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Ellis Horwood series in inorganic chemistry. Boranes and metalloboranes. Structure, bonding and reactivity
Ellis Hotwood Series in Inorganic Chemistry. Botanes and Metallobotanes. Structure, bonding and reactivity. By Catherine E. Housecroft. Pp, 758. Ellis Horwood, Chichester. 1990. f29.95.
The polyhedral cluster chemistry of the boranes and metalloboranes is, I have often argued, potentially at least as extensive and as fascinating as the chain and ring chemistry of organic and organometallic compounds. This short book, written in a breezy style by a young and enthusiastic boron chemist, successfully communicates some of the flavour of the chemistry, and the fascination that the borane-based subdiscipline holds for those who are familiar with it. The book is based on a course of undergraduate lectures, and - with a general introductory chapter, followed by chapters on BHs and B&, physical methods, structures of boranes, structures of metalloboranes, bonding, and reactivity - it leads the reader nicely from first principles through to some of the latest research findings, some of the references being very contemporary indeed; e.g. 19S9, 1990, and some as yet in the press! Some sections I am sure will grate upon the sensibilities of the typical borane aficionado, and some of the book is thereby perhaps best used as the basis for interesting tutorial sessions, rather than as a definitive undergraduate borane bible. I think that with suitable modification and attention to detail and balance in a subsequent edition, the book could develop into an even more interesting and useful one. However, the very high price (a pound for five pages) may inhibit sales and therefore discourage the publishers from considering a further edition: for example, as a more modestly priced student paperback, which would be a much more suitable format for this kind of work. This would be a pity, as there will be an increasing need for good primers in this developing .area. John D. Kennedy Ellis Hotwood Series in Analytical Chemistry. Radio Analytical Chemistry. Volumes 1 and 2. By J. T6lgyessy and M. KyrS. Pp. 354 and 498. Ellis Hot-wood, Chichester. 1989. f54.95 each.
This 2-volume work defines radioanalytical chemistry as the use of radioactive nuclides for analytical purposes, and one of the aims of the work is to show where ‘radioanalytical procedures . . . are superior to other analytical approaches, such as atomic absorption analysis, polarography . . . and many others’. This definition results in a superficial treatment of the important area of environmental radioactivity, perhaps in deference to an earlier volume in the Ellis Horwood Series, ‘Nuclear Environmental Chemical Analysis’. Anyone looking for a manual of methods will be disappointed. The work shows by theoretical discussions and selected examples from the literature what can be achieved in analytical chemistry using radioactivity. Iso-
tope dilution analysis (lllpp) is dealt with in a strictly type-classified manner. Subsequent chapters deal with radio-reagent methods (99~~); radiometric titrations (42~~); radioimmunoassay (33~~); and enzyme assay (17~~). The chapter on activation analysis (146~~) is more detailed, but selective in its content. The final chapters describe non-activation interaction analysis - the ‘physics of radioanalytical chemistry’ (125~~) and automation (33~~). In a work of this price it is distressing to find 141pp devoted to ‘isotope charts’. Few laboratories have the experience or the equipment to cover the range of analyses described in these volumes. Accordingly, the work is recommended as a library purchase rather than for regular use in the laboratory. D. S. Popplewell Reshaping Life. Key Issues in Genetic Engineering. 2nd Edn. By G. J. V. Nossal and Ross L. Coppel. Pp. 179. Cambridge University Press. 7990. Paperback f8.95, US$14.95.
The elucidation of the structure of DNA by Watson and Crick in 1953 has allowed man, by use of genetic engineering, to enter a new era of scientific discovery ranging from preventative and therapeutic medicine to the breeding of pest-resistant crops. Reshaping Life is an essential book for anyone wishing to grasp the exciting potential of genetic engineering. By the use of well illustrated and clearly written text, the authors take the ordinary reader from the basic organisation of the cell to the existing or potential capabilities of the science. The possibility of ecological disasters or ethical dilemmas arising from developments in genetic engineering are discussed in reasoned statements, possible only from authors of wide scientific experience and appreciation of not only the powers of legislation but also the tremendous obstacles between conception and implementation of an idea. They also display great insight into the nature of scientific funding and the tentative relationship between academia and industry. The birth of the ‘DNA’ industry, to market products derived from genetic engineering, is described in an anecdotal style which is both informative and very enjoyable reading. I highly recommend this outstanding book which is unique in its class. Michael G. Gore Microbial Products: New Approaches. Society for General Microbiology Symposium 44. Edited by S. Baumberg, 1. S. Hunter and P. M. Rhodes. Pp. 383. Cambridge University Press. 1989. f42.50, US$75.00.
