Bioseparations Engineering: Principles, Practice, and Economics

Michael R. LadischJohn Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York, NY760 pp., $105, 2001

Dr. Ladisch, with his experience in teaching and research,expands the principles of bioseparations that are applied tobioproducts at every scale of production. The thought pro-cess is complemented with examples of industrial practicethat simplify the comprehension of the material.

The book starts with a compelling introduction tobioseparations. Due to heat and pH sensitivity of biologi-cal molecules, bioseparation emerged as a necessity torecover, purify and concentrate biological products with-

out the use of the traditional unitoperations of the chemical indus-try. The author discusses thebioseparation methods in the textin the order of their use duringproduct recovery and purification.Chapters 2 through 4 emphasizeprimary and secondary stages ofproduct recovery. Sedimentation,centrifugation and filtration areintroduced as solid/liquid separa-tions that occur at a macroscopiclevel. The use of membranes

allows separations at a macromolecular or molecular lev-el, while solids obtained through precipitation, coagula-tions or crystallization require a solid/liquid separationprior to purification.The rest of the text emphasizes chro-matography (Chapters 5 through 9). After a detailedreview of the principles of liquid chromatography, itsscale-up from bench scale to process scale is discussedassuming that the governing mechanisms remain unaf-fected. A detailed discussion of the purification of bio-logical products using ion exchange, size exclusion (gelpermeation), reversed phase, hydrophobic interactionand affinity chromatography is presented in Chapter 8.The final chapter discusses how affinity chromatographyapplies molecular biology and combinatorial methods toseparations science.

The text, with its unique context and detailed structure,is a good first resource for both industrial and academicreaders. As a textbook, it integrates practical examplesand study problems that allow students to apply basic prin-ciples to industrial examples. As a reference, it addresses awide range of applications and scale-up problems.

Semsi Ensari, PhD, EngineerFermentation Scale-up and Production

Schering-Plough Research InstituteUnion, NJ

Measuring Mass: From Positive Rays to Proteins

Michael A. Grayson, editor Chemical Heritage FoundationPhiladelphia, PA160 pp., $35, 2002The American Society for Mass Spectrometry celebrat-ed the 50th anniversary of its Conference on Mass

Spectrometry and AlliedTopics by supporting the publi-cation of the book “MeasuringMass: From Positive Rays toProteins.” This well-writtentome describes the history andapplications of mass spectrom-etry. In mass spectrometry,instruments convert moleculesin a sample into ions and sepa-rate them according to theirmass. The resulting “finger-

print” can be used to determine the identity and concen-tration of a chemical compound.

The book begins by discussing the origins of massspectrometry, starting with John Dalton’s proposal ofatomic theory in 1803, Eugen Goldstein’s discovery ofpositively-charged “canal rays” (the “positive rays” ofthe book’s title) in 1886, and J. J. Thomson’s discoveryof the electron in 1897. Subsequent chapters discussapplications of the technology, including tracer use inmetabolism studies, development of vaccines anddrugs, terrestrial and extraterrestrial atmospheric analy-sis, and analysis of environmental pollutants. The finalchapter presents the history of and a promotion for thesociety. Along the bottom of each page are two paralleltimelines — one of important milestones in the historyof mass spectrometry, and the other of general worldhistory that places the milestones in context. Side boxescontain information of a more technical nature. Photosof key people and of the equipment are liberally sprin-kled throughout.

Although by its nature a specialized book, it shouldbe readable by anyone with an education in generalchemistry and physics. If you are looking for an opera-tional reference, this book is not for you. But, if youwant to know the history of this fascinating and versatileinstrument and a very basic overview of how the equip-ment works, then I recommend it.

Linda GarciaAssociate Engineer

Riverside County Flood Control and Water Conservation District

Riverside, CA

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