Biochemistry is the study of the molecular basis of life. It investigates the chemical substances and processes that occur within plants, animals and microorganisms at all levels of organization, from single cells to tissues and organs. It is a biological discipline that attempts to answer biological questions, but its methods frequently draw upon the techniques of analytical, organic and physical chemistry. Today biochemistry is synonymous with two somewhat older terms: physiological chemistry and biological chemistry and is also closely attached to another modern discipline known as molecular biology. The latter specifically deals with the chemistry and function of macromolecules such as nucleic acids and proteins. Since the beginning of the nineteenth century, the growth of biochemistry has been explosive and, with all its sub-disciplines, it is now probably the most active of all biological sciences. Today, its scope of investigation is very broad and includes the analysis of...