Kirjahaku

Cold is the single most important enemy of life, and this book, first published in 1985, discusses the responses of living organisms to low temperatures. Subfreezing temperatures in particular affect the properties of water, which is essential to life, and the book describes the physics and chemistry of water in the context of physiology. Injury from cooling and the way in which organisms respond and survive, as well as the mechanism of cold hardening in micro-organisms, insects and plants are discussed. The laboratory exploitation of low temperatures to preserve life and to protect labile materials against freeze damage is also considered.

An understanding of the behavioural properties of water is fundamental to gaining an appreciation of many scientific processes and principles. Science students and teachers will therefore find Water not only interesting reading but also of considerable relevance to their studies.

Proteins are the servants of life. They occur in all component parts of living organisms and are staggering in their functional var- ty, despite their chemical similarity. Even the simplest single-cell organism contains a thousand different proteins, fulfilling a wide range of life-supporting roles. Their production is controlled by the cell’s genetic machinery, and a malfunction of even one protein in the cell will give rise to pathological symptoms. Additions to the total number of known proteins are constantly being made on an increasing scale through the discovery of mutant strains or their production by genetic manipulation; this latter technology has become known as protein engineering. The in vivo functioning of proteins depends critically on the chemical structure of individual peptide chains, but also on the detailed folding of the chains themselves and on their assembly into larger supramolecular structures. The molecules and their fu- tional assemblies possess a limited in vitro stability. Special methods are required for their intact isolation from the source material and for their analysis, both qualitatively and quantitatively. Proteins are also increasingly used as “industrial components,” e.g., in biosensors and immobilized enzymes, because of their specificity, selectivity, and sensitivity. This requires novel and refined proce- ing methods by which the protein isolate can be converted into a form in which it can be utilized.

The chapters making up this volume had originally been planned to form part of a single volume covering solid hydrates and aqueous solutions of simple molecules and ions. However, during the preparation of the manu­ scripts it became apparent that such a volume would turn out to be very unwieldy and I reluctantly decided to recommend the publication of sepa­ rate volumes. The most sensible way of dividing the subject matter seemed to lie in the separation of simple ionic solutions. The emphasis in the present volume is placed on ion-solvent effects, since a number of excellent texts cover the more general aspects of electrolyte solutions, based on the classical theories of Debye, Huckel, On sager, and Fuoss. It is interesting to speculate as to when a theory becomes "classical." Perhaps this occurs when it has become well known, well liked, and much adapted. The above-mentioned theories of ionic equilibria and transport certainly fulfill these criteria. There comes a time when the refinements and modifications can no longer be related to physical significance and can no longer hide the fact that certain fundamental assumptions made in the development of the theory are untenable, especially in the light of information obtained from the application of sophisticated molecular and thermodynamic techniques.

Since the publication of the previous volumes many new aspects of the physical and life sciences have been developed in which the properties of water play a dominant role. Although, according to its preface, Volume 5 was to be the last one of the treatise, these recent developments have led to a revision of that statement. The present volume and its companion, still in preparation, deal with topics that were already mentioned in the preface to Volume 5 as gaining in importance. The recent development of X-ray and, more particularly, neutron scattering techniques have led to studies of "structure" in aqueous solutions of electrolytes on the one hand, and to the role of water in protein structure and function on the other. Both these topics have reached a stage where reviews of the present state of knowledge are useful. The application of ab initio methods to calculations of hydration and conformation of small molecules has a longer history, but here again a critical summary is timely. The role of solvent effects in reaction kinetics and mechanisms should have had a place in Volume 2 of this treatise, but, as sometimes happens, the author who had taken on this task failed tQ live up to his promise. However, since 1972 the physical chemistry of mixed aqueous solvents has made considerable strides, so that the belated discussion of this topic (by a new author) is built on evidence that was not available at the time of publication of Volume 2.

This volume is the last in the series comprising "Water-A Comprehensive Treatise. " It was originally planned to combine aqueous solutions of macro­ molecules and disperse systems in one volume, but largely because of the extensive coverage required by recent developments in aqueous solutions of proteins and synthetic polymers I decided to separate topics dealing with water in disperse systems. The systems treated in the present volume are of a complex nature so that the theoretical frameworks established earlier in Volume 1 and utilized in Volumes 2 and 3 cannot at the present time be applied. On the other hand the systems discussed in Volumes 4 and 5 in particular, border on the many biological and technological areas where important attributes are related to the common factor-water. Included among such diverse problem areas are food processing and preservation, cryopreservation, paper and textile finishing, membrane processes, hemodynamics, etc. It is to be hoped that in days to come some of the results and principles discussed in these five volumes can be applied to improve our understanding of the complex in­ teractions in medically and industrially important spheres of scientific ac­ tivity. An age seems to have passed since the concept of creating this treatise was first discussed, and since work began on Volume 1, much has happened in the science of Water; some of the recent developments were highlighted at this year's Gordon Research Conference in Plymouth, N. H.

Proteins are the servants of life. They occur in all com- nent parts of living organisms and are staggering in their fu- tional variety, despite their chemical similarity. Even the simplest single-cell organism contains a thousand different p- teins, fulfilling a wide range of life-supporting roles. Additions to the total number of known proteins are being made on an increasing scale through the discovery of mutant strains or their production by genetic manipulation. The total international protein literature could fill a medi- sized building and is growing at an ever-increasing rate. The reader might be forgiven for asking whether yet another book on proteins, their properties, and functions can serve a useful purpose. An explanation of the origin of this book may serve as justification. The authors form the tutorial team for an int- sive postexperience course on protein characterization or- nized by the Center for Professional Advancement, East Brunswick, New Jersey, an educational foundation. The course was first mounted in Amsterdam in 1982 and has since been repeated several times, in both Amsterdam and the US, with participants from North America and most European countries. In a predecessor to this book, emphasis was placed on the role of protein isolation in the food industry, because at the time this reflected the interests of most of the participants at the course. Today, isolated proteins for food use are extracted from yeasts, fungal sources, legumes, oilseeds, cereals, and leaves.

Proteins are the servants of life. They occur in all component parts of living organisms and are staggering in their functional var- ty, despite their chemical similarity. Even the simplest single-cell organism contains a thousand different proteins, fulfilling a wide range of life-supporting roles. Their production is controlled by the cell’s genetic machinery, and a malfunction of even one protein in the cell will give rise to pathological symptoms. Additions to the total number of known proteins are constantly being made on an increasing scale through the discovery of mutant strains or their production by genetic manipulation; this latter technology has become known as protein engineering. The in vivo functioning of proteins depends critically on the chemical structure of individual peptide chains, but also on the detailed folding of the chains themselves and on their assembly into larger supramolecular structures. The molecules and their fu- tional assemblies possess a limited in vitro stability. Special methods are required for their intact isolation from the source material and for their analysis, both qualitatively and quantitatively. Proteins are also increasingly used as “industrial components,” e.g., in biosensors and immobilized enzymes, because of their specificity, selectivity, and sensitivity. This requires novel and refined proce- ing methods by which the protein isolate can be converted into a form in which it can be utilized.