Wolfgang Koester and H. P. van Leeuwen (Editors)
John Wiley & Sons, 2004
[ISBN 0-471-49845-9]
The IUPAC Series on Analytical and Physical Chemistry of Environmental
Systems provides a critical evaluation of the state-of-the-art on physicochemical
properties and processes in environmental systems, as well as on the
analytical techniques required to study and monitor them. The series
is aimed at promoting rigorous analysis and understanding of physicochemical
functioning of environmental and bioenvironmental systems.
The effects and fate of organic and inorganic materials in environmental
systems are determined by their distribution and transport within and
between biotic and abiotic reservoirs. Development of mechanistic models
to describe these processes requires an integrated approach with functional
links between the various modes of transport of bioactive chemical species
and the biophysical processes to which they are subjected. Until now,
much of the key knowledge in this area has been dispersed over several
rather poorly interacting disciplines. This timely book integrates these
activities and highlights key directions for future research.
The book focuses on the physicochemical kinetics of processes in the
interphasial region between organisms and their external medium, and
coupling of these processes with the mass transfer of the chemical species
involved. Specialized subtopics encompass:
- structure and permeative properties of biomembranes and their aqueous
interfacial layers,
- diffusive and convective processes at the biointerface,
- routes for transport of chemical compounds across membranes,
- biological chemistry of organisms as relevant for e.g. the mobilization
of essential chemicals in the medium.
Physicochemical Kinetics and Transport at Biointerfaces will be a valuable
resource for researchers and students interested in understanding the
fundamentals of chemical kinetics and transport processes in bioenvironmental
systems. The content is required reading for chemists, physicists and
biologists in environmentally oriented disciplines.