4N ANALYST, JANUARY 1993, VOL. 118 Book Reviews Principles and Practice of lmmunoassay Edited by Christopher P. Price and David J. Newman. Pp. xvi + 650. Macmillan. 1991. Price f50.00. ISBN 0-333-51 406-8. The thirty year history of immunoassay has seen its rapid and widespread development in many analytical disciplines includ- ing its natural home the clinical biochemistry laboratory. The range of assays that exploit the antigen-antibody reaction and the technology that underpins it are vast and rapidly changing to take into account exciting novel developments. The purpose of this multi-authored volume was to ‘bring together, in one text, current perspectives on some of the fundamental aspects of immunoassay together with the principles of the major techniques in use today’.Although the editors have recognized that in such a rapidly moving field much of the material might be outdated within a few years, the book represents a comprehensive compilation of basic immuno- assay principles and practice, which will be a valuable source of reference for some time to come. The book consists of 22 chapters contributed by eminent and internationally known exponents of the ‘art’ of immuno- assay. Each contribution stands alone as an excellent review of a particular aspect of immunoassay but the chapters are logically organized so that newcomers to the field can easily learn the basic principles of immunoassays and follow how modern assay formats have developed and been refined from the earliest radioimmunoassays. The book begins by describing the nature of the antigen- antibody reaction on which all immunoassays depend and defines some fundamental terms such as avidity, affinity, specificity etc. Next, are two chapters describing how anti- bodies, with the required characteristics for the development of robust, highly sensitive and specific assays, are produced and how molecular biology provides the means of engineering antibody structure so that their properties can be fully exploited for various applications. The theory and design of immunoassays, their optimization, standardization and qual- ity control, methods of automation and the various com- puterized methods available for data reduction are the subject of the next five chapters. The reader should not be dismayed by some of the mathematical content of these chapters as they are clearly set out and are extremely readable.The lengthy but informative chapter on the design and optimization of immunoassays is essential reading for those who wish to understand the concepts behind the development of highly sensitive immunoassays, the recent move towards non-iso- topic immunoassays and the current efforts to develop the assays of the future. A newcomer to immunoassays could be excused for being confused by the vast array of different assay formats, acronyms and nomenclature that are described in the literat- ure. Chapter nine successfully manages to clarify how immunoassays are classified (e.g. heterogeneous versus homogeneous, competitive versus non-competitive) and des- cribes the different types of labels that have been used.Each of the remaining chapters describes one of the variants of immunoassay from those in use now to those that are in various stages of development for future use and applications. These include the classical radioimmunoassay , the different forms of enzyme immunoassay and the more recent use of fluorescent and chemiluminescent labels. Tmmunoassays that do not rely on a labelled component, e.g. light scattering immunoassays are also included. Current and more futuristic developments in assay design are also described in the later chapters. The exciting possibilities for exploiting the physical characteristics of the antibody-antigen reaction for the development of bio(immun0)-sensors using evanescent waves, multi-layer films and immunochromatography are also presented. As the virtues of immunoassays are being recognized in analytical fields that have not traditionally embraced the techniques, this reviewer has often been asked to recommend a suitable text as an introduction to immunoassay; this is one volume I will readily be able to recommend as an excellent comprehensive source of background knowledge.The book is well organized, easy to read and to understand and does not unnecessarily decorate the subject with jargon. The volume will be useful for students as well as research workers about to embark on projects involving the development or use of immunoassays. At the same time I am sure this book will be a constant source of reference to those like myself who have come to depend largely on the use of immunoassays in their work.G. Wynne Aherne ~~ Chromatography Today By Colin F. Poole and Salwa K. Poole. Pp. ix + 1026. Elsevier. 