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With contributions by numerous experts

This monograph consists of the proceedings of the Fifth International Symposium on the Activation of Dioxygen and Homogeneous Catalytic Oxidation, held in College Station, Texas, March 14-19, 1993. It contains an introductory chapter authored by Professors D. H. R. Barton and D. T. Sawyer, and twenty-nine chapters describing presentations by the plenary lecturers and invited speakers. One of the invited speakers, who could not submit a manuscript for reasons beyond his control, is represented by an abstract of his lecture. Also included are abstracts of forty-seven posters contributed by participants in the symposium. Readers who may wish to know more about the subjects presented in abstract form are invited to communicate directly with the authors of the abstracts. This is the fifth international symposium that has been held on this subject. The first was hosted by the CNRS, May 21-29, 1979, in Bendor, France (on the Island of Bandol). The second meeting was organized as a NATO workshop in Padova, Italy, June 24-27, 1984. This was followed by a meeting in Tsukuba, Japan, July 12-16, 1987. The fourth symposium was held at Balatonfured, Hungary, September 10-14, 1990. The sixth meeting is scheduled to take place in Delft, The Netherlands (late Spring, 1996); the organizer and host will be Professor R. A. Sheldon.

This inter-disciplinary guide to the thermodynamics of living organisms has been thoroughly revised and updated to provide a uniquely integrated overview of the subject. Retaining its highly readable style, it will serve as an introduction to the study of energy transformation in the life sciences and particularly as an accessible means for biology, biochemistry and bioengineering undergraduate students to acquaint themselves with the physical dimension of their subject. The emphasis throughout the text is on understanding basic concepts and developing problem-solving skills. The mathematical difficulty increases gradually by chapter, but no calculus is required. Topics covered include energy and its transformation, the First Law of Thermodynamics, Gibbs free energy, statistical thermodynamics, binding equilibria and reaction kinetics. Each chapter comprises numerous illustrative examples taken from different areas of biochemistry, as well as a broad range of exercises and references for further study.

Biological Thermodynamics provides an introduction to the study of energy transformations for students of the biological sciences. Don Haynie uses an informal writing style to introduce this core subject in a manner which will appeal to biology and biochemistry undergraduate students and be relevant to their studies. The emphasis is on understanding basic concepts and developing problem-solving skills throughout the text, but mathematical complexity is kept to a minimum. Each chapter comprises numerous examples taken from different areas of biochemistry, as well as extensive exercises to aid understanding. Topics covered include energy and its transformation, the First Law of Thermodynamics, the Second Law of Thermodynamics, Gibbs Free Energy, statistical thermodynamics, binding equilibria and reaction kinetics, concluding with a survey of the most exciting areas of biological thermodynamics today, particularly the origin of life on Earth.