While there are many books available on methods of organic and biochemical analysis, the majority are either primarily concerned with the application of a particular technique (e.g. paper chromatography) or have been written for an audience of chemists or for biochemists work ing mainly with animaltissues. Thus, no simple guide to modern metho ds of plant analysis exists and the purpose of the present volume is to fill this gap. It is primarily intended for students in the plant sciences, who have a botanical or a general biological background. It should also be of value to students in biochemistry, pharmacognosy, food science and 'natural products' organic chemistry. Most books on chromatography, while admirably covering the needs of research workers, tend to overwhelm the student with long lists of solvent systems and spray reagents that can be applied to each class of organic constituent. The intention here is to simplify the situation by listing only a few specially recommended techniques that have wide currency in phytochemical laboratories. Sufficient details are provided to allow the student to use the techniques for themselves and most sections contain some introductory practical experiments which can be used in classwork.

Modern Methods of Plant Analysis When the handbook Modern Methods of Plant Analysis was first introduced in 1954 the considerations were: 1. the dependence of scientific progress in biology on the improvement of existing and the introduction of new methods; 2. the difficulty in finding many new analytical methods in specialized journals which are normally not accessible to experimental plant biologists; 3. the fact that in the methods sections of papers the description of methods is frequently so compact, or even sometimes so incomplete that it is difficult to reproduce experiments. These considerations still stand today. The series was highly successful, seven volumes appearing between 1956 and 1964. Since there is still today a demand for the old series, the publisher has decided to resume publication of Modern Methods of Plant Analysis. It is hoped that the New Series will be just as acceptable to those working in plant sciences and related fields as the early volumes undoubtedly were. It is difficult to single out the major reasons for success of any publication, but we believe that the methods published in the first series were up-to-date at the time and presented in a way that made description, as applied to plant material, complete in itself with little need to consult other publications. Contributing authors have attempted to follow these guidelines in this New Series of volumes.

123 phase and hence have no direct bearing on the retention time of solutes. However in gas-solid chromatography, a considerable quantity of the mobile phase may be adsorbed on the surface of the stationary adsorbent which diminishes the column's effective length and ability to retain solutes. In this respect helium has been found to be preferable to most other gases (GREENE and Roy, 1957) because it is adsorbed to the least extent. 3. Packed columns offer a considerable resistance to flow, which may create a pressure differential between inlet and outlet of sufficient magnitude to cause an unfavorable flow rate through a significant length of the column. A reduced inlet/outlet pressure ratio can be obtained by using light molecular weight gases toward which the column packing shows the greatest permeability. The flow rate of the mobile phase is normally adjusted by altering the column inlet pressure, for which purpose commercial pressure regulators of sufficient accuracy are available. Quantitative measurements of the flow rate can be made by a number of methods, including rotameters, orifice meters, soapfilm flow meters and displacement of water. The former two methods are the most con venient but the least accurate; moreover they create a back pressure and are temperature dependent whereas although the moving soap bubble is cumbersome to employ and unusable for continuous readings, it is preferred when the highest accuracy is required.

Analytical Methods for Pesticides and Plant Growth Regulators, Volume XIV: Modern Analytical Techniques covers an updated treatment of the most frequently used techniques for pesticide analysis, i.e., thin-layer chromatography, gas chromatography (packed and capillary columns), high-performance liquid chromatography, and mass spectrometry. People involved in the analysis of pesticides will find the book useful.

Modern Methods of Steroid Analysis reviews modern methods of steroid analysis such as liquid column chromatography, mass spectrometry, and gas chromatography. Topics covered include qualitative and quantitative analysis of plant sterols by gas-liquid chromatography; Raman spectroscopy of steroids; nuclear magnetic resonance; and applications of lanthanide shift reagents. A computerized method for rapid comparison and retrieval of infrared spectral data is also described. This volume is comprised of 22 chapters and begins with an analysis of hormonal steroids using liquid column chromatography, followed by a discussion on the separation of insect molting hormones using high-pressure liquid chromatography. The reader is methodically introduced to the application of gradient elution and thin-layer chromatography to the analysis of corticosteroids and 17-ketosteroids, as well as some aspects of mass spectrometry in steroid analysis. Subsequent chapters explore other methods such as optical rotatory dispersion and circular dichroism, along with radioisotope techniques. In particular, the radioimmunoassay of plasma steroid hormones and plasma aldosterone is considered. This book should be of interest to biochemists.

The Handbook of Reference Methods for Plant Analysis is an outstanding resource of plant analysis procedures, outlined in easy-to-follow steps and laboratory-ready for implementation. Plant laboratory preparation methods such as dry ashing and acid and microwave digestion are discussed in detail. Extraction techniques for analysis of readily soluble elements (petiole analysis) and quick test kits for field testing are also presented. This handbook consolidates proven, time tested methods in one convenient source. Plant scientists in production agriculture, forestry, horticulture, environmental sciences, and other related disciplines will find the Handbook a standard laboratory reference. The Handbook was written for the Soil and Plant Analysis Council, Inc., of which the editor is a board member. The council aims to promote uniform soil test and plant analysis methods, use, interpretation, and terminology; and to stimulate research on the calibration and use of soil testing and plant analysis. This reference will help readers reach these important goals in their own research.