Crystal Structure Analysis for Chemists and Biologists

The fields of structural chemistry and biochemistry have blossomed in the last seventy years since X-ray diffraction was discovered in 1912. Dorothy Hodgkin, who obtained a Nobel Prize in 1965 for her X-ray diffraction work wrote 'a great advantage of X-ray analysis as a method of chemical structure analysis is its power to show some totally unexpected and surprising structure with, at the same time, complete certainty.' The results of all X-ray diffraction studies are used by chemists and buiochemists but these scientists need to be able to appreciate the significance and extent to which these results may be used.

A number of books written for practicing crystallographers cover the theory and applications of X-ray diffraction, but few are of real practical use to non-specialists. In 'Crystal Structure Analysis for Biologists and Chemists', the general principles of crystal structure are presented in a highly readable way. The book of Glusker, who is internationally renowned, provides good coverage of theory, including data and understanding their significance.Anhand verschiedener Beispiele zeigen die Autoren die Bedeutung der Kristallographie für Chemie und Biochemie auf und bieten somit eine gute Zusammenfassung der allgemeinen Prinzipien der
Kristallstrukturanalyse. Zum einen sollen Interessierte, die diese Methode nicht selbst durchführen, in die Lage versetzt werden, deren Ergebnisse zu interpretieren. Zum anderen wird dem Leser deutlich gemacht, welche Bedeutung die ungeheure Datenmenge, die sich aus dieser Methode ergibt, einerseits für die Chemie sowie andererseits für die Biochemie hat. Das Buch ist verständlich geschrieben und mit zahlreichen Abbildungen versehen. Durch die Darstellung der Kristallstrukturanalyse im Vergleich zu anderen Methoden ist das Werk auch besonders für fortgeschrittene Studenten geeignet, die sich mit der Kristallographie vertraut machen wollen. Preface/
Introduction to Crystal Structure Analysis/
Crystals/
Diffraction by Crystals/
Symmetry in Crystals and Their Diffraction Patterns/
Physical Properties of Crystals/
Combining Waves to Obtain an Image/
Measurement of Structure Amplitudes/
Estimation of the Phase Angles/
The Electron Density Map/
Least-Squares Refinement of the Structure/
Interpreting x, y, z (Atomic Coordinates)/
Conformation/
Atomic and Molecular Displacements/
Chirality and Absolute Structure/
Packing in Crystals/
Comparisons of Structures/
Recognition and Receptors/
Structure-Activity Results/
Index Preface/
Introduction to Crystal Structure Analysis/
Crystals/
Diffraction by Crystals/
Symmetry in Crystals and Their Diffraction Patterns/
Physical Properties of Crystals/
Combining Waves to Obtain an Image/
Measurement of Structure Amplitudes/
Estimation of the Phase Angles/
The Electron Density Map/
Least-Squares Refinement of the Structure/
Interpreting x, y, z (Atomic Coordinates)/
Conformation/
Atomic and Molecular Displacements/
Chirality and Absolute Structure/
Packing in Crystals/
Comparisons of Structures/
Recognition and Receptors/
Structure-Activity Results/
Index

Jenny Pickworth Glusker is a British biochemist and crystallographer. Since 1956 she has worked at the Fox Chase Cancer Center, a National Cancer Research Institute in the United States. She was also an adjunct professor of biochemistry and biophysics at the University of Pennsylvania. Mitchell Lewis is the author of Crystal Structure Analysis for Chemists and Biologists, published by Wiley.