Biochemistry For Dummies E-Book

John T. Moore

• Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
• Kategorie: Fachliteratur
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 366

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2011

Beschreibung

Grasp biochemistry basics, apply the science, and ace your exams Are you baffled by biochemistry? If so here's the good news ? you don't have to stay that way! Biochemistry For Dummies shows you how to get a handle on biochemistry, apply the science, raise your grades, and prepare yourself to ace any standardized test. This friendly, unintimidating guide presents an overview of the material covered in a typical college-level biochemistry course and makes the subject easy to understand and accessible to everyone. From cell ultrastructure and carbohydrates to amino acids, proteins, and supramolecular structure, you'll identify biochemical structures and reactions, and send your grades soaring. * Newest biology, biochemistry, chemistry, and scientific discoveries * Updated examples and explanations * Incorporates the most current teaching techniques From water biochemistry to protein synthesis, Biochemistry For Dummies gives you the vital information, clear explanations, and important insights you need to increase your understanding and improve your performance on any biochemistry test.

Leseprobe

Biochemistry For Dummies®, 2nd Edition

Visit www.dummies.com/cheatsheet/biochemistry to view this book's cheat sheet.

Biochemistry For Dummies®, 2nd Edition

by John T. Moore, EdD, and Richard Langley, PhD

Biochemistry For Dummies®, 2nd Edition

Published byWiley Publishing, Inc.111 River St.Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774www.wiley.com

Copyright © 2011 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana

Published simultaneously in Canada

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Library of Congress Control Number: 2011930309

ISBN 978-1-118-02174-3 (pbk); ISBN 978-1-118-10395-1 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-118-10396-8 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-118-10397-5 (ebk)

Manufactured in the United States of America

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

About the Authors

John Moore grew up in the foothills of western North Carolina. He attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, where he received his bachelor’s degree in chemistry. He earned his master’s degree in chemistry from Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina. After a stint in the U.S. Army, he decided to try his hand at teaching. In 1971 he joined the chemistry faculty of Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas, where he still teaches chemistry. In 1985 he started back to school part time, and in 1991 he received his doctorate in education from Texas A&M University. He has been the co-editor (along with one of his former students) of the “Chemistry for Kids” feature of The Journal of Chemical Education. In 2003 his first book, Chemistry For Dummies (Wiley), was published, soon to be followed by Chemistry Made Simple (Broadway Books). John enjoys cooking and making custom knife handles from exotic woods.

Richard Langley grew up in southwestern Ohio. He attended Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, where he received bachelor’s degrees in chemistry and mineralogy and then a master’s degree in chemistry. His next stop was the University of Nebraska, where he received his doctorate in chemistry. Afterward, he took a postdoctoral position at Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona, followed by a visiting assistant professor position at the University of Wisconsin at River Falls. In 1982, he moved to Stephen F. Austin State University. For the past several years, he and John Moore have been graders for the free response portion of the AP Chemistry Exam. He and John have collaborated on several writing projects, including 5 Steps to a 5 on the AP: Chemistry (McGraw-Hill), Chemistry for the Utterly Confused (McGraw-Hill), and Organic Chemistry II For Dummies (Wiley). Rich enjoys jewelry making and science fiction.

Dedication

To my wife, Robin; sons, Matthew and Jason; my wonderful daughter-in-law, Sara; and the two most wonderful grandkids in the world, Zane and Sadie. I love you guys. — John

To my mother. — Rich

Authors’ Acknowledgments

We would not have had the opportunity to write this book without the encouragement of our agent, Grace Freedson. We would also like to thank Vicki Adang for her support and assistance on this project. Thanks to our colleague Michele Harris, who helped with suggestions and ideas. Thanks to Britney Cooper, who helped us with proofreading. We’re also grateful to our technical editors, Mary Peek and Sara O’Brien, for their comments and contributions. And many thanks to all the people at Wiley Publishing, who helped bring this project from concept to publication.

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Introduction

Welcome to the second edition of Biochemistry For Dummies! We’re certainly happy you’ve decided to delve into the fascinating world of biochemistry. Biochemistry is a complex area of chemistry, but understanding biochemistry isn’t really complex. It takes hard work, attention to detail, and the desire to know and to imagine. Biochemistry, like any area of chemistry, isn’t a spectator sport. You must interact with the material, try different explanations, and ask yourself why things happen the way they do.

Work hard and you’ll get through your biochem course. More important, you may grow to appreciate the symphony of chemical reactions that take place within a living organism, whether it’s a one-celled organism, a tree, or a person. Just as each individual instrument contributes to an orchestra, each chemical reaction in an organism is necessary, and sometimes its part is quite complex. However, when you combine all the instruments and each instrument functions well, the result can be a wonder to behold. If one or two instruments are a little out of tune or aren’t played well, the orchestra still functions, but things are a little off. The sound isn’t quite as beautiful or there’s a nagging sensation of something being wrong. The same is true of an organism. If all the reactions occur correctly at the right time, the organism functions well. If a reaction or a few reactions are off in some way, the organism may not function nearly as well. Genetic diseases, electrolyte imbalance, and other problems may cause the organism to falter. And what happens then? Biochemistry is often the field in which ways of restoring the organism to health are found and cures for many modern medical maladies are sought.