Mass Spectrometry A Foundation Course

Mass Spectrometry: A Foundation Course is a textbook covering the field of mass spectrometry across the chemical, physical, biological, medical and environmental sciences. Sufficient depth is provided for the reader to appreciate the reasons behind and basis for particular experiments. It is uniquely and logically organised to enable the book to form the basis for a university course in mass spectrometry at the undergraduate or postgraduate level. This is achieved by combining specific core sections coupled to optional areas of study tailored to students of the chemical, physical, biological, medical and environmental sciences. Recommended course structures are provided in the front of the book. Dedicated chapters are included on: organic mass spectrometry; ion chemistry - to emphasise the role of mass spectrometry in fundamental chemistry and physics; biological mass spectrometry including proteomics; mass spectrometry in medicine, environmental and surface science and accelerator mass spectrometry, to emphasise the importance of these areas. Each chapter concludes with key references and additional recommended reading material, making the book an excellent springboard to further study. Highly readable, easy-to-use and logically presented, Mass Spectrometry: A Foundation Course is an ideal text for students and for those who work with mass spectrometers who wish to gain a solid understanding of the basics in modern mass spectrometry. "From the reviews:" " Although I am not a fan or either "eras" or "omes" you hear all the time that we now live in the era of the proteome. Setting aside the issues of what constitutes proteomics (after all people have been sequencing proteins and studying their structure for a few years now?? ), and whether the regular appearance of reports of another organisms genome sequence prevents you from saying that we are in the post-genomic era, it is clear that the analysis of large numbers of complex protein mixtures is just about in all of our reach. This is going to be a very important way to look for molecular markers and targets in the battle against cancer. The bedrock of proteomic analysis is mass spectrometry, which allows you to accurately measure the mass of molecules. In proteomics this can mean studying the mass of intact proteins, which can give you a clue as to their identity, and help you rapidly identify modifications. It can also mean busting the protein into many component fragments and measuring their mass, which can lead to protein identification via clever algorithms that compare measured fragment sizes to predicted ones using the genome databases. One sign that this technology is about to become widely distributed is the appearance of relatively small softcover textbooks for beginners. These represent a reasonable first step towards initiation in this area, for those of us who left school a few years ago. There are two recent ones that I have read that I found to be particularly useful. The first is Mass Spectrometry: A Foundation Course by Kevin Downard of Sydney, Australia. This book covers many aspects of the field in under 200 pages, and has a handy guide to what sections are useful to individuals from different disciplines. It starts with history and concepts, and then devotes a significant amount of space to the instrumentation. This is very useful to anyone who has been to a mass spectrometry meeting and trade show or even browsed the relevant companies websites. Dr. Downard covers the basics of how each variant works, and what it is best suited for, and includes discussion of single and tandem instruments. By the end you'll be able to raise your eyebrows appreciatively the next time a salesman fires an acronym and figure at you (or at least you'll know where to look it up once you have reached a safe distance). The second half of the book looks at