Molecular Biophysics presents the fundamental principles of biophysics and their application to the study of the physical properties of biological macromolecules. The merger of biology and physics involves the development of sophisticated instrumentation and the molecular approach to the study of life phenomena. This book is composed of nine chapters and begins with an overview of the thermodynamical aspects and chemical foundations of biophysics. These topics are followed by the physical aspects of macromolecules, with a particular emphasis on the biological functions, conformation, and hydrophobic interactions of proteins. The subsequent chapter describes the structural and electro-optical properties of biopolymers based on X-ray, optical, and spectroscopic analysis. The discussion then shifts to enzymes, their chemical kinetics, catalytic potential, and conformational and cooperative properties. The remaining chapters explore the physical aspects of nucleic acids and the biosynthesis of proteins. This book will prove useful to molecular biophysicists, biologists, physicists, and researchers in the fields of life sciences.

Table of Contents:
Preface Chapter 1 Biology and Physics 1.1 Introduction 1.2 Finalism and Causality 1.3 Thermodynamics and Biology 1.4 Information Theory and Biology 1.5 Cooperativity 1.6 Biophysics ReferencesChapter 2 Chemical Foundations of Biophysics 2.1 Chemistry and Biology 2.2 Amino Acids 2.3 The Properties of Electrolytes 2.4 Amino Acid Composition of Proteins 2.5 The Primary Structure of Proteins 2.6 Asymmetry of Biological Molecules 2.7 Nucleic Acids 2.8 Carbohydrates and Lipids 2.9 Cofactors, Vitamins, and Hormones 2.10 Some Fundamental Biochemical Processes 2.11 Quantum Biochemistry References Chapter 3 The Physics of Macromolecules 3.1 Polymeric Chains 3.2 Internal Rotation and Rotational Isomers 3.3 The Rotational-Isomeric Theory of Macromolecules 3.4 The Macromolecule as a Cooperative System 3.5 The Peculiarities of the Macromolecule as a Statistical System 3.6 Determination of the Molecular Weights for Macromolecules 3.7 Optical Methods of Investigation of Macromolecules 3.8 Polyelectrolytes References Chapter 4 The Physics of Proteins 4.1 Biological Functions of Proteins 4.2 Conformations of the Polypeptide Chain 4.3 Van der Waals Forces 4.4 The Hydrogen Bond and the Structure of Water 4.5 Helix-Coil Transitions 4.6 Protein Globules and Hydrophobic Interactions 4.7 Structure and Stability of Globules 4.8 Denaturation of Proteins 4.9 Primary Structure of the Polypeptide Chain and Spatial Structure of the Globule 4.10 Fibrillar Proteins References Chapter 5 X-Ray Analysis, Optics, and Spectroscopy of Biopolymers 5.1 X-Ray Structural Analysis 5.2 X-Ray Analysis of Fibrillar Structures 5.3 Scattering of X Rays by Macromolecules in Solution 5.4 Electronic Spectra of Biopolymers 5.5 The Theory of Optical Activity 5.6 The Theory of Optical Activity of Biopolymers 5.7 Spectropolarimetry of Biopolymers 5.8 Luminescence of Biopolymers 5.9 Vibrational Spectra of Biopolymers 5.10 Spectra of Nuclear Magnetic and Electron Paramagnetic Resonance References Chapter 6 The Physics of Enzymes 6.1 Chemical Kinetics and Catalysis 6.2 Kinetics of Simple Enzymic Reactions 6.3 Thermodynamics of Enzymic Reactions 6.4 Chemical Aspects of Enzymic Activity 6.5 Conformational Properties of Enzymes 6.6 Action of the pH of the Medium on Enzymes 6.7 Physical Aspects of Enzymic Activity 6.8 Metalloenzymes References Chapter 7 Cooperative Properties of Enzymes 7.1 Structure and Properties of Myoglobin and Hemoglobin 7.2 Phenomenological Theory of the Equilibrium Properties of Hemoglobin 7.3 The Faraday Effect 7.4 Magnetic Optical Rotation of Heme-Containing Proteins 7.5 Allosteric Enzymes 7.6 The Kinetics of Complex Enzymic Reactions 7.7 Chemical Relaxation References Chapter 8 The Physics of Nucleic Acids 8.1 Molecular Biology 8.2 The Structure of Nucleic Acids 8.3 Intramolecular Interactions in the Double Helix 8.4 The Thermodynamics of Helix-Coil Transitions 8.5 The Kinetics of DNA Denaturation 8.6 Interactions of DNA with Small Molecules 8.7 Reduplication of DNA References Chapter 9 Biosynthesis of Protein 9.1 The Problem of the Genetic Code 9.2 Biosynthesis of Protein 9.3 Transcription 9.4 Transfer RNA's 9.5 Ribosomes 9.6 The Genetic Code 9.7 The Physical Sense of the Genetic Code 9.8 Translation 9.9 Mutations References Selected Additional References Index