Guide to Biochemistry

Book excerpt: Guide to Biochemistry provides a comprehensive account of the essential aspects of biochemistry. This book discusses a variety of topics, including biological molecules, enzymes, amino acids, nucleic acids, and eukaryotic cellular organizations. Organized into 19 chapters, this book begins with an overview of the construction of macromolecules from building-block molecules. This text then discusses the strengths of some weak acids and bases and explains the interaction of acids and bases involving the transfer of a proton from an acid to a base. Other chapters consider the effectiveness of enzymes, which can be appreciated through the comparison of spontaneous chemical reactions and enzyme-catalyzed reactions. This book discusses as well structure and function of lipids. The final chapter deals with the importance and applications of gene cloning in the fundamental biological research, which lies in the preparation of DNA fragments containing a specific gene. This book is a valuable resource for biochemists and students.