1991. Price US $147.50, Dfl. 295.00 (hard bound); US $75.00, Dfl. 150.00 (paperback). ISBN 0-444-88492-0 (hard bound); 0-444-891 61 -7 (paperback). The authors have assembled a comprehensive volume that emphasizes a fully contemporary approach to an extremely wide analytical discipline, but succeeds in placing the field in a good developmental perspective. The task undertaken is a daunting one and the authors have wisely excluded non- chromatographic analytical separations, wide in application though they are. Even so, the magnitude of the effort needed explains in good measure why no competitive text has been produced in recent years.This camera-ready , word-processor produced book will surely be well received particularly in the more economical paperback format. This is not a book to be followed through in a defined sequence, although, as the authors suggest, it may provide a basis for a (post)graduate level course if care is taken to select material carefully. Rather it provides a resource both to introduce the novice to new areas and, particularly by virtue of its extremely comprehensive reference lists, to act as a resource for the laboratory practitioner. This is very much an applied practical book with many features of a working manual. Mathematical treatments and theoretical discussions are not emphasized, but its strength lies in excellent descrip- tions of instrumentation, experimental characteristics and practical applications.This is clearly a product of working professionals in the chromatographic field who have much experience to impart to the reader. The structure of the book is based upon techniques and instrumentation rather than chemistry and applications. Most theoretical material is covered in the first chapter on fun- damental relationships, which focuses on practical implica- tions of basic ideas and in fact provides a very strong general introduction for the novice with clear indications for the laboratory. Gas chromatography is the ‘senior’ high resolution separation technique and appropriately is covered in the two following chapters focusing in turn upon columns and instrumental aspects, especially detectors.High-performance liquid chromatography is covered in a similar sequence in Chapters 4 and 5. The authors have chosen also to introduceANALYST, JANUARY 1993, VOL. 118 5N high-performance capillary electrophoresis in the latter chapter. Supercritical fluid chromatography and thin layer chromatography are each afforded separate chapters, the latter being covcred in much greater depth than is usual in recent separations texts. Next follows an extremely com- prehensive chapter on sample preparation in which sample introduction, derivatization, concentration techniques and pyrolysis gas chromatography are all covered. This chapter could well have been split into several briefer ones for easier reference. Hyphenated methods are covered in the final chapter with most emphasis on mass spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy; surprisingly interfaced atomic spectroscopy receives little mention. Overall this is an admirable if rather ponderous book, both in construction and writing style.It is a book best used as a good information source and in this regard is virtually unique and well worthy of acquisition. Peter C. Uden ~~ ~ ~ Report of the Proceedings of the 20th Session, Colorado Springs, June 3-8,1990 International Commission for Uniform Methods of Sugar Analysis. Pp. xxxvi + 410. ICUMSA. 1991. Price f40.00. ISBN 0-905003-1 2-8. The first chapter of this book is a record of three meetings of the executive committee of ICUMSA and reports of social occasions in connection with the sessions. The chapters following deal with the analysis of sugar in various forms- including raw and white sugar, molasses, cane and beet sugars.The general purpose of the text appears to be to review the methods available for each parameter and each product, then to consider and decide what still remains to be done in each field. Details are included of collaborative testing and statistical treatment of the data obtained, with discussion of the various official and non-official procedures, and recommendations as to the priority in the investigation of the methods needed. In addition to procedures such as determination of ash, colour, pH, etc., the methods studied include: polarimetry; infra-red and near infra-red spectroscopy; atomic absorption and emission spectrometry; fluorimetry, gas-liquid, gel-per- meation and high-performance liquid chromatography; ion chromatography and ion-selective electrodes; enzymic proce- dures; rheology; and microbiology.Most chapters contained a referee’s report discussing the state-of-the-art, followed by discussion, results and recommendations. This is a book crammed with detail, which should be valuable to personnel in sugar and related industries; it is recommended to all libraries within organizations such as these. D. Simpson Computational Aspects of the Study of Biological Macro- molecules by Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectro- scopy Edited by Jeffrey C. Hoch, Flemming H. Poulsen and Christina Redfield. NATO AS/ Series. Series A: Life Sciences. Volume 225. Pp. x + 464. Plenum. 1992. Price US$l15.00. ISBN 0-306-441 14-4.Computation is playing an increasingly important role in NMR spectroscopy, especially in the study of biological macromolecules. As noted on page one of the book, these days modern NMR facilities often contain more computers than spectrometers. This book is a collection of 37 articles written by participants in a NATO Advanced Research Workshop held in July 1990. The publication date is reasonably soon after the event for material of this kind; it needs to be so, because the reports often become superseded by papers from the same authors in primary journals. The book is largely about the determination of the 3D structures of proteins in solution using NMR methods. Polynucleotides are also mentioned briefly. The editors have taken care to ensure a uniformly high standard of presentation of text and diagrams throughout the book.Unfortunately this is not always the case with multi- authored books based on conference proceedings. The methods for the determination of the structures of small proteins (<lo kDa) are outlined and are now becoming routine. The extension to larger systems (perhaps even 20-30 kDa) is discussed via combinations of multi-dimen- sional COSY, TOCSY and NOESY with 15N and/or l3C enriched proteins. I saw little mention of partial 2H labelling that can sometimes improve resolution, but I might have missed it; the index is too brief (one and a half pages) to help. Most aspects of the problem are addressed, including the acquisition of data, data processing (e.g. increasing the resolution using Prony covariance, or maximum entropy methods), and the calculation of structures based on distance geometry, simulated annealing and molecular dynamics rou- tines.Programs that automate the assignment of multi-dimen- sional spectra are emerging. Indeed several authors offer their programs to readers on request, so this book is a good source of contacts. The reports of round-table discussion sessions address important and difficult questions, such as how many NOE’s are required to define a structure? How do we represent a solution structure or define the precision and accuracy of such a structure? And, should the effects of mobility be taken into account in the analysis of NMR data? For polynucleotides, the power of analysis of the complete relaxation matrix is evident: distances derivable from NOE measurements can be extended beyond 5 A.In summary, this is a well-presented book, of special interest to laboratories involved in the determination of the structures of proteins and polynucleotides in solution by NMR methods. You can find Nobel prizewinner Richard Ernst’s wedding photograph on p. 8, and enjoy his reminiscences of ‘very early, mostly unpublished experiments in computer- aided NMR’ in Chapter 1. It reads as if he enjoyed writing-even though (as he reveals) it was extracted from him by ‘brute force’! Peter J . Sadler Handbook of Surfactants By M. R. Porter. Pp. ix + 227. Blackie. 1991. Price f55.00. ISBN 0-21 6-92902-4; 0-41 2-02491 -8 (USA). Dr. Porter is a consultant in speciality chemicals. His book opens with a summary of the theory of surfactants and a general approach to their use in formulations, with properties of the hydrophilic and hydrophobic groups and a range of suggested sources of further information.However, essentially it is a work of reference covering the wide range of all the main types of agents of this nature available currently, including their nomenclature, general properties and applications. The information about surface-active agents is presented in groups as follows: anionics; non-ionics; cationics; amphoterics; speciality and polymeric materials. (It was of particular interest to find the last since although the basic technology now is well established newer approaches remain open and are not neglected here.) The discussion of anionics includes carboxylates, isethionates, phosphates, sarcosinates, sulfates, sulfonates, sulfosuccinates, related compounds and taurates.The non-ionics include acetylinic and ethoxylate6N ANALYST, JANUARY 1993, VOL. 118 groups, alkanolamides, copolymers, and carbohydrate deriv- atives; the cationics include quaternary ammonium com- pounds, amine and imidazoline salts; and under amphoterics are listed, betaines, glycinates, aminopropionates, and the later imidazoline-based surfactants (following the discovery that an incorrect chemical structure was assigned to earlier products). There is also an interesting discussion of the ecological and safety requirements derived from some of the European directives on the subject. This is a book crammed with useful facts about a wide variety of surfactants, and the author must have performed much hard work in order to amass them.It is written clearly, and the properties, specifications and applications should be of assistance to readers and users of surfactants in a considerable variety of fields. I would recommend the book to libraries in industrial and educational establishments, to students in the field, and, not least, to development chemists and managers. D. Simpson ~~ ~ ~~ DECHEMA Corrosion Handbook: Corrosive Agents and Their Interaction With Materials. Volume 9: Methanol and Sulfur Dioxide Edited by Dieter Behrens. Pp. ix + 375. VCH. 1991. Price DM 775.0, f286.00 (Single Volume Price). ISBN 0-89573- 630-6 (VCH Publishers); 3-527-26660-7 (VCH Verlags- gesel Isc haft).This is the latest in the series of Corrosion Handbooks that provides an updated version in English translation of the well-known Dechema Werkstoff-Tabelle. Like the other volumes, it summarizes an immense amount of information on the resistance of a very wide range of materials to specific corrosive environments, in this case methanol and sulfur dioxide. The sources include journal articles, other compila- tions and trade literature, the latter often being treated with some scepticism. There are well over 600 references in each section, and as in previous volumes a high proportion are to papers published in 1980 or later. The corrosive environments are very broadly defined, and take into account a large number of impurities and also, for methanol, the use of solutions for electro-polishing and metallographic etching.I was surprised to find in this section a reference to one of my own papers, which happened to be on electron microscopy on thin oxide films, and this may give some idea of the pertinacity of the compilers in extracting all relevant information from their sources. Corrosion in process streams in chemical plant, for instance, in methanol synthesis and in flue gas desulfuriza- tion is generously treated, as are problems in gas-turbine engines and fire-side and condensate corrosion in power stations. The coverage of materials is also very wide, and apart from a huge number of industrially important metals and alloys includes such inorganic materials as stone, carbon and asbestos. There are extensive indices, summary tables and notes on materials selection.This volume, like the others in the series, will certainly be in constant use in design offices and consultancies, in spite of the high price. If few people read it like a novel, this will be a pity, as it contains all manner of fascinating items of information one might never come across anywhere else. Given the immense industry of the compilers, and their high degree of success (so far as I have been able to check) in securing accurate information, one does wonder how success- ful such a compilation can hope to be ultimately. Specialists in particular topics, such as, for instance, hot-salt corrosion, will be aware that the coverage is inevitably selective. Apart from this, the technique of selecting one or two points from a paper does lend an ex cathedra air to some judgments on rates of corrosion, which might be inconsistent with other judgments a page or two away.This is particularly the case with heavily researched topics such as the atmospheric corrosion of steel, where too little attention is given to the great decline in sulfur dioxide concentrations in many towns in recent years, which has led to a large fall in rates of corrosion. The English translation is often rather unidiomatic and occasionally difficult to understand without careful re-read- ing, and there are occasional slips such as the use of ‘mm’ where ‘pm’ must be meant (Table 37, p. 210), and the use of ‘mazout’ meaning fuel-oil. These, however, are small defects, and in general the compilers have done their work as well as could possibly be expected.G. 0. Lloyd Reviews in Computational Chemistry. Volume 2 Edited by Kenny B. Lipkowitz and Donald B. Boyd. Pp. xvi + 527. VCH. 1991. Price DM236.00; f85.00. ISBN 1-56081- 51 5-9 (VCH); 3-527-28338-2 (VCH Verlagsgesellschaft). This book is the second volume in a series, covers a range of topics in the field of molecular modelling. The articles are at a level where they will be accessible to a graduate student, but extensive references to publised work make them useful for researchers working in related areas where similar computa- tional problems are encountered. A particularly useful aspect is reference to specific codes and their origins. The volume begins with optimization techniques for the multi-minimum problem.This is an important area of work in mathematics, but the special requirements of chemists are addressed here. Leach reviews numerous methodologies for medium sized molecules while Troyer and Cohen address the problem of proteins. There are two articles on parameterization and empirical force-fields. This area is renowned as being something of a black art, with the rationale behind derivation of these fields often glossed over. These articles give a good insight into this area. Scheiner’s article about hydrogen bonding uses simple systems to illustrate the main points. It shows the difficulty and uncertainty associated with choice of basis set to describe both molecular and intermolecular bonding due to complete- ness, superposition and correlation errors. This is shown especially in calculations of vibrational spectra, where the accuracy of the harmonic approximation is also discussed.In the initial stages of a reaction molecules ‘see’ each other via the electrostatic potential. Politzer and Murray show what can be deduced about reactivity from the potentials of single molecules and the effects of strain. Strain dependence suggests how reactions proceed as molecules deform prior to rebonding. Modern quantum chemistry has many methods (and acronyms!) for doing quantum mechanics wrongly. These semi-empirical methods allow treatment of problems for which full ‘ab initio’ calculations are too computationally demanding. The level of approximation to various parts of the quantum mechanical total energy of several common methods is discussed.The types of systems for which each method is suitable and reasons for breakdown of the approximation in other cases are given. Hall and Kier discuss molecular flexibility, shape and topology via the kappa and phi indices. These methods are used in biologically important materials to discover the active sites, similarities between molecules that lead to similar behaviour and differences that lead to trends in reactivity. Bersuker and Dimoglo review methods of going from one extreme to another, simplifying the results of ab initio (or other) structural calculations, extracting the important features and producing simple parameters to describe parti- cular functions of the molecules.ANALYST, JANUARY 1993, VOL. 118 7N As a whole, the volume presents a wide ranging review of current areas of interest in computational chemistry.The articles are self-contained, requiring little reference to other work. The downside is that the volume as a whole is rather unstructured, there are no clear links between the articles. Specific examples arc cited, but in general the emphasis is on methodologies and limitations of the various techniques rather than specific successes. As such it nicely complements journal papers, which seldom discuss why a certain method was used to tackle a particular problem. The rapid growth of computational chemistry has left a gap between what is generally taught at an undergraduate (and even graduate) level and what is actually done in state-of-the-art research. This series will enable the researcher to bridge the gap. G.J . Ackland The Handbook of Environmental Chemistry. Volume 2. Part F. Reactions and Processes Edited by 0. Hutzinger. Pp. 255. Springer-Verlag. 1991. Price DM 178.00; ISBN 3-540-541 39-X; 0-387-541 39-X. This volume of the series is devoted to four reviews of subjects related to precipitation and sediment adsorption. The final chapter is devoted to a discussion of photochemically gener- ated reactive oxygen species. The authors are drawn from Canada, the USA and Germany, making for international authority. Unfortunately the balance of the book is very much towards the first topic: Wet Deposition, which occupies 163 of the 255 pages of the volume. This may reflect the importance of this input to the ecosystem. The chapter on Wet Deposition is comprehensively written covering many aspects of programme design and types of sampling equipment.These are vital to ensure that any sampling programme produces scientifically accurate results. The analytical chemistry of the various determinands is discussed in broad terms but there is little discussion of the relationship between detection limit of the various techniques and the precision needed for meaningful results. It is pleasing also to see analytical quality control (AQC) discussed, as without a rigorous programme most analytical results will show so much variability as to make conclusions based on the data at best questionable. However, reading this section one is left with the impression that this point is still poorly understood by environmental scientists.The following chapters discuss the Transport of Contami- nants by Colloid-Mediated Processes; these are vital in controlling levels of pesticides and radioisotopes in the environment. Models for transport of contaminants from sediment beds are also discussed as they are also vital in controlling environmental concentrations. These chapters provide a connected core to the review. The final chapter does not fit so well into the theme; however, the data presented suggest that photochemically generated reactive oxygen species play a great role in controlling the concentration of man-made organic compounds. As part of a series this book provides in-depth reviews of particular topics and as such it is to be recommended. N . S. J . Christopher Trace and Ultratrace Analysis by HPLC By Satinder Ahuja. Volume 115 in Chemical Analysis: A Series of Monographs on Analytical Chemistry and Its Applications.Pp. xi + 419. Wiley-lnterscience. 