. It is a noteworthy publication and should be praised for interpreting thermodynamics both to those who think they know and to those who know they have never thought. John Twidell
Elsevier’s Dictionary of Chemistry Russian-English. By P. Macura. Pp. 920. Elsevier. 1993. Dfl. 350.00 ISBN 0 444 69626 7. In my editorial work I often deal with rough and ready translations from Russian, and sometimes the text is so difficult to comprehend that I turn to the original Russian version in order to try and unravel a particular infelicity. Some scientific terms can be understood by simple transliteration of the Cyrillic script but most can not, and a good technical dictionary such as this is invaluable. I have kept Macura’s dictionary beside me over the last few weeks and it has proved to be extremely useful. I found that I still needed my normal language dictionaries, but as a comprehensive
86
source of chemical terms this book is ideal. The coverage is very wide and includes agrochemistry, polymer chemistry, plastics, and minerals as well as the traditional divisions of chemistry. Common scientific vocabulary and terms relating to instruments are also included. One minor criticism is that entry searching would have been easier had the title entries been set in a bolder typeface. Nevertheless, this is a useful addition to the shelves of any chemist exposed to Russian scientific literature. It has already become a much used (and borrowed) member of my small library. Andrew Wilkinson
Annual Review of Physical Chemistry. Volume 44 1993. Edited by H.L. Strauss, G.T. Babcock and S.R. Leone. Pp. 530. Annual Reviews Inc. 1993. US $53 ISBN 0 6243 1044 6. Within this volume I found an optimistic overview of continuing advances in physical chemistry, together with many stimulating ideas. More importantly, pointers are given to areas of expected future progress. The consistently high standard of presentation conveyed the flavour, at least, of each topic to the non-specialist and much more for the specialist. I found that my interest was regenerated in topics dropped unintentionally from recent reading. Where, I wondered, would I direct effort were I to embark on a new career now? Not an appropriate question for a sexagenarian perhaps, but positive evidence of reawakened enthusiasms. Dominant topics, appearing more than once in the 16 scientific articles, included melts and melting; structures of diverse surfaces; hydrogen bonding and hydration; and reaction dynamics in homogeneous systems. Articles were 20-36 pages in length, well-referenced (65-269, average 130 citations). Presentations were logical and figures clear. This is an essentially Amerocentric survey. All articles give a U.S.A. address, including only three foreign authors. No justification appears for including the first article, an anecdotal 50 year reminiscence about a Texan Department. Things were certainly different then, when Professors swanned around the world, apparently locating, interviewing, and appointing talent in airports and hotels. But what relevance has this in a 1993 Physical Chemistry Review? Andrew K. Galwey
An Introduction to Marine Biogeochemistry. By Susan M. Libes. Pp. 734. Wiley. 1993. Cloth f64; paperback f 16.95 ISBN 0 471 00515 0. This very broad-based text which is ‘designed for an advanced undergraduate course’, is divided into six parts. I. The Physical Chemistry of Seawater (6 chapters) covering the general topic. 2. The Redox Chemistry of Seawater also consists of six chapters. While most of these are concerned with the importance of oxygen in marine chemistry, chapters on trace metals and diagenesis are not really relevant here.
3. The Chemistry of Marine Sediments has 9 chapters. While several seem appropriate the inclusion of a chapter titled ‘Why is seawater salty’ is questionable. 4. Deals with Organic Biogeochemistry and consists of six chapters, several of which are concerned with the importance of the marine portion of the major biogeochemical cycles such as those of carbon and nitrogen. Anthropogenic involvement in these cycles is discussed. This in general is a good section but one has to question the inclusion of a chapter on ‘Drugs and other organic products from the sea’ which seemstotally out of context. 5. Deals with Isotope Geochemistry, with one chapter on radioactive isotopes and another on stable isotopes. This particular section is a good summary of marine isotope geochemistry and the uses of isotopes for dating, assessing rates of processes, and paleoceanography. 6. Discusses Marine Pollution, with just one chapter on ‘The fate of pollutants in the coastal ocean’ which deals with a variety of contaminants such as organic, radioactive, and metallic. Each section is followed by a series of problems based on the section and then suggestions for further reading. In general, one has to say that while much in this book is to be recommended as providing a sound basic text, the scope seems to be far too broad and ambitious, which detracts somewhat from its usefulness. R. Fuge
Chemotherapy and the Immune System. Edited by Les Chappell and Mike Doenhoff. Pp. 106. Cambridge University Press. 1993. f27.50 ISBN 0 521 44635 2. In such times of increasing specialisation and compartmentalisation of science it is encouraging to see research from two distinct areas of parasitology - chemotherapy and immunology - encompassed in a single volume. The editors, both leading authorities in these fields, have drawn together British contributors dealing with chemotherapy, malaria, schistosomiasis, trypanosomiasis, leishmaniasis, filariasis, bovine theileriosis, and virology. The first two chapters review the use of naturally occurring and synthetic compounds for the enhancement or lowering of natural and acquired immunity to a range of pathogens. Five chapters demonstrate how the host’s immune system can act synergistically or additively with chemicals for the control of some of the major parasites of man and bovine theileriosis. Two chapters are concerned with the problems of treating virus infections and the ways in which successful chemotherapy is dependent on the integrity of the host’s immune system. The interaction between the immune system and chemotherapy is typified by the failure of drug treatment of opportunistic parasites in AIDS patients and the way impaired immunity is a possible factor in the spread of drug resistance. This volume is a collection of well presented papers in an area of increasing importance and I recommend it as essential reading for both immunologists and parasitologists. A. J. Prober?
