Short items

Transition metals in the synthesis of complex organic molecules

Louis S Hegedus and Bjorn C G Soderberg
Sausalito, US: University Science Books 2009 | 459pp | £45.99 (HB)
ISBN 9781891389597 

This revised and expanded third edition gives a clear and systematic introduction to the formation, manipulation and reactivity of organometallic complexes. After an introduction to organic reaction mechanisms, the book consists of individual chapters on the various classes of transition metal complexes used in organic synthesis. These include transition metal hydrides, carbonyl complexes and carbene complexes. 

Asymmetric synthesis and application of α–amino acids

Vadim A Soloshonok and Kunisuke Izawa (eds)
Washington, US: American Chemical Society (distributed by Oxford University Press) 2009 | 490pp | £112.50(HB)
ISBN 9780841269743 

This book includes sections on stoichiometric, catalytic and enzymatic approaches for the preparation of enantiomerically pure  a -amino acids. It ends with a section on the application of enantiomerically pure  a -amino acids in the total synthesis of complex natural products and peptides. 

High-field EPR spectroscopy on proteins and their model systems 

Klaus Möbius and Anton Savitsky
Cambridge, UK: RSC Publishing 2009 | 375pp | £79.95 (HB)
ISBN 9780854043682 

This book offers a boad overview of experimental techniques in, and paradigmatic examples of, the application of high-field electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy in biology and chemistry. The focus is on the use of the technique in conjunction with site-specific mutation strategies and advanced quantum-chemical computation methods to reveal protein structure and dynamics.