A primary text for courses that focus on basic laboratory methods in biotechnology, and an ancillary text for any biology course that includes a laboratory component that want to focus on biotechnology. Unique in both content and approach, this text/reference provides a systematic introduction to basic laboratory methods from the perspective of the everyday work in the labs of the biotechnology/bioscience industry. Written at a level that is accessible to beginning college students with average math and science backgrounds. Provides the depth and detail useful to professional laboratory workers. It blends the background and theory provided by introductory chemistry texts with the practical concerns discussed in advanced lab manuals. It focuses on basic laboratory methods, the principles that underlie those methods, and the equipment that makes laboratory work possible.

Table of Contents:
I. INTRODUCTION TO THE BIOTECHNOLOGY WORKPLACE.  1. Biotechnology and the Workplace.  2. Introduction to a Safe Workplace.  3. Biotechnology and the Regulation of Medical and Food Products. II. PRODUCT QUALITY AND BIOTECHNOLOGY.  4. Introduction to Product Quality Systems.  5. Documentation: The Foundation of Quality.  6. Quality Systems in the Laboratory.  7. Quality Systems in the Production Facility. III. MATH IN THE BIOTECHNOLOGY LABORATORY: AN OVERVIEW.  8. Basic Math Techniques.  9. Proportional Relationships. 10. Relationships and Graphing. IV. DATA IN THE LABORATORY. 11. Descriptions of Data. 12. The Collection of Meaningful Data; Avoiding Errors in the Laboratory. V. LABORATORY MEASUREMENTS. 13. Introduction to Quality Laboratory Measurements, Tests, and Assays. 14. Introduction to Instrumental Methods and Electricity. 15. The Measurement of Weight. 16. The Measurement of Volume. 17. The Measurement of Temperature. 18. The Measurement of pH, Selected Ions, and Conductivity. 19. Measurements Involving Light A: Basic Principles and Instrumentation. 20. Measurements Involving Light B: Applications and Methods. VI. LABORATORY SOLUTIONS. 21. Preparation of Laboratory Solutions A: Concentration Expressions and Calculations. 22. Preparation of Laboratory Solutions B: Basic Procedures and Practical Information. 23. Laboratory Solutions to Support the Activity of Biological Macromolecules and Intact Cells. 24. Solutions: Associated Procedures and Information. VII. BASIC SEPARATION METHODS. 25. Introduction to Filtration. 26. Introduction to Centrifugation. 27. Introduction to Bioseparations. VIII. SAFETY IN THE LABORATORY. 28. Working Safely in the Laboratory: General Considerations and Physical Hazards. 29. Working Safely with Chemicals. 30. Working Safely with Biological Materials. IX. COMPUTERS IN THE LABORATORY. 31. Computers: An Overview. 32. Data Handling with Computers. 33. Telecommunications and the Internet.