Molecular association in biological and related systems

Book Review Molecular Association in Biological and R e l a t e d S y s t e m s , Advances in Chemistry Series 84. American Chemical Society, Washington, D. C. (1968) 308 pp. Colloid and surface chemists have always displayed an active interest in stodies of materials of biological origin. Since the end of World War II, the tremendous interest in the application of surface chemistry concepts and techniques to the investigation of the properties of the tissues and the fluids of organisms needs no emphasis. Although the relations of the living cells and of the molecular aggregates of the humors are overwhelmingly complex, the fundamental laws of which they are an expression are currently being discovered. The growing development and acceptance of the concept of monomolecular layers in membranes, as supported by the Gorter and Grendel analysis of the lipid content of red cells and the more complete hypothesis of the bimoleeular leaflet structure of membranes advanced by Davison and Danielli, in addition to the revelation of cell structure by electron microscopy, had convinced investigators in various realms of biology and medicine to become aware of the important role that surface chemistry could play in the study of biological systems and their functions. "Molecular Association in Biological and Related Systems" is a monograph published by the A.C.S. Like many other monographs, many subjects are treated too briefly. Yet it is a valid collection of articles for those interested in biological applications of surface chemistry. Since it is a collection of papers, the reader cannot expect a strong continuity, nor indeed is it to be expected. Nineteen articles survey and report new work on molecular association in various disciplines and are assembled into a well-printed hard cover volume of 308 pages. P. Assarson and F. R. Eirich investigated the interaction of water with alkyl-substituted amides. The authors conclude in a definite interaction between the peptide dipole and water. Preferential binding of solvent components to the macromolecular solute has been investigated by light scattering for the system 2-ehloroethanolwater-~-lactoglobulin by Hideo 3[noue and S. N. Timasheff. D. S. Berns, J. J. Lee, and E. Scott studied the

effect of deuterium oxide on protein aggregation in deuterio and protio phycoeyanin and other proteins. D. M. Small reports a systematic study of the aggregation numbers of free and conjugated di- and trihydroxy bile salts. The influence of structure concentration, counterion concentration, pH, and temperature as examined by A. F. Hoffman considers the interaction of monolein, oleic acid, and sodium oleate with bile salts in model systems whose compositions have been chosen to stimulate those which may occur in small intestinal content. E. D. Goddard, S. Goldwasser, G. Golikeri, and H. C. Kung used differential thermal, infrared, X-ray, and analytical titration techniques to investigate molecular association in fatty acidpotassium soap systems. All fatty acid associated with their corresponding potassium salts to form 1 : 1 acid soap complexes. D. G. Derviehian reported association of lecithin and bile salts in the presence of water or organic solvents and the association between lecithin and cholesterol. D. Chapman studied the association of membrane constituents using nuclear resonance spectroscopy and J. M. Steim used spectroscopic and calorimetric studies to investigate biological membrane structure. It. J. van den Berg studied the influence of adsorption of polyelectrolytes on bimolecular phospholipid leaflets. It. T. Tien reported on black lipid membranes. N. L. Gershfeld studied the cohesive forces in monomolecular films of C16, C~6 sulfate, C16 and C16 phosphonate, stearic, and palmitic acids at the air-water interface. D. A. Cadenhead and M. C. Phillips, using an automated film balance, studied the behavior of mixed monomolecular films exhibiting deviations from ideality. Some properties of interfacial colloidal electrolyte-protein complexes were reported by I. Blei. The effect of phosphatidy choline and cholesterol on the interaction of dihydroceramide lactoside with rabbit -~-globulin was studied by G. Colacicco and M. Yi. t~apport. L. G. Arood and D. S. Rushmer reported on the surface interaction of calcium and A T P with phospholipids and other surfactants. The influence of induced dipoles, metal ions, and cholesterol on the characteristics of phosphoJournal of Colloid and Interface Science,

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Vol. 2g, No. 4, April 1969

BOOK R E V I E W lipid monolayers is probably the last article published by the late Professor J. H. Schulman of Columbia University and co-authored by D. 0. Shah. A. P. Christodoulou and H. L. I~osano studied the effect of pH a~d nature of monovalent catio~s on surface pressure, potential and vi~ cosity vs. molecular area isotherms of saturated Cla to C~2 soap monolayers. A, Arnoue and R. H.

]ournal of Colloidand Interface Science, Vol. 29, No. 4, April 1969

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Marchessault found that caffeine and pyrogallol form a 1:1 crystalline complex in which five water molecules associate with each caffein-pyrogMlol pair. HENRI L. ROS.~N0 Dept. of Chemistry City College of City University of New York New York, New York 10031