Textbook Errors

Gale Rhodes, Professor of Chemistry
University of Southern Maine
Contact Information

Under construction. Created 2006/11/01. Last revision 2007/10/11.

Show me an error-free textbook, and I'll suggest an eye exam.

All books contain errors, from typos to mystifying omissions to conceptual errors to misinformation. It is a painful irony for students, that textbooks carry more errors than most other types of books, perhaps because of frequent production of new editions. Textbook errors misinform students, and often lead to confusion and frustration. I hope that this list prevents some of these problems for my students.

The error frequency in the texts listed below are likely to be fairly typical of textbooks of that subject.

If you find an error in any of these texts, let me know, so I can let my students know.

Thanks!

Suggestion to my students

If you are starting the course and find a long list of errors for your text, simply place a faint mark in your text on each of the pages listed below. When you encounter these marks as you carry out assigned readings, come back to this page and find the correction. The correction will probably be more understandable to you when you are covering the material.

Biochemistry I and II (CHY461 and 463)

Current Text: Principles of Biochemistry, 4th Edition, by Horton, Moran, Scrimgeour, Perry, and Rawn

In error locations, the first paragraph (ś1) is the first whole or partial paragraph on the page. Figures, their captions, tables, and their captions are not counted as paragraphs.

Location (page#/paragraph#/line#)	Error	Correction
p. 25, Table 1.1, footnote	1 L = 1 cubic centimeter	1 L = 1000 cubic centimeters (but you knew that)
p. 44, ¶6, line 5	As the titration of the weak acid proceeds, it dissociates in order to restore its equilibrium with OH^- and H₂O.	As the titration of the weak acid proceeds, hydroxide ions quantitatively convert HA to A^- and establish a new position of the dissociation equilibrium. Explanation: The author's language is teleological. It sounds as if the acid knows that it is no longer at equilibrium and that it needs to dissociate to get there. This language masks the principles that make equilibria understandable. Teleological language a widespread problem in this text (and to be fair, in many science texts). I will not list other examples unless they are particularly misleading. Make an opportunity out of this problem. Whenever you see "in order to" in this book, it is probably another example of teleