chemistry

Textbook of Biochemistry

Textbook of Biochemistry is a chemistry topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Textbook of Biochemistry rather than just read about it. In short: Textbook of Biochemistry, first published in 1928, is scientific textbook authored by Alexander Thomas Cameron. The textbook became a standard of its field, and, by 1948, had gone through six editions, in addition to one Chinese and two Spanish editions.

Key takeaways

Textbook of Biochemistry belongs to chemistry; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Textbook of Biochemistry to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Textbook of Biochemistry from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Textbook of Biochemistry, first published in 1928, is scientific textbook authored by Alexander Thomas Cameron. The textbook became a standard of its field, and, by 1948, had gone through six editions, in addition to one Chinese and two Spanish editions.

Publication Textbook of Biochemistry consists entirely of lecture manuscripts given by the author, Alexander Thomas Cameron, over several years. Cameron had lectured at the University of Manitoba since 1909, but was never a fluent speaker. To compensate for this, he would write out his lectures in full. Cameron was encouraged by students and friends to submit his lecture manuscripts for publication. The textbook's first edition was published with a preface by Swale Vincent, Professor of Physiology at the University of London.

Structure Textbook of Biochemistry is divided into the following chapters:

Introduction Introduction to the concept of biochemistry, and a review of catalytic reactions and pH.

Food-Stuffs, Their Derivatives and Related Substances. Ideas regarding carbohydrates, lipids, and proteins.

The Chemistry of Digestion, the Circulation, and the Excreto. The importance of bacterial and chemical activity in organisms.

Intermediate Metabolism The chemistry of tissues, intracellular synthesis, products of metabolism, and vitamins.

The Chemistry of Reproduction; The Chemical Controlling Agencies of the Organism. The agents governing metabolic processes.

Quantitative Metabolism. Addenda. A review of the present status of immunological biochemistry, and applications of biochemistry in industry.

Reception Treat B. Johnson, writing for the Journal of Chemical Education, acknowledged the difficulty of concisely covering the rapidly growing field of biochemistry, but concluded that Cameron has "done quite well." He described Textbook of Biochemistry as "not a book that follows the ordinary logical procedure usually associated with such texts," and complements Cameron on a "dogmatic treatment which is really stimulating." The British Medical Journal also gave a favourable review, writing that "the busy medical student will find this book a concise account of the facts with which he is expected to become familiar." However, it also observed that the book contains several statements that are "definitely not in agreement with the facts as at present known." The reviewer contradicts, for example, the book's assertions that urinal ammonia is formed in the kidneys from urea, and that pepsin does not attack the CO-NH links in proteins. Textbook of Biochemistry, being the first concise and authoritative work in its field, became a standard text. By 1948, it had gone through six editions, in addition to one Chinese and two Spanish editions.

References

External links Full text of A Textbook of Biochemistry (1st edition) at Internet Archive

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Textbook of Biochemistry

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Textbook of Biochemistry claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In chemistry, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Textbook of Biochemistry before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Textbook of Biochemistry ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Textbook of Biochemistry

In research: Textbook of Biochemistry appears in chemistry research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Textbook of Biochemistry in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Textbook of Biochemistry is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1928 in biology, 1928 non-fiction books, Biochemistry textbooks, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Textbook of Biochemistry outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Textbook of Biochemistry in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Textbook of Biochemistry means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Textbook of Biochemistry out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Textbook of Biochemistry in simple terms?

Why does Textbook of Biochemistry matter?

Because it connects several chemistry ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Textbook of Biochemistry?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Textbook of Biochemistry.