Summary

While biomedical investigation has greatly advanced, investigators have lost touch with and inadvertently corrupted significant nomenclature at the foundation of their science. Nowadays, one has to be an insider to even understand the titles of journals, as modern biochemists have a tendency to invent new terms to describe old phenomena and apply acronyms in a haphazard way. In addition, while the use of kits now saves time, by taking shortcuts, many have lost touch with the principles that lie behind the processes they employ.

Assembled by Roger Lundblad, the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Compendium provides both academic and industrial researchers with an exceptionally accessible resource that offers a plethora of practical information not found in more database-oriented resources. A renowned scientist and author who bridges the old school of protein research and current proteomics, Dr. Lundblad is uniquely qualified to bring forth this handy resource.

With great respect for the roots of the science, Dr. Lundblad provides a list of commonly used acronyms with definitions, as well as a glossary of terms and subjects used in biochemistry, molecular biology, biotechnology, proteomics, genomics, and systems biology. He also provides a chapter on those chemicals commonly employed in biochemistry and molecular biology, complete with properties and structure drawings, as well as a detailed accounting of protease inhibitors and protease inhibitor cocktails. A list of organic name reactions used in biochemistry is also included, as is a list of buffers with references to specific uses and unwanted side reactions.

Until now, this information could only be garnered from older books and Internet searches convoluted by uncertain nomenclature. Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Compendium may not provide all the answers, but researchers will find it to be a valuable tool that will save them time, as well as provide essential li

Choice Review

This latest offering by CRC Press is a last gasp at a format hopelessly out of date. This compendium is divided into five sections that cover biochemical and biophysical abbreviations and acronyms, a glossary (covering more than half of the pages), and an assortment of other chapters that discuss chemicals, their properties, and reactions found in biochemistry. Lundblad has clearly spent a considerable amount of time amassing the information contained in this opus; however, as a print vehicle, the book is not as inclusive as it could be and some of the information is already out of date. This work would have been much more useful if it were incorporated into a Web site that could be updated on a regular basis. In checking a number of the entries in the book against Wikipedia (CH, Mar'06, 43-3736), that Web site's entries are more comprehensive and informative. In sharing this book with a number of colleagues, to a person they all indicated that this book was not useful, given the vast assortment of electronic resources that are available. Since virtually all libraries provide computer access, this reviewer cannot recommend this book. Summing Up: Not recommended. J. M. Tomich Kansas State University