Molecular Modeling: Basic Principles and Applications

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Written by experienced experts in the field, this book describes the basics to the extent necessary for reliably judging the results from molecular modeling calculations.
Without unnecessary overhead, it leads readers from simple calculations on small molecules to the modeling of proteins and other relevant biomolecules. Beginners are guided through their first modeling experiment, while routine users of modeling software are provided with invaluable troubleshooting hints. A unique resource for students, researchers and lecturers, now available in this all-new, enlarged edition.

"If the currently popular 'Dummies' series of computer books were to publish a volume on molecular modeling this would be it" (Journal of the American Chemical Society)

"The book is well written and assumes no prior knowledge of molecular biology, statistical mechanics, or quantum chemistry. The authors provide practical hints for the application of the majority of available programs in computational chemistry" (Computers in Physics)

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Accelrys advertisement.......2007-01-17

This book describes what is essentially docking calculations in the context of the Accerlys software. The text is very qualitative and does not provide enough instruction to do any "molecular modeling". It seems to be more guidlines for various software packages sold by Accerlys.

Experiments in Basic Chemistry, 4th Edition

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Experiments in Basic Chemistry, 4th Edition
Steven Murov , and Brian Stedjee
Manufacturer: John Wiley & Sons Inc
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Binding: Paperback

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This outstanding lab book uses an exploratory approach which encourages students to inquire and discover concepts as they experiment. The interesting and challenging experiments have been selected to maximize educational impact while minimizing hazards and cost. In this edition the "Prelaboratory Exercises" have been extensively expanded and printed on isolated pages so that they can be torn out and handed in without disturbing the "Procedure" section. Numerous new questions have been added to provide a much stronger connection between the lecture and lab portions of the course. A new feature, "Chemical Capsules," presents provocative subjects to stimulate interest and discussion.

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Basic Chemistry: Laboratory Experiments
Charles H. Corwin , G. William Daub , and William S. Seese
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ASIN: 0133785068

Laboratory Experiments For Basic Chemistry

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Laboratory Experiments For Basic Chemistry
Sharon J. Sherman , and Alan Sherman
Manufacturer: Houghton Mifflin Company
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Fundamentals of General, Organic, and Biological Chemistry

ASIN: 0395740398

Book Description

Designed especially for students who have little or no background in chemistry or mathematics, Essential Concepts of Chemistry makes complex concepts understandable. This text provides an inexpensive, one-color alternative for introductory chemistry courses for nonmajors and preparatory chemistry courses. Its solid coverage and student-friendly pedagogy is complemented by its emphasis on the everyday applications of chemistry.

The Basics of Theoretical and Computational Chemistry

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Too many fundamental errors to be worth considering.

The Basics of Theoretical and Computational Chemistry
Bernd Michael Rode , Thomas S. Hofer , and Michael D. Kugler
Manufacturer: Wiley-VCH
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Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 3527317732

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This textbook does away with the classic, unimaginative approach and comes straight to the point with a bare minimum of mathematics—emphasizing the understanding of concepts rather than presenting endless strings of formulae. It nonetheless covers all important aspects of computational chemistry, such as

vector space theory
quantum mechanics
approximation methods
theoretical models
and computational methods

Throughout the chapters, mathematics are differentiated by necessity for understanding - fundamental formulae, and all the others. All formulae are explained step by step without omission, but the non-vital ones are marked and can be skipped by those who do not relish complex mathematics.

The reader will find the text a lucid and innovative introduction to theoretical and computational chemistry, with food for thought given at the end of each chapter in the shape of several questions that help develop understanding of the concepts.

What the reader will not find in this book are condescending sentences such as, 'From (formula A) and (formula M) it is obvious that (formula Z).'

Customer Reviews:

Too many fundamental errors to be worth considering........2007-06-22

While the stated goal of a treatment of theoretical and computational chemistry without irrelevant mathematical details is admirable, this book falls far short of its ambitious goals.

The thinness of the book, rather than evidence of concise exposition, leaves much to be desired in its selection of what mathematical details are omitted and what is left in. It is far too simplistic to the point of misleading, Even many of the pictures, while certainly colorful, are often banal and unproductive (Figure 4.1 is a prime example of a complete waste of ink).

