Handbook of Thin-Layer Chromatography (3rd Edition, Revised and Expanded) (Sherma, J., and Fried, B. (eds.), Marcel Dekker, New York-Basel, 2003, 1016 p., $250)

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This book includes a large amount of material on theory and practice of thin-layer chromatography and its use in various research directions. Like the previous edition, this handbook consists in two main sections. The first section deals with principles of thin-layer chromatography and its application in combination with other methods (e.g., mass-spectrometry). The second section of this book considers data on use of thin-layer chromatography for separation and qualitative and quantitative analysis of various substances: amino acids and their derivatives, antibiotics, carbohydrates, plant-derived medical drugs, lipids, peptides and proteins, steroids, and other compounds.

A practical approach is a characteristic feature of this book, which represents a good guide for selection of chamber types, sorbents, solvents, dyes, and equipment for quantitative evaluation of compounds separated during a thin-layer chromatography session.

The book is well illustrated with many photos, tables, and figures that will help readers to get comprehensive information on various problems related to thin-layer chromatography. Each chapter contains a bibliography, and the book is supplemented by an alphabetic list and a directory with addresses and websites of companies producing equipment for thin-layer chromatography.

I am sure that this book will be useful for chemists, biochemists, biotechnologists, pharmacologists, toxicologists, and also for teachers and their students specializing in the above-mentioned areas.

Doctor of Biological Sciences

G. Ya. Wiederschain

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