This latest contribution to the distinguished Advances series contains a tribute to the late Fred Shafizadeh, followed by six well-conceived and well-organized Chapters that will interest both carbohydrate chemists and biochemists alike. This Volume, however, certainly emphasizes the biological aspects of carbohydrates, and should be especially useful to researchers working in the areas of polysaccharide structure elucidation, polysaccharide biosynthesis, and glycolipid biochemistry.
The volume begins with a warm tribute to Fred Shafizadeh , the man and the scientist, as seen from the eyes of one of his former students, Gary McGinnis. The important and varied contributions that Fred made to the carbohydrate field and to the intellectual development of his students, and his enthusiasm for science, shine through in this obituary. This tribute provides a personal and comprehensive account of the life and career of an accomplished scientist that is valuable to all of us, but especially to young researchers, and it adds an important human character, at the outset, to this book.
The remaining portion of this Volume contains articles that represent several sub-disciplines of carbohydrate research: analytical (Vibrational Spectra of Carbohydrates), organic (Monosaccharide Isothiocyanates and Thiocyanates: Synthesis, Chemistry, and Preparative Applications), and biochemical (Enzymic Analysis of Polysaccharide Structure; Biosynthesis of Bacterial Polysaccharide Chains Composed of Repeating Units; Lipid-linked Sugars as Intermediates in the Biosynthesis of Complex Carbohydrates in Plants; and Glycolipids of Marine Invertebrates).
Mohamed Mathlouthi and Jack Koenig have provided a thorough treatment of the vibrational spectra of carbohydrates, including relevant discussions of the F-t.-i.r. and laser-Raman methodologies, the interpretation of spectra, and current applications. Although vibrational spectroscopy has been replaced by n.m.r. spectroscopy for some kinds of carbohydrate studies, it remains an important technique in investigations of hydrogen bonding and the hydration of biomolecules. This reviewer found the authors' consideration of these current problems, at the end of the article, most useful.
The chemistry of monosaccharide isothiocyanates and thiocyanates has been examined very carefully by Zbigniew Witczak. The fundamental reactivities of these carbohydrate derivatives are clearly discussed, and their use in the synthesis