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Oxford University Press: New York,
1997. vi + 249 pp. ISBN: 0 19 855380 3 (cloth) $95.00;
ISBN: 0 19 8555962 3 (paper) $39.95.
Porphyrins are ubiquitous in the natural world and
are responsible for such diverse functions as oxygen transport
and storage (hemoglobin and myoglobin), electron transport
(the cytochromes), and the harvesting of light energy
(chlorophyll). Lionel R. Milgrom, Senior Lecturer in Inorganic
Chemistry at Brunel University, U.K., has written a lively and
comprehensive account of this family of macrocycles and how
they perform their roles. He begins by describing porphyrins,
discusses their synthesis in both nature and the laboratory,
and then characterizes their functional roles (based primarily
on their ability to modify the redox and coordination
properties of the metal ion bound at the center of the macrocycle). The
final chapters cover porphyrin biodegradation, health effects of
various porphyrin abnormalities (including a plausible
explanation for vampire and werewolf mythology),
and potential applications for these molecules in cancer therapy,
electronics, and the photochemical splitting of water for hydrogen production.
This is truly a book with something for
everyone. Milgrom's explanations draw on inorganic chemistry,
organic chemistry, physical chemistry, and biochemistry. For
example, the discussion on hemoglobin begins with a review of
the chemistry of oxygen, proceeds to that of iron, and moves
on to protein structure - all of this after a thorough coverage
of porphyrin chemistry in an earlier chapter. Although the
author sometimes presents material at a level appropriate for a
rank beginner in chemistry, most of the book will be
intelligible only to those who have had at least three years of
college-level chemistry. Those (like me) who teach introductory
biochemistry will find much to enhance their understanding
of the porphyrins and their functions. Other chemists will
be interested to learn how their own subdiscipline has
contributed to knowledge in this important area. Milgrom makes the
reader stretch a bit as he or she leaves the comfort zone of
the familiar, but the reward is well worth the effort. Although
it is not readily apparent where this book would fit in the
typical American undergraduate curriculum, it would certainly be
a welcome addition to the library.
Richard A. Smith
Department of Chemistry
State University of New York
Geneseo, NY 14454
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