Carbohydrates: The Essential Molecules of Life

This book provides the 'nuts and bolts' background for a successful study of carbohydrates - the essential molecules that not only give you energy, but are an integral part of many biological processes.
A question often asked is 'Why do carbohydrate chemistry?' The answer is simple: It is fundamental to a study of biology. Carbohydrates are the building blocks of life and enable biological processes to take place.
Therefore the book will provide a taste for the subject of glycobiology.
Covering the basics of carbohydrates and then the chemistry and reactions of carbohydrates this book will enable a chemist to gain essential knowledge that will enable them to move smoothly into the worlds of biochemistry, molecular biology and cell biology.
* includes perspective from new co-author Spencer Williams, who enhances coverage of the connection between carbohydrates and life
* describes the basic chemistry and biology of carbohydrates
* reviews the concepts, synthesis, reactions, and biology of carbohydrates

Robert Stick is a Queenslander by birth and completed his undergraduate and higher degrees at the University of Queensland. Following post-doctoral studies with Ray Lemieux and Sir Derek Barton, he took a faculty position at The University of Western Australia in 1975 and has since spent sabbatical leaves with Bert Fraser-Reid (Duke University), and with Bill Cullen and Steve Withers (both of the University of British Columbia).