Principles and Practice of Biological Mass Spectrometry
Chhabil Dass
Wiley Interscience Series on Mass Spectrometry, John Wiley & Sons, New York, ISBN: 0471330531
Reviewed by Dr Alison E Ashcroft
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Principles and Practice of Biological Mass SpectrometryChhabil Dass Wiley Interscience Series on Mass Spectrometry, John Wiley & Sons, New York, ISBN: 0471330531 Reviewed by Dr Alison E Ashcroft |
This is an excellent, self-contained book which is highly recommended for life scientists wishing to learn the fundamentals and biological applications of mass spectrometry as well as for mass spectrometrists seeking advice on biological projects.
The book, which is of intermediate length, is divided into 16 chapters. The first chapter sets the scene for the publication, while chapters two to seven detail the fundamentals of mass spectrometry including ionisation methods, mass analysis, quantification and tandem mass spectrometry. Chapters eight to ten cover protein, peptide and glycoprotein and oligosaccharide analyses; these are followed by more specialised topics including protein folding, non-covalent interactions, lipid analysis, combinatorial screening and oligonucleotide analysis, which are covered in chapters 11 to 15; the final chapter features a variety of "real-world" problems.
The book is written in both an interesting and informative fashion. There is sufficient detail for each topic to be adequately described, absorbed and appreciated, and the well-written text encourages further reading from the comprehensive, up-to-date reference lists at the end of each chapter. There are numerous well-chosen examples and plenty of instructive illustrations to complement the text throughout the book.
If criticisms have to be made, then perhaps one could say that there is a little too much emphasis on electron impact and plasma desorption mass spectrometry given their current usage in biological mass spectrometry, and there are a few (but not too many to distract) typographical errors. However, these minor niggles cannot take away the fact that this is a volume that will be an enjoyable read to scientists at all levels, and one that will be returned to time and time again as a reference manual and source of inspiration.
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