BIOCHEMISTRY . 4th edition

Abstract

Biochemistry is a field of enormous fascination and utility, arising, no doubt, from our own self-interest. Human welfare, particularly its medical and nutritional aspects, has been vastly improved by our rapidly growing understanding of biochemistry. Indeed, scarcely a day passes without the report of a biomedical discovery that benefits a significant portion of humanity. Further advances in this rapidly expanding field of knowledge will no doubt lead to even more spectacular gains in our ability to understand nature and to control our destinies.It is therefore essential that individuals embarking on a career in biomedical sciences be well versed in biochemistry. This textbook is a distillation of our experiences in teaching undergraduate and graduate students at the University of Pennsylvania and Swarthmore College and is intended to provide such students with a thorough grounding in biochemistry.We assume that students who use this textbook have had the equivalent of one year of college chemistry and sufficient organic chemistry so that they are familiar with basic principles and nomenclature.We also assume that students have taken a one-year college course in general biology in which elementary biochemical concepts were discussed. Students who lack these prerequisites are advised to consult the appropriate introductory textbooks in those subjects.