The continuing scientific dialogue between those concerned with understanding the fundamental biology of microbial biosynthetic processes and those concerned with the exploitation of microbial products for human benefit is well presented in this written account of a SGM symposium held in April
1989. An attractive balance is provided around three main themes: primary metabolite production (amino acids); secondary metabolite production (antibiotics); and the production and secretion of foreign proteins in microorganisms. These thematic articles are interspersed by contributions on relevant linking topics such as: control analysis of microbial growth; industrial problem solving for recombinant protein production; microbial product discovery programmes; and the use of microbial systematics for rational screening programmes. Appropriate to its title, the book emphasises the new technologies, particularly the uses of gene manipulation to achieve overproduction and modification of microbial products and for the expression of foreign genes in microorganisms suitable for industrial use. One topic which is not included and might have been considered is the use of microbial products in biosensors and the related subject of immobilized microorganisms. However, the inclusion of a chapter on protein engineering, indicating the possibilities of selected protein modification to alter or extend the capabilities of microbial products, as an alternative to screening for new organisms, is a bonus. We have come to expect a high standard from this series of SGM Symposia and volume 44 is no exception. The editors are to be congratulated for their choice of authors of international standing and for their careful editing to ensure that the articles provide value both for the general reader and for those seeking state of the art developments in their particular field of interest. This volume will be particularly welcomed by teachers wishing to update their lectures. D. A. Ritchie Sulphut-Containing Drugs and Related Organic Compounds: Chemistry, Biochemistry and Toxicology. Vol. 3. Parts A and B: Metabolism and Phatmacokinetics of Sulphut-containing Drugs. Edited by L. A. Damani. Pp. 204 and 280. Ellis Horwood, Chichester. 7989. f35.00 each.
The impact of sulphur upon medicine is profound. It embraces the continued use of the element for at least 3500 years, and the recent development of organo-sulphur drugs which act inter alia as antipsychotics, H,receptor antagonists, mucolytic agents, anthelmintics, anticonvulsants, antirheumatics, cytotoxic agents, ACE-inhibitors, anaesthetics, antithyroid agents, and antituberculous drugs. The third and final volume of this work by Damani and his collaborators provides a timely contribution to this area. In this valuable compilation each of the fifteen chapters takes the form of a monograph which brings together compounds of a particular therapeutic class, although within each chapter one inevitably finds frequent reference to different therapeutic activity. Each chapter is well organized and self-contained. An abundance of
149
The polyhedral cluster chemistry of the boranes and metalloboranes is, I have often argued, potentially at least as extensive and as fascinating as the chain and ring chemistry of organic and organometallic compounds. This short book, written in a breezy style by a young and enthusiastic boron chemist, successfully communicates some of the flavour of the chemistry, and the fascination that the borane-based subdiscipline holds for those who are familiar with it. The book is based on a course of undergraduate lectures, and - with a general introductory chapter, followed by chapters on BHs and B&, physical methods, structures of boranes, structures of metalloboranes, bonding, and reactivity - it leads the reader nicely from first principles through to some of the latest research findings, some of the references being very contemporary indeed; e.g. 19S9, 1990, and some as yet in the press! Some sections I am sure will grate upon the sensibilities of the typical borane aficionado, and some of the book is thereby perhaps best used as the basis for interesting tutorial sessions, rather than as a definitive undergraduate borane bible. I think that with suitable modification and attention to detail and balance in a subsequent edition, the book could develop into an even more interesting and useful one. However, the very high price (a pound for five pages) may inhibit sales and therefore discourage the publishers from considering a further edition: for example, as a more modestly priced student paperback, which would be a much more suitable format for this kind of work. This would be a pity, as there will be an increasing need for good primers in this developing .area. John D. Kennedy Ellis Hotwood Series in Analytical Chemistry. Radio Analytical Chemistry. Volumes 1 and 2. By J. T6lgyessy and M. KyrS. Pp. 354 and 498. Ellis Hot-wood, Chichester. 1989. f54.95 each.