The book is unfortunately also rife with glaring mistakes. One particular egregious example is the use of the term 'molecular dynamics' wherever 'molecular mechanics' is meant, resulting in incorrect conflation of these concepts. Poor notation which fails to distinguish between states as kets vs. their position-space representations gets the authors into trouble, especially when writing expressions involving gradients, or worse, using kets in their exposition of molecular mechanics! Another fundamental error is the explicit use of a time operator when discussing energy-time uncertainty, which is wrong since energy-time uncertainty does *not* follow from the usual operator commutator relationships such as the one used to demonstrate position-momentum uncertainty (as explained in A. Peres's book and many others).

In conclusion, save your money and get another book. It is too full of errors, frivolous details and misleading 'derivations' to be worth serious attention.

Basic Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy: A Modern Introduction

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Basic Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy: A Modern Introduction

Manufacturer: Varian Techtron
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Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 0959826106

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Chapters include: Basic Theory, Flame Atomization, Non-flame atomization, Atomic Absorption Instruments, Optical Systems, Light Sources, Monochromators, Detectors, Readout Systems, Quantitative Analysis, Practical Laboratory Experiments

Basic chemistry experiments: How to set up a home laboratory; over 100 simple experiments

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Basic chemistry experiments: How to set up a home laboratory; over 100 simple experiments
Robert Brent
Manufacturer: Golden Press
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Binding: Unknown Binding

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ASIN: B0007FBVQ0

Basic Experimental Chemistry: A Laboratory Manual for Beginning Students

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Basic Experimental Chemistry: A Laboratory Manual for Beginning Students
C. B. Anderson
Manufacturer: Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company
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Laboratory Experiments For Basic Chemistry, Second Edition

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Laboratory Experiments For Basic Chemistry, Second Edition
Sharon Sherman, Leonard Russikoff Alan Sherman
Manufacturer: Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston
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ASIN: 0395281555

Laboratory Experiments for Basic Concepts of Chemistry

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Laboratory Experiments for Basic Concepts of Chemistry
Alan Sherman , and Sharon J. Sherman
Manufacturer: Houghton Mifflin College Div
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From Bishop Wilberforce in the 1860s to the advocates of "creation science" today, defenders of traditional mores have condemned Darwin's theory of evolution as a threat to society's values. Darwin's defenders, like Stephen Jay Gould, have usually replied that there is no conflict between science and religion--that values and biological facts occupy separate realms. But as James Rachels points out in this thought-provoking study, Darwin himself would disagree with Gould. Darwin, who had once planned on being a clergyman, was convinced that natural selection overthrew our age-old religious beliefs. Created from Animals offers a provocative look at how Darwinian evolution undermines many tenets of traditional philosophy and religion. James Rachels begins by examining Darwin's own life and work, presenting an astonishingly vivid and compressed biography. We see Darwin's studies of the psychological links in evolution (such as emotions in dogs, and the "mental powers" of worms), and how he addressed the moral implications of his work, especially in his concern for the welfare of animals. Rachels goes on to present a lively and accessible survey of the controversies that followed in Darwin's wake, ranging from Herbert Spencer's Social Darwinism to Edward O. Wilson's sociobiology, and discusses how the work of such influential intellects as Descartes, Hume, Kant, T.H. Huxley, Henri Bergson, B.F. Skinner, and Stephen Jay Gould has contributed to--or been overthrown by--evolutionary science. Western philosophy and religion, Rachels argues, have been shaken by the implications of Darwin's work, most notably the controversial idea that humans are simply a more complex kind of animal. Rachels assesses a number of studies that suggest how closely humans are linked to other primates in behavior, and then goes on to show how this idea undercuts the work of many prominent philosophers. Kant's famous argument that suicide reduces one to the level of an animal, for instance, is meaningless if humans are, in fact, animals. Indeed, humanity's membership in the animal kingdom calls into question the classic notions of human dignity and the sacredness of human life. What we need now, Rachels contends, is a philosophy that does not discriminate between different species, one that addresses each being on an individual basis. With this sweeping survey of the arguments, the philosophers, and the deep implications surrounding Darwinism, Rachels lays the foundations for a new view of morality. Vibrantly written and provocatively argued, Created from Animals offers a new perspective on issues ranging from suicide to euthanasia to animal rights.

Customer Reviews:

Back to square one.......2004-11-17

This is a deeply confused book. The author's intention is to assemble an animal liberation friendly moral philosophy using Darwinian evolution as a platform and Darwin's interpretation of moral sentiment as a guide to drawing out implications not actually present in the Great Man's writings. His is a commendable effort from which much may be learned, but alas he's on Mission Impossible: an evolution platform, whose core teaching is survival of the fittest in the midst of extinction carnage, replaces morality by the brutal doctrine that might makes right.