1992. Price f59.00. ISBN 0-471-51419-5. This book extends and complements many of the topics covered in the author’s earlier books on trace analysis for drug compounds and on selectivity and detection in HPLC. It is intended as a discussion of methods for the determination and separation of dilute samples or very small samples. The author defines trace analysis as being at the ppm level and ultratrace as being below this level (less than pg g-1). However, although some sections are specifically directed to these areas a large proportion of the book duplicates material to be found in any of a range of general texts on HPLC.Thus, the book appears to be aimed at the newcomer to HPLC who has to work in trace analysis rather than being aimed at the special problems and applications of techniques devoted to trace analysis for an analyst who is already familiar with less demanding forms of HPLC. It covers the scope of trace analysis, and theoretical considerations with due emphasis on the use of narrow and microbore columns although many of the terms are in general use. However, the assertion that narrow columns produce narrow peaks is contradicted by a table later the same page and a number of other similar broad comments are also unjustified-‘separation time increases rapidly with d,,’. A useful section considers instrumental problems and the difficulty of increasing limits of detection by reducing pump and detector noise.This includes an analysis of the value of different detectors for small samples, including electrochem- ical and mass spectrometric detectors and surprisingly also includes the refractive index detector although its limited response for many compounds is noted. Equally valuable, although it is fairly general, is a discussion on sample pre-treatment before analysis. This is followed by a general description of different mobile phases and elution methods almost all of which is not specific to trace analysis. The last section describes methods to optimize detectability and finally a long section on the applications of trace analysis is provided covering a range of analytes in pharmaceuticals, food and environmental samples.Overall, I feel the book would have been improved if it had focused on trace and ultratrace analysis, rather than being an all encompassing text on HPLC methodology based around trace analysis. Roger M . Smith Sensors. A Comprehensive Survey. Volume 2. Chemical and Biochemical Sensors. Part I Edited by W. Gopel, J. Hesse, J. N. Zemel. Volume edited by W. Gopel, T. A. Jones, M. Kleitz, I. Lundstrom and T. Seiyama. Pp. xvii + 716. VCH. 1991. Single Volume Price DM380.00; f 147.00. (Subscription price DM31 5.00; f 122.00). ISBN 3-527-26768-9 (VCH, Weinheim); 0-89573- 674-8 (VCH, New York). Sensors. A Comprehensive Survey. Volume 3. Chemical and Biochemical Sensors. Part II Edited by W. Gopel, J. Hesse, J. N. Zemel. Volume edited by W.Gopel, T. A. Jones, M. Kleitz, I. Lundstrom and T. Seiyama. Pp. xvii + 514. VCH. 1991. Single Volume Price DM380.00; f 147.00. (Subscription price DM31 5.00; f 122.00). ISBN 3-527-26769-7 (VCH, Weinheim); 0-89573- 675-6 (VCH, New York). These two volumes form part of a comprehensive series on sensors, which is to be published in eight volumes. The emphasis in these particular volumes is in the area of chemical sensors and biosensors, while other volumes in the series will deal with general aspects and fundamentals of sensors, and with physical (thermal, magnetic, optical and mechanical) sensors. The two volumes reviewed here have set out to produce a ‘core’ reference text on chemical and biological sensors, as well as providing an outer ‘shell’ describing the basic physical and chemical background underlying the sensing mechanisms, the technology needed to produce8N ANALYST.JANUARY 1993, VOL. 118 sensors or components, and recent applications. This has been acheived by arranging the two volumes in the following way. The first volume contains several introductory chapters dealing with definitions and historical remarks, before going on to deal with some basic physical chemistry aspects of sensors. The main body of the first volume, however, deals with specific aspects relating to potentiometric, amperome- tric, conductometric, electronic conductivity and capacitance, field effect, calorimetric, optochemical and mass-sensitive sensors. The second volume then begins with a chapter on biosensors before treating applications of sensors in areas such as environmental monitoring and control, biotechnology and clinical diagnostics.These volumes are therefore to be welcomed as a major contribution to the literature on chemical and biological sensors, and along with the other volumes in this series should be on the shelf of every library servicing scientists and technologists interested in this field of endeavour. Malcolm R. Smyth Spectral Atlas of Polycyclic Aromatic Compounds. Volume 3. Including Information on Aquatic Toxicity, Occurrence and Biological Activity Edited by W. Karcher, J. Devillers, Ph. Garrigues and J. Jacob; with contributions from R. Dumler, S. Ellison, J. Florestan and E. Gevers. Pp. 1157. Kluwer Academic. 