Spectroscopy for the Biological Sciences by Gordon G. Hammes

From the Publisher

An introduction to the physical principles of spectroscopy and their applications to the biological sciences

Advances in such fields as proteomics and genomics place new demands on students and professionals to be able to apply quantitative concepts to the biological phenomena that they are studying. Spectroscopy for the Biological Sciences provides students and professionals with a working knowledge of the physical chemical aspects of spectroscopy, along with their applications to important biological problems.

Designed as a companion to Professor Hammes's Thermodynamics and Kinetics for the Biological Sciences, this approachable yet thorough text covers the basic principles of spectroscopy, including:
* Fundamentals of spectroscopy
* Electronic spectra
* Circular dichroism and optical rotary dispersion
* Vibration in macromolecules (IR, Raman, etc.)
* Magnetic resonance
* X-ray crystallography
* Mass spectrometry

With a minimum of mathematics and a strong focus on applications to biology, this book will prepare current and future professionals to better understand the quantitative interpretation of biological phenomena and to utilize these tools in their work.

Doody Review Services

Reviewer:Eugene A Davidson, PhD(Georgetown University School of Medicine)
Description:This short book provides an introduction to optical methods (and some related techniques) used in analysis of biological molecules.
Purpose:This is intended as a text for an introductory graduate course aimed at students with a limited background in the physical sciences — a generally worthwhile objective that is not met.
Audience:The intended audience is first year graduate students in the biological sciences. The author is a recognized authority in the field.
Features:The focus is on optical methods, and the usual tools are discussed — absorption, fluorescence, infra-red, Raman, and NMR as well as X-ray crystallography and mass spectrometry. Each chapter is accompanied by a problem set and a few bibliographic citations. The discussions of the various techniques attempt to provide some theoretical understanding of the method and offer sufficient information to enable the student to work simple exercises. In a general sense, it is a laudable educational objective to provide students with at least a minimal understanding of the basis of experimental procedures that they employ. However, this book does not offer such material in a manner accessible to the intended audience. Thus, although the author explicitly states that the book is for students who "do not have a strong background in mathematics and have not taken a course in physical chemistry," quantum mechanics appears as a subject heading on page 3 and the Schrodinger equation follows shortly. Many of the problems are arithmetic exercises and fail to provide contextualmaterial that would aid the student in understanding how a given method is employed. In addition, there is insufficient attention given to the limitations of each procedure and typical experimental pitfalls that may be encountered. It is likely that most students would fail to be intellectually engaged by this presentation.
Assessment:This is, in many respects, an outdated approach to a common problem. The author is a highly respected and capable scientist but appears somewhat out of touch with his intended audience.

Rating

2 Stars from Doody

Product Details

• Table of Contents

Table of Contents