Rachels is aware of this liability. He correctly observes that moral philosophers have largely by-passed Darwinism, or, when they did take note, contrived philosophical arguments to dismiss it (the classic case being G E Moore's proclamation of the `naturalistic fallacy'). This they do because the struggle for existence slaughterhouse, which devalues our species' privileged position by reducing it to animal existence of no intrinsic value, dissipates the sense of the sacred. Rachels accepts that Darwinism indeed cancels the sense of human life's sanctity (called `speciesism'), but would use it positively as an opening to morally valuing all animal life according to its merits. (This is the signature animal lib teaching that human life, in some conditions, is of less value, or of no value, than animal life in contrasting conditions). But what value other than valorization of armed survival can be salvaged? Rachels would extricate himself from this predicament by fancy footwork that offloads social Darwinism to the hapless Herbert Spencer while leaving Darwin untouched (pp. 63f) Alas, the feint will work only you don't know Darwin's colorful social Darwinist pronouncements. Here are a few:

** `There is one general law [natural selection] leading to the advancement of all organic beings, namely, multiply, vary, let the strongest live and the weakest die'.

** `The advance of civilization depends on the struggle for existence severe to an extreme degree'.

** `The inhabitants of each successive period in the world's history have beaten their predecessors in the race for life, and are, in so far, higher in the scale of nature'.

** `The more civilized Causasian races have beaten the Turkish hollow in the struggle for existence. Looking to the world in no more distant date, what an endless number of lower races will have been eliminated by the higher civilized races throughout the world.'

** 'At some future period ... the civilized races will almost certainly exterminate, and replace, the savage races throughout the world. ... The break between man and his nearest allies will then be wider, for it will intervene between man in a more civilized state, as we may hope, even than the Caucasian, and some ape as low as a baboon, instead of as now between the Negro or Australian [Aborigine] and the gorilla'.

I have found that when students are introduced to these statements, they recognize them straight away as patriotic promos for Her Britannic Majesty's colonial dominions and superpower dominance in Europe. No Ifs, Ands, or Buts. They justify shooting savages, not liberating animals. Indeed, the distance between Homo sapiens and the highest apes will increase because those intervening creatures, the `lower races', will be eliminated.

This is sufficient to show that the author's mission is impossible, but let me touch on another point. Rachels tours Darwin's most extensive discussion of morality, in the Descent of Man, to consolidate his argument that our kinship with animals, from whom we differ only in degree, opens the path to animal liberation and euthanasia for humans of no value. The ground is the theory of moral sentiment and its key moral phenomenon, instinctive sympathy with kindred creatures. Rachels notes, rightly, Darwin's personal sympathy with animals and his strong reprobation of animal cruelty. This he contrasts, rightly, with the sovereign moral dignity of the human species in Immanuel Kant's moral philosophy. But Darwin cuts the ground from under this line of argument by declaring himself a Kantian! Here's what he says:

After stating that the moral sense is man's noblest trait, he quotes with approval Kant's evocation: `Duty! Wonderous thought, that workest neither by fond insinuation, flattery, nor by any threat, but merely by holding up thy naked law in the soul, and so extorting for thyself always reverence...before whom all appetites are dumb...whence they original?' A few pages later he says that the moral person `may say, I am the supreme judge of my own conduct, and in the words of Kant, I will not in my own person violate the dignity of humanity'. Shortly thereafter he commends his interpretation of the social instincts as removing the reproach `of laying the foundation of the most noble part of our nature in the base principle of selfishness'. And the coup de grace to Rachels' interpretation is Darwin's express assertion of a difference in kind between our species and animals, for `we have no reason to suppose that any of the lower animals have [the moral faculty]'. Just as Rachels fails to note Darwin's social Darwinism, so he fails to note his Kantianism. Goodbye animal liberation.

This establishes my contention that Rachels' book is confused, but now readers might protest that Darwin was even more confused. How could he put his panegyrics to duty side-by-side with warm endorsement of murderous competition with `inferior races' and inferior social classes? To contemporary sensibility it is outrageous. I have no answer to this question, at least not one that can be briefly stated. I'll leave it at a hint. This inconsistency isn't unique. Nearly all of his major evolutionary theses are similarly afflicted. Which is one reason why the career of Darwinism is marked by fierce battles among his disciples about the true meaning of the doctrine.