1991. Price Df1440.00; f 148.00; US$241 .OO.ISBN 0-7923- 1464-6. This volume is the third in a series which make up a ‘Spectral Atlas of PAC’ and this volume contains spectral and other information on 59 compounds. These include 16 nitro derivatives of PAH, 6 oxygenated heterocyclic PAC, 15 sulfur-heterocyclic PAC, 14 methylated or dimethylated PAH and 8 metabolites. The spectra presented for each compound include UV-spectra, fluorescence and phosphorescence Shpol’skii spectra at 15 K, mass spectra (magnetic and quadrupole), NMR spectra (proton and carbon-13 spectra) and IR spectra (in solution and in KBr pellets and including some Fourier-transformed 1R spectra). In addition to the above data, a variety of other basic information is provided such as the chemical formulae, mass number, melting-point, purity, CAS registry and BCR reference material numbers.Of particular value to an environmental scientist such as myself is the physico-chemical data provided, which includes retention indices (HPLC), octanol-water partition coefficients, water solubility and capacity factors. The sub-title of the book refers to a collection of data and/or literature citations of the occurrence, biological activity (bacterial mutagenicity data from Ames tests and animal carcinogenity data) and aquatic toxicity data. In the latter case references relating to nearly 150 compounds are given though no actual data are provided. This book is not one to sit down and read from cover to cover, as despite its 1157 pages there is very little text (less than 20 pages), with information being provided as full page, annotated spectra and tables.With one notable exception, the coverage is remarkably complete and should be of use to many practising environmental scientists as a reference work and aid to identification as well as a guide to the relevant literature (over 1100 references are cited). Much of the information provided would otherwise be very difficult to find and to have it compiled in this volume is clearly very useful. Indexing is by compound and seems to be comprehensive; however, having had only this isolated volume for review I should also like to have seen some cross-referencing to the contents of the other volumes included. The one major gap in the coverage is a complete lack of gas chromatography related data, notably retention indices.This seems a curious omission given that GC-MS was used for the production of the mass spectral data and that GC is a major analytical technique in PAC analysis. To sum up, this is a long and expensive book which should not be considered for purchase in isolation of the other volumes in the series. Nevertheless, to workers in the field of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons it is a mine of information and clearly merits inclusion on library shelves. Martin R. Preslon Wilson and Wilson’s Comprehensive Analytical Chem- istry. Volume XXVII. Analytical Voltammetry Edited by G. Svehla; Volume edited by M. R. Smyth and J. G. Vos. Pp. xxv + 578. Elsevier. 1992. Price US$228.00; Df I .445.00. ISBN 0-444-88938-8. I am pleased to be able to recommend this volume on analytical voltammetry to postgraduate scientists in this field.This book is generally well-written, and provides a very large amount of information on analytical applications of vol tam- metry; it is a little weak on applications to natural waters. The chapters in this book were written by different authors, and the quality of the individual chapters varies somewhat. Especially good chapters are those on instrumentation, pharmaceutical applications, and applications to organic and organometallic species in the environment. It is surprising that such overviews can be made interesting reading by careful inclusion of many well-described examples. Similarly the chapter on biological molecules (immunoassays) is interesting and provides many examples, but the material appears to be less well-digested and is harder to read. A chapter on theory is aimed at the beginner and provides equations of electroanalytical or electrochemical importance without derivation. This chapter is unreadable, but references are provided for those who want to take it further. More theory is given in other chapters, notably in those on modified electrodes and biosensors. A chapter on inorganic species in the environment is somewhat weak; it is let down for instance by a review of rather dated methods to determine metal speciation in natural waters. The advice to store samples by freezing to eliminate losses of metals by adsorption on container walls is flawed and does not show familiarity with the topic of natural waters, nevertheless many interesting applications are given. Biolog- ical samples are also discussed in this chapter, but the important production of interferences as a result of sample digestion (and methods to deal with it) is not discussed. The area of sample treatment (very important in order to remove interferences) of biological and water samples is mentioned piecemeal in individual chapters; a thorough treatment is, however, lacking from this book. A chapter on modified electrodes is strong on mechanisms and theory, but comparatively weak on applications. The book ends with a chapter on the interesting topic of biosensors, which is still very much being developed. C. M . G. van den Berg