Books and Software: Welcome to biosensors - Analytical Chemistry

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Books

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Software

Welcome to Biosensors

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ANALYTICAL SENSORS

Introduction to Bioanalytical Sensors Alice J. Cunningham John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 605 Third Ave. New York, NY 10158-0012 1998, 403 pp., $69.95

Few scientists could have written a more comprehensive introductory book on biosensors than Alice Cunningham. The author has been interested in bioanalytical methods for more than 30 years, and the book constantly reminds us of her wealth of knowledge in the subject area. Most of the information is current—about 90% of the bibliographic citations are only a few years old (1993-1997). This timely book will surely be welcomed by a wide range of readers. Students and teachers in graduate or advanced undergraduate courses will find it an excellent supplementary text that enlightens their understanding of fundamental analytical principles. Researchers who just jumped onto the biosensor bandwagon will find it valuable for quickly learning basic principles and terminologies or for charting new paths of intellectual adventure. Professionals in biomedical engineering, bioprocess control, health care services, and environmental monitoring will also benefit by updating their knowledge of technologies. Chapter 1 is an excellent starting point for a novice to get familiar with the basic issues and terminologies of biosensors 212 A

(e.g., definition, classification, performance evaluation, practical applications, current R&D accomplishments, and future directions). Chapter 2 emphasizes what needs to be considered when designing a sensor, including analytes frequently encountered in the real world, basic signal transduction strategies, and the mass transport problem. To illustrate a point, the author uses ample examples; potentially difficult concepts, such as the terminology and properties of enzymes, are discussed in detail. Chapter 3 is entirely devoted to the immobilization of bioselective layers. Diverse immobilization strategies are discussed because a particular choice depends on the type of substrate surface and the type of molecular recognition agent. Again, the author's presentation of the data is thorough and well organized. Chapter 4 discusses biosensors based on electrochemical signal transduction. The many figures and illustrations in this chapter greatly enhance readability. The treatment of relevant electrochemical principles is just enough to refresh readers' memories but not as indepth as the classic textbooks on electrochemistry. Chapter 5 examines optically based biosensors, with an emphasis on the instrumentation of waveguide devices such as optical fibers, internal reflection elements, near-field probes, and surface plasmon resonance prisms. The chemical and optical properties of molecular probes, be they fluorescent labels or light-scattering particles, are barely discussed. The short length of this chapter may reflect the fact that optical biosensors are not being used as widely as those based on electrochemistry. Similarly, biosensors based on thermal and acoustic treated only briefly in Chapter 6. Bibliographic citations are highly useful because the title text of each entry is included. The citations are indexed alpha-

Analytical Chemistry News & Features, March 1, 1999

betically according to the last name of the first author, but a full author index is not given. Nevertheless, this inconvenience may be circumvented with two excellent appendices—one sorts citations by analyte names, and the other lists review articles by topics. Reviewed by Li Sun, Texas A&M University

Worldwide Textbook? ANALYTICAL

Analytical Chemistry R. Kellner, J.-M. Mermet, M. Otto, and H. M. Widmer, Eds. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 605 Third Ave. New York, NY 10158-0012 1998, 903 pp., $84.95

This book has been written to support a uniform undergraduate analytical chemistry curriculum adopted by the Division of Analytical Chemistry of the Federation of European Chemical Societies (FECS). In the foreword, the president of the FECS expresses the hope that this book will facilitate the adoption of the curriculum "worldwide". Not surprisingly, an especially diverse array of methods and techniques is recommended in the curriculum and discussed in the book, certainly more than S66IT1S possible to cover in one yccir of ciiici~ lytical chemistry. Whereas most instructors who teach two undergraduate analytiCeil courses under the general rubric of