The Tao of Chemistry and Life A Scientific Journey

by Cordes, Eugene H.

• ISBN13: 9780195369632
• ISBN10: 0195369637
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2009-06-04
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

Written with the non-scientist in mind, this book employs the molecule and its interactions to explain the characteristics of living organisms in terms of the underlying chemistry of life. Following introductory chapters on the fundamentals of life, attention then turns to small molecules such as hormones and neurotransmitters and subsequently to macromolecules including proteins and nucleic acids. The interactions between small and macromolecules remains a central point throughout the book. These include enzymatic catalysis, hormone action, neurotransmission, regulation of metabolism, biosynthesis of macromolecules, the mechanism of action of drugs, taste, olfaction, learning and memory, and chemical communication. A second central point of emphasis is the sensitive relationship between chemical structure and biological activity. Examples abound and include why subtle changes in fatty acid architecture have positive or negative outcomes for human health in omega-three fatty acids and trans fats and how modest changes in the chemical decoration of the steroid skeleton provide the difference between male and female sex hormones. Beyond these examples taken from the chemistry of small molecules, the book includes a thoughtful consideration of genomics, including the relationship between genome structure and species. The theme of human health appears throughout the book. Cardiovascular medicine, cancer, metabolic diseases, and diseases of the nervous system receive significant attention including consideration of how a variety of drugs work in combating these issues. In sum, the goal of this book is to inform the non-scientist community in a way that will lead to increased understanding of the relationship between chemistry and life.

Author Biography

Gene Cordes has been a professor of chemistry and pharmacy at Indiana University and the University of Michigan, a VP in the Merck Research Labs and President of R&D at Sterling Winthrop Inc. His research work has been largely in the area of enzymatic and non-enzymatic mechanisms of catalysis whereas his pharmaceutical industry work focused on drug discovery with emphasis on cardiovascular medicine, metabolic diseases, and diagnostic imaging agents.
Books by same author (title, Mahler and Cordes, Biochemistry, Harper and Row, 1966; 2nd edition, 1971, cloth. Mahler and Cordes, Basic Biochemistry, Harper and Row, 1968, cloth. Cordes and Schaeffer, Chemistry, Harper and Row, 1973, cloth.

Table of Contents

Life: Unity out of diversity	p. 3
Life: Central properties	p. 17
Molecular structures based on carbon: The foundation for the molecules of life	p. 30
Building blocks and glue	p. 40
From methane to chemical communication	p. 49
Nitrogen and oxygen: Atmospheric elements	p. 66
More about oxygen-containing molecules	p. 81
Now for the rest of the elements in vitamin pills	p. 92
Proteins: An amazing collection of multifunctional properties	p. 104
Amino acids: The building blocks of proteins	p. 118
Proteins are three-dimensional objects	p. 134
Nucleotides are the building blocks of nucleic acids: The stuff of genes	p. 148
The central dogma of molecular biology and protein synthesis	p. 167
Genomes	p. 176
Vitamins: Molecules of life	p. 191
Carbohydrates: Sweetness and life	p. 207
Generating energy from catabolism	p. 221
Fatty acids: The building blocks of lipids	p. 237
Lipids: The greasy stuff of life	p. 253
Steroids: Sex and other good things	p. 264
Your brain: What it does and how it does it	p. 281
Your brain: Good things and not-good things	p. 299
Antibiotics: The never-ending war against infectious disease	p. 315
Cancer: What it is and what we can do about it	p. 330
Chemical communication	p. 352
Appendix: Some examples of explicit and condensed molecular structures	p. 371
Notes	p. 373
Glossary	p. 387
Index	p. 403
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