The tao of chemistry and life : a scientific journey / Eugene H. Cordes. — Oxford : Oxford University Press, c2009. – (58.173/C794)

Contents

    Contents
    
    1. Life: Unity out of diversity
    2. Life: Central properties
    3. Molecular structures based on carbon: The foundation for the molecules of life
    4. Building blocks and glue
    5. From methane to chemical communication
    6. Nitrogen and oxygen: Atmospheric elements
    7. More about oxygen-containing molecules
    8. Now for the rest of the elements in vitamin pills
    9. Proteins: An amazing collection of multifunctional properties
    10. Amino acids: The building blocks of proteins
    11. Proteins are three-dimensional objects
    12. Nucleotides are the building blocks of nucleic acids: The stuff of genes
    13. The central dogma of molecular biology and protein synthesis
    14. Genomes
    15. Vitamins: Molecules of life
    16. Carbohydrates: Sweetness and life
    17. Generating energy from catabolism
    18. Fatty acids: The building blocks of lipids
    19. Lipids: The greasy stuff of life
    20. Steroids: Sex and other good things
    21. Your brain: What it does and how it does it
    22. Your brain: Good things and not-good things
    23. Antibiotics: The never-ending war against infectious disease
    24. Cancer: What it is and what we can do about it
    25. Chemical communication
    Appendix: Some examples of explicit and condensed molecular structures
    Notes
    Glossary
    Index