Darwin Sycophant.......2004-04-16

The first part of this book is primarily a brief Darwin biography. From there the author proceeds to delve into deeper questions regarding morality, ethics, sociobiological ethics and the sacredness of human life.
The main thesis of this work is that 'Darwinism leads inevitably to the abandonment of the idea of human dignity and the substitution of a different sort of ethic.' In other words in former times our culture had a "traditionalist ethic". This states that God is the head honcho, created humans and other animals, endowed man with superior abilities and that animals are the subject of man who for the most part can choose to do whatever he wants to with animals. Rachels' point is that this ethic has been usurped by a Darwinian ethic which states that man and his capacities are no different than animals even if man has a superior level of rationality. In Rachels' view this is how we should look at the world 'post-Darwinian'. The idea that man is above and beyond animals is now moot since we are all related. This is an interesting point but regardless of whether you believe in God or Darwin's notion one still cannot escape that fact that man is significantly different from animals owing to his rational abilities. It's not just a minor difference, but rather a major difference. This is why man has certain standards of morality that you would never ascribe to animals. This is why it's okay for mankind to subject animals to his whims a bit as long as he's compassionate. The whole idea of evolution seems to show that we (or whoever objectively) value what has the greatest quality of life on an evolutionary scale. Therefore, man comes before monkeys and monkeys come before worms in order of importance. A rather simple concept. Rachels doesn't drive this point home convincingly enough but seems to continually harp upon the similarities of man and animals. Rachels is an advocate of moral individualism. This idea basically says that matters have to be evaluated individually to see if there is a relevant difference between them that would compel us to act a certain way. I think Rachels was trying to establish the concept of accepting this new morality of moral individualism over the older ideas of morality. However, I don't think he drives this point home well enough. There are some examples but not overwhelmingly crisp ones. Also he seems to regard Darwin as somewhat sacred. Obviously many objections are being raised to some of the Darwinian ideas contained in evolutionary theory as of today. This means in the mode of proper science we should tentatively accept theories that seem to be more true while reserving the right to change our minds in light of more solid evidence for something else. We shouldn't just bow down to Darwin because he somewhat originally published many of the ideas of our current frame of thought. Also, it is to be noted that this book seems to run through theoretical examples as if just for fun without getting to a clear point. Some ideas are repeated through the diff. chapters. This is okay if you have nothing better to do but I would have appreciated it if the book took a more serious approach to finding answers instead of fiddling around for mere amusement. (oh, let's speculate on this. We won't find any answers but it will be fun to just do it!). Lastly, while books like this do shed information on some areas they rarely ever change anyone's opinion. If you look at the world from a Darwinian point of view that's fine..In fact, it may even be more truthful than the traditionalist point of view but to say you cannot live if you accept the traditionalist point of view (even if it may be false) is simply incorrect. So eventually one is left with the nagging question...what difference does it make? Is it just to satisfy mere intellectual curiosity? Well Rachels is arguing that it may affect how we look at things morally speaking. This is true but I'm not so sure that the fundamental difference is great enough to affect great cultural change. Is looking at animals as humans' relatives going to change the way we act as opposed to looking at animals as distinctly different from humans? Not really. We can still behave with compassion towards all forms of life regardless of what viewpoint we take. This is very similar to Buddhist thought. Basically, I believe that the main difference is just how you perceive things individually and how you act with regard to this. I think this was what Rachels was getting at. You can accept any viewpoint of morality as long as it contributes to a greater good. You can have God or not have Him. If it improves the overall quality of your life and another being's life it's good. If not..probably best to reject it.