Elsevier’s Dictionary of Chemistry Russian-English. By P. Macura. Pp. 920. Elsevier. 1993. Dfl. 350.00 ISBN 0 444 69626 7. In my editorial work I often deal with rough and ready translations from Russian, and sometimes the text is so difficult to comprehend that I turn to the original Russian version in order to try and unravel a particular infelicity. Some scientific terms can be understood by simple transliteration of the Cyrillic script but most can not, and a good technical dictionary such as this is invaluable. I have kept Macura’s dictionary beside me over the last few weeks and it has proved to be extremely useful. I found that I still needed my normal language dictionaries, but as a comprehensive
86
source of chemical terms this book is ideal. The coverage is very wide and includes agrochemistry, polymer chemistry, plastics, and minerals as well as the traditional divisions of chemistry. Common scientific vocabulary and terms relating to instruments are also included. One minor criticism is that entry searching would have been easier had the title entries been set in a bolder typeface. Nevertheless, this is a useful addition to the shelves of any chemist exposed to Russian scientific literature. It has already become a much used (and borrowed) member of my small library. Andrew Wilkinson
Annual Review of Physical Chemistry. Volume 44 1993. Edited by H.L. Strauss, G.T. Babcock and S.R. Leone. Pp. 530. Annual Reviews Inc. 1993. US $53 ISBN 0 6243 1044 6. Within this volume I found an optimistic overview of continuing advances in physical chemistry, together with many stimulating ideas. More importantly, pointers are given to areas of expected future progress. The consistently high standard of presentation conveyed the flavour, at least, of each topic to the non-specialist and much more for the specialist. I found that my interest was regenerated in topics dropped unintentionally from recent reading. Where, I wondered, would I direct effort were I to embark on a new career now? Not an appropriate question for a sexagenarian perhaps, but positive evidence of reawakened enthusiasms. Dominant topics, appearing more than once in the 16 scientific articles, included melts and melting; structures of diverse surfaces; hydrogen bonding and hydration; and reaction dynamics in homogeneous systems. Articles were 20-36 pages in length, well-referenced (65-269, average 130 citations). Presentations were logical and figures clear. This is an essentially Amerocentric survey. All articles give a U.S.A. address, including only three foreign authors. No justification appears for including the first article, an anecdotal 50 year reminiscence about a Texan Department. Things were certainly different then, when Professors swanned around the world, apparently locating, interviewing, and appointing talent in airports and hotels. But what relevance has this in a 1993 Physical Chemistry Review? Andrew K. Galwey
An Introduction to Marine Biogeochemistry. By Susan M. Libes. Pp. 734. Wiley. 1993. Cloth f64; paperback f 16.95 ISBN 0 471 00515 0. This very broad-based text which is ‘designed for an advanced undergraduate course’, is divided into six parts. I. The Physical Chemistry of Seawater (6 chapters) covering the general topic. 2. The Redox Chemistry of Seawater also consists of six chapters. While most of these are concerned with the importance of oxygen in marine chemistry, chapters on trace metals and diagenesis are not really relevant here.
3. The Chemistry of Marine Sediments has 9 chapters. While several seem appropriate the inclusion of a chapter titled ‘Why is seawater salty’ is questionable. 4. Deals with Organic Biogeochemistry and consists of six chapters, several of which are concerned with the importance of the marine portion of the major biogeochemical cycles such as those of carbon and nitrogen. Anthropogenic involvement in these cycles is discussed. This in general is a good section but one has to question the inclusion of a chapter on ‘Drugs and other organic products from the sea’ which seemstotally out of context. 5. Deals with Isotope Geochemistry, with one chapter on radioactive isotopes and another on stable isotopes. This particular section is a good summary of marine isotope geochemistry and the uses of isotopes for dating, assessing rates of processes, and paleoceanography. 6. Discusses Marine Pollution, with just one chapter on ‘The fate of pollutants in the coastal ocean’ which deals with a variety of contaminants such as organic, radioactive, and metallic. Each section is followed by a series of problems based on the section and then suggestions for further reading. In general, one has to say that while much in this book is to be recommended as providing a sound basic text, the scope seems to be far too broad and ambitious, which detracts somewhat from its usefulness. R. Fuge
Chemotherapy and the Immune System. Edited by Les Chappell and Mike Doenhoff. Pp. 106. Cambridge University Press. 1993. f27.50 ISBN 0 521 44635 2. In such times of increasing specialisation and compartmentalisation of science it is encouraging to see research from two distinct areas of parasitology - chemotherapy and immunology - encompassed in a single volume. The editors, both leading authorities in these fields, have drawn together British contributors dealing with chemotherapy, malaria, schistosomiasis, trypanosomiasis, leishmaniasis, filariasis, bovine theileriosis, and virology. The first two chapters review the use of naturally occurring and synthetic compounds for the enhancement or lowering of natural and acquired immunity to a range of pathogens. Five chapters demonstrate how the host’s immune system can act synergistically or additively with chemicals for the control of some of the major parasites of man and bovine theileriosis. Two chapters are concerned with the problems of treating virus infections and the ways in which successful chemotherapy is dependent on the integrity of the host’s immune system. The interaction between the immune system and chemotherapy is typified by the failure of drug treatment of opportunistic parasites in AIDS patients and the way impaired immunity is a possible factor in the spread of drug resistance. This volume is a collection of well presented papers in an area of increasing importance and I recommend it as essential reading for both immunologists and parasitologists. A. J. Prober?