Nitrogen and sulfur compounds are continuously synthetized, degraded and converted into other forms in nature. There are many similarities in the principle problems and basic mechanisms of the biology of inorganic nitrogen and sulfur. Many details are not yet understood and hence are the subject of active investigation the world over. In May, 1980, a conference was held in Bochum, Federal Republic of Germany, at which attempts were made to discuss and compare all aspects of both the nitrogen and the sulfur cycle. Lectures were given by internationally recognized experts on the physiology, biochemistry, genetics, and ecology of dinitrogen fIXation, of assimilatory and dissimilatory nitrate and sulfate reduction, and of ammonia and sulfide oxidation. In addition, important data were communicated by German scientists of the national program on the Metabolism of Inorganic Nitrogen and Sulfur Compounds, supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft. This book contains all the contributions to the meeting and consequently should be of interest to researchers, teachers, and students in the field. The members of the German national program on the Metabolism of Inorganic Nitrogen and Sulfur Compounds would like to thank the Deutsche F orschungsgemeinschaft for their generous fmancial support of the scientific projects during the past four years and for the conference itself. Without this help, the present book would not have been written. The members express their appreciation particularly to Dr. A. Hoffmann of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft for her invaluable skill and patience in taking care of the projects and scientists.

For many of us, these simple rewards are suf The purpose of this briefforeword is unchanged from the first edition; it is simply to make you, ficiently gratifying so that we have chosen to the reader, hungry for the scientific feast that spend our scientific lives studying these unusual follows. These four volumes on the prokaryotes creatures. In these endeavors many of the strat offer an expanded scientific menu that displays egies and tools as well as much of the philos the biochemical depth and remarkable physi ophy may be traced to the Delft School, passed ological and morphological diversity of prokar on to us by our teachers, Martinus Beijerinck, yote life. The size ofthe volumes might initially A. J. Kluyver, and C. B. van Niel, and in turn discourage the unprepared mind from being at passed on by us to our students. tracted to the study of prokaryote life, for this In this school, the principles of the selective, enrichment culture technique have been devel landmark assemblage thoroughly documents oped and diversified; they have been a major the wealth of present knowledge. But in con force in designing and applying new principles fronting the reader with the state of the art, the Handbook also defines where more work needs for the capture and isolation of microbes from to be done on well-studied bacteria as well as nature. For me, the "organism approach" has on unusual or poorly studied organisms. provided rewarding adventures.

There can be few elements with a biochemistry as coherent as that of sulfur. This important element is crucial to myriad aspects of metabo lism, catalysis, and structure. The plurality of functions in which sulfur is involved derives squarely from the numerous oxidation states in which it may exist, some having great stability, some being capable of ready redox interconversions, and yet others having great instability. As a result, the flux of sulfur from the geosphere through the various kingdoms of life leaves few biochemical processes unaffected. Although there are large gaps in the fabric of our basic knowledge of sulfur biochemistry, it is sufficiently framed to allow a unified and organized story, a story which many of the best-known names in bio chemistry have helped to write. It has been both a task and a privilege to try and summarize this story, one that is enormous, complex, fast moving, still developing and, above all, exciting. I suppose that no mo nographer of such a vast subject could be satisfied with his efforts. It is unfortunately probable that in attempting this task I have made as many errors as a Stilton cheese has blue streaks, and as many omissions as a Swiss cheese has holes. Perfection is not to be achieved in a monograph. Inasmuch as I have succeeded, the credit belongs to those whose efforts gave us the knowledge we have. Where I have failed, the fault is only mine.

Recent determination of genome sequences for a wide range of bacteria has made in-depth knowledge of prokaryotic metabolic function essential in order to give biochemical, physiological, and ecological meaning to the genomic information. Clearly describing the important metabolic processes that occur in prokaryotes under different conditions and in different environments, this advanced text provides an overview of the key cellular processes that determine bacterial roles in the environment, biotechnology, and human health. Prokaryotic structure is described as well as the means by which nutrients are transported into cells across membranes. Glucose metabolism through glycolysis and the TCA cycle are discussed, as well as other trophic variations found in prokaryotes, including the use of organic compounds, anaerobic fermentation, anaerobic respiratory processes, and photosynthesis. The regulation of metabolism through control of gene expression and control of the activity of enzymes is also covered, as well as survival mechanisms used under starvation conditions.

The first book bearing the title of this volume, Inorganic Plant Nutrition, was written by D. R. HOAGLAND of the University of California at Berkeley. As indicated by its extended title, Lectures on the Inorganic Nutrition of Plants, it is a collection of lectures - the JOHN M. PRATHER lectures, which he was invited in 1942 to give. at Harvard University and presented there between April 10 and 23 of that year - 41 years before the publication of the present volume. They were not "originally intended for publication" but fortunately HOAGLAND was persuaded to publish them; the book appeared in 1944. It might at first blush seem inappropriate to draw comparisons between a book embodying a set of lectures by a single author and an encyclopedic volume with no less than 37 contributors. But HOAGLAND'S book was a compre hensive account of the state of this science in his time, as the present volume is for ours. It was then still possible for one person, at least for a person of HOAGLAND'S intellectual breadth and catholicity of interests, to encompass many major areas of the entire field, from the soil substrate to the metabolic roles of nitrogen, potassium, and other nutrients, and from basic scientific topics to the application of plant nutritional research in solving problems encountered in the field.

First multi-year cumulation covers six years: 1965-70.

Practical Approaches to Biological Inorganic Chemistry, Second Edition, reviews the use of spectroscopic and related analytical techniques to investigate the complex structures and mechanisms of biological inorganic systems that contain metals. Each chapter presents an overview of the technique, including relevant theory, a clear explanation of what it is, how it works, and how the technique is actually used to evaluate biological structures. New chapters cover Raman Spectroscopy and Molecular Magnetochemistry, but all chapters have been updated to reflect the latest developments in discussed techniques. Practical examples, problems and many color figures are also included to illustrate key concepts. The book is designed for researchers and students who want to learn both the basics and more advanced aspects of key methods in biological inorganic chemistry. - Presents new chapters on Raman Spectroscopy and Molecular Magnetochemistry, as well as updated figures and content throughout - Includes color images throughout to enable easier visualization of molecular mechanisms and structures - Provides worked examples and problems to help illustrate and test the reader's understanding of each technique - Written by leading experts who use and teach the most important techniques used today to analyze complex biological structures