• Development of the chemistry and macromolecular structures of proteins; development of the chemistry and macromolecular structures of nucleic acids; carbodimides as synthetic reagents; phosphoric acid esters in intermediary metabolism - development of methods for their synthesis; chemical synthesis of polynucleotides; enzymes that degrade nuclei acids; the genetic code - a, specificity in protein synthesis; b, basic features and codon assignments; the total synthesis of genes; gene amplification (PCR); bionergetics - bacteriorhodopsin, a light-driven proton pump.

"Khorana has been a leading scientist during a crucial period in the development of molecular biology and he intimately knew the people who influenced the field. He brings to this book the view of a chemist and he emphasizes the potential of organic chemistry in biology. This is a very important book for young scientists in the fields of molecular biology, genetics and medical science." Amos Panet Professor of Cancer Research The Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel "Khorana is unique in his mastery of molecular biology, enzymology and organic chemistry. Only in this beautifully organized and illustrated volume can one find such a lively synthesis of these disciplines from the first synthesis of a gene to the mechanism in bioenergetics." Arthur Kornberg Emeritus Professor of Biochemistry Stanford University School of Medicine "These pages present the beginnings of chemical gene synthesis, as described by its principal architect and builder, and accompanied by his perspectives on this exciting formative period in molecular biology." Paul Zamecnik MD, Senior Scientist, Massachusetts General Hospital Emeritus Professor of Oncologic Medicine, Harvard Medical School and Director Emeritus Huntington Laboratories, Harvard University "Through original research papers and historical overviews, this book demonstrates how studies on the basic chemistry of nucleic acids and their components, from as early as the 1950s, have been fundamental to solving the genetic code and the chemical synthesis of genes. As the book progresses to more recent work on bacteriorhodopsin and signal transduction one marvels how the author's motivation and detailed knowledge of phosphate chemistry has been instrumental in the progress of science." Susumu Nishimura Ex-Director Biology Division of National Cancer Research Institute, Tokyo and President Emeritus, Banyu Tsukuba Research Institute, Tsukuba, Japan "Khorana, a pioneer of chemical biology, shares in this beautifully presented book his spectacular contributions to the foundations of this rapidly expanding field." Professor Dieter Soll Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA