This book is one of a series of brief fundamental texts for junior under­ graduates and diploma students in biological science. The series, Molecular and CellBiochemistry, coversthewholeofmodernbiochemistry, integrating animal, plantand microbial topics. The intention is to give the series special appeal to the many students who read biochemistry for only part of their course and who are looking for an all-encompassing and stimulating approach. Althoughallbooksintheseriesbearadistinctfamilylikeness,each standson itsownasan independent text. Many students, particularly those with less numerate backgrounds, find elements of their biochemistry courses daunting, and one of our principal concerns is to offer books which present the facts in a palatable style. Each chapteris prefaced bya listoflearningobjectives, with shortsummariesand revision aids at the ends of chapters. The text itself is informal, and the incorporation of marginal notes and information boxes to accompany the main text give a tutorial flavour, complementing and supporting the main narrative. The marginal notes and boxes relate facts in the text to applicable examplesineverydaylife, in industry, inotherlife sciencesandin medicine, and provide a variety of other educational devices to assist, support, and reinforce learning. References are annotated to guide students towards effectiveand relevantadditional reading. Althoughstudentsmust startbylearningthe basicvocabularyofasubject, itismoreimportantsubsequentlytopromoteunderstandingandtheabilityto solve problems than to presentthe facts alone. The provision ofimaginative problems, examples, short-answer questions and other exercises are designed toencourage sucha problem-solvingattitude.