Created from Animals--or Evolved?.......2001-05-29

Comparable to Ruse's _Taking Darwin Seriously_, but written just before the high tide of the sociobiological rendering of ethical questions, this work cogently, though somewhat naively, attempts to assess the implications of Darwinism for morality and religion. Overconfidence in the mechanics of natural selection is the only word to describe the result of such efforts, given in every sense a 'bum steer' by the dogmatic mantras of Darwinian selectionism. Man could suffer hybris, take himself to be special, and certainly Darwinism is a slap to this disposition, but it does not follow that if we accept evolution, or the proposition that man morphs from the domain of animals, that we must renounce the deeper side of _homo sapiens_, a side truly visible in man, and man only, however latent or occasional early signs of this might be in the species cousins, the great apes. And this deeper side of man gives signs of being a potential that emerges, not as adaptation, but as a self-consciousness at first superfluous, and barely used, and seldom for purposes of survival. Perhaps that is a sign of an evolution we are unaware of. Here the other religion is the Buddhist, nor miracles here, only that potential that nature leaves alone, for man must 'evolve' it in freedom. Here Wallace himself became suspicious, and wondered how, as a more extreme selectionist than Darwin, one could account for this 'virtual man' behind the creature-hominid. Rachel's answer seems to be to simply eliminate the question through the prior given, which is not given at all, that natural selection is proven, when the example is the counterevidence! We should instead query the mysteries of time for deeper answers. One issue bedevils the debate, the so-called naturalistic fallacy. While it was certainly brilliant for G. Moore to pull the rug from under Spencer's ethical naturalism with his separation of ethics and nature, a strange contradiction arises in this tacit acknowledgement, it would seem, of the need for non-naturalistic explanations of values!! Surely, the trap is not in Moore's subtle argument, but in what he called it, the 'naturalistic' fallacy. This description was not present in Hume's first use of this argument, as he cleaved the 'is' from the 'ought' in his _Dialogues_. We may not derive the 'is' from the 'ought', but we cannot derive even the mere 'is' of man from string theory either! Let alone the 'ought'. The whole question rests on a quagmire of incomplete foundational physics and its tendency to suggest a given set of premises, themselves in motion. The question of reduction is altogether a dark pit, and we cannot assume the 'ought' has no emergent source in nature. The dilemma is that while the 'naturalistic' fallacy, so-called, may be indeed fallacious, it does not follow from its _name_ that nature cannot 'evolve' ethics in some other fashion that is a mystery to us. In fact, history gives us alternate suggestions. Indeed, the emergence of religions themselves become orphans in Darwinian accounts, when the scientific demand would be for a naturalistic evolutionism that includes values! We assume thus that evolution is univalent, never changes, and does all in one stop mechanics, natural selection. A naturalistic fallacy indeed! This only deals with a few strains of this clearly expounded book, that left me for one shadowboxing, and whose central perspective seems doomed to frustration, for the secularization of religion seemed better addressed before Darwin, than after, as the immense resistance his theory created suggests. For after Darwin, a traditionalist was handed a golden argument in the superficial character of selectionist explanation. Before, all parties knew the hard uphill of the philosopher was the lot of all, no gimmicks allowed. One should hope for a new theory that can produce a naturalistic account of the evolution of religion, and change the confusing description of the 'naturalistic' fallacy. Worth reading, although one begins to fear the lack of foundations for any Darwinian account of morality. But when all is said and done, one can only agree with Rachels that the unity of man and animals is a point of victory against pomposity for Darwinism and the idea of evolution, taken more generally.

Interesting...........2000-06-21

I had to read this book for a class in college. I must admit, I wasn't thrilled with the prospect. But once I started reading, I couldn't stop. Rachels explores Darwinism and its relation to morality; good book for animal rights, though a bit dry and obscure at times.

Created from Animals...and then some!.......2000-04-07

Rachels spends a good deal of time setting the intellectual and historical context in which Darwin's theory appears. He slowly but surely initiates the reader into the labyrinth of evolutionary theory with all the interesting characters such as Huxley and Wallace. The book is quite good, and lays out the argument of why one should look at non-human animals as of a different degree rather than of a different kind to human beings. He with Darwin's help answers the skeptics, religious dogmatists, and others on their own ground. The only problem with this book comes close to the end as Rachels presents his theory of moral individualism giving the reader a formula by which they can operate to treat animals with more respect. However, he does not explicate his theory thoroughly enough leaving it open to an enormous amount of criticism. The book can stand alone without the addition of such a theory. It is an excellent read for anyone pondering the questions of evolution, morality, and if we should change the way we view animals.

Created From Animals: The Moral Implications of Darwinism. (book reviews): An article from: The Hastings Center Report

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Created From Animals: The Moral Implications of Darwinism. (book reviews): An article from: The Hastings Center Report
Dale Jamieson
Manufacturer: Hastings Center
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

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This digital document is an article from The Hastings Center Report, published by Hastings Center on March 1, 1991. The length of the article is 932 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Created From Animals: The Moral Implications of Darwinism. (book reviews)
Author: Dale Jamieson
Publication: The Hastings Center Report (Refereed)
Date: March 1, 1991
Publisher: Hastings Center
Volume: v21 Issue: n2 Page: p47(1)

Article Type: Book Review

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Created from Animals : The Moral Implications of Darwinism

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Created from Animals : The Moral Implications of Darwinism
James Rachels
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OK4IM2

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Created from Animals: The Moral Implications of Darwinism
James Rachels
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OK92IC

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