Water: The Forgotten Chemical, Edited by Denis Le Bihan and Hidenao Fukuyama. PanStanford Publishing, Singapore (2011), 399 pages.

Abstract

The latest volume on water comes from the PanStanford Publishers, edited by Denis Le Bihan and Hidenao Fukuyama, conceived upon the assertion that “water deserves to be seen as the prime ‘biological molecule’, and its importance should not be taken for granted”. It comes across as a collection of musings and informed essays on various aspects of water mostly connected with its important status as the biological solvent. The levels of different chapters in this volume, many of which are written by preeminent experts in the field of aqueous solutions in general, varies a lot, spanning in fact the whole area accessible on the one side to undergrads and on the other to seasoned researchers. I am not sure who it is that forgot water, but I assume that the title refers to the role of water as a de facto biological molecule. As noted by one of the editors themselves, the book should not be considered for continuous reading. It is rather a collection of essays in six chapters dealing with the structure of the water molecule, water as a solvent, water at interfaces, water and cell membranes, water and cell structure/physiology, and finally water, health, and life.