Inorganic Biochemistry, An Introduction; 2nd Edition

Inorganic Biochemistry, An Introduction; 2nd Edition

J. A. Cowan. VCH: New York, 1997. ISBN 0471-18895-6. $59.00.

Bioinorganic chemistry is a relatively new, vigorously pursued, vibrant research area. Some 20 years ago (1977), I published a book titled Bioinorganic Chemistry, An Introduction, which was of a size similar to this book under review. "Bioinorganic chem" or "inorganic biochem": which is proper? The emphasis is presumably on the inorganic chemistry of biological systems in the case of "bioinorganic", whereas it is on biochemistry of inorganic substances in the other. However, the difference is subtle and which to use seems to be a matter of almost arbitrary choice. Interestingly, though, British scientists (this author is one) seem to prefer "inorganic biochemistry", whereas the majority of chemists on this side of the Atlantic use "bioinorganic chemistry".

As the scope of the field is very wide, it would be difficult to adequately cover its entirety in a...