This 2-volume work defines radioanalytical chemistry as the use of radioactive nuclides for analytical purposes, and one of the aims of the work is to show where ‘radioanalytical procedures . . . are superior to other analytical approaches, such as atomic absorption analysis, polarography . . . and many others’. This definition results in a superficial treatment of the important area of environmental radioactivity, perhaps in deference to an earlier volume in the Ellis Horwood Series, ‘Nuclear Environmental Chemical Analysis’. Anyone looking for a manual of methods will be disappointed. The work shows by theoretical discussions and selected examples from the literature what can be achieved in analytical chemistry using radioactivity. Iso-
tope dilution analysis (lllpp) is dealt with in a strictly type-classified manner. Subsequent chapters deal with radio-reagent methods (99~~); radiometric titrations (42~~); radioimmunoassay (33~~); and enzyme assay (17~~). The chapter on activation analysis (146~~) is more detailed, but selective in its content. The final chapters describe non-activation interaction analysis - the ‘physics of radioanalytical chemistry’ (125~~) and automation (33~~). In a work of this price it is distressing to find 141pp devoted to ‘isotope charts’. Few laboratories have the experience or the equipment to cover the range of analyses described in these volumes. Accordingly, the work is recommended as a library purchase rather than for regular use in the laboratory. D. S. Popplewell Reshaping Life. Key Issues in Genetic Engineering. 2nd Edn. By G. J. V. Nossal and Ross L. Coppel. Pp. 179. Cambridge University Press. 7990. Paperback f8.95, US$14.95.
The elucidation of the structure of DNA by Watson and Crick in 1953 has allowed man, by use of genetic engineering, to enter a new era of scientific discovery ranging from preventative and therapeutic medicine to the breeding of pest-resistant crops. Reshaping Life is an essential book for anyone wishing to grasp the exciting potential of genetic engineering. By the use of well illustrated and clearly written text, the authors take the ordinary reader from the basic organisation of the cell to the existing or potential capabilities of the science. The possibility of ecological disasters or ethical dilemmas arising from developments in genetic engineering are discussed in reasoned statements, possible only from authors of wide scientific experience and appreciation of not only the powers of legislation but also the tremendous obstacles between conception and implementation of an idea. They also display great insight into the nature of scientific funding and the tentative relationship between academia and industry. The birth of the ‘DNA’ industry, to market products derived from genetic engineering, is described in an anecdotal style which is both informative and very enjoyable reading. I highly recommend this outstanding book which is unique in its class. Michael G. Gore Microbial Products: New Approaches. Society for General Microbiology Symposium 44. Edited by S. Baumberg, 1. S. Hunter and P. M. Rhodes. Pp. 383. Cambridge University Press. 1989. f42.50, US$75.00.
The continuing scientific dialogue between those concerned with understanding the fundamental biology of microbial biosynthetic processes and those concerned with the exploitation of microbial products for human benefit is well presented in this written account of a SGM symposium held in April
1989. An attractive balance is provided around three main themes: primary metabolite production (amino acids); secondary metabolite production (antibiotics); and the production and secretion of foreign proteins in microorganisms. These thematic articles are interspersed by contributions on relevant linking topics such as: control analysis of microbial growth; industrial problem solving for recombinant protein production; microbial product discovery programmes; and the use of microbial systematics for rational screening programmes. Appropriate to its title, the book emphasises the new technologies, particularly the uses of gene manipulation to achieve overproduction and modification of microbial products and for the expression of foreign genes in microorganisms suitable for industrial use. One topic which is not included and might have been considered is the use of microbial products in biosensors and the related subject of immobilized microorganisms. However, the inclusion of a chapter on protein engineering, indicating the possibilities of selected protein modification to alter or extend the capabilities of microbial products, as an alternative to screening for new organisms, is a bonus. We have come to expect a high standard from this series of SGM Symposia and volume 44 is no exception. The editors are to be congratulated for their choice of authors of international standing and for their careful editing to ensure that the articles provide value both for the general reader and for those seeking state of the art developments in their particular field of interest. This volume will be particularly welcomed by teachers wishing to update their lectures. D. A. Ritchie Sulphut-Containing Drugs and Related Organic Compounds: Chemistry, Biochemistry and Toxicology. Vol. 3. Parts A and B: Metabolism and Phatmacokinetics of Sulphut-containing Drugs. Edited by L. A. Damani. Pp. 204 and 280. Ellis Horwood, Chichester. 7989. f35.00 each.
The impact of sulphur upon medicine is profound. It embraces the continued use of the element for at least 3500 years, and the recent development of organo-sulphur drugs which act inter alia as antipsychotics, H,receptor antagonists, mucolytic agents, anthelmintics, anticonvulsants, antirheumatics, cytotoxic agents, ACE-inhibitors, anaesthetics, antithyroid agents, and antituberculous drugs. The third and final volume of this work by Damani and his collaborators provides a timely contribution to this area. In this valuable compilation each of the fifteen chapters takes the form of a monograph which brings together compounds of a particular therapeutic class, although within each chapter one inevitably finds frequent reference to different therapeutic activity. Each chapter is well organized and self-contained. An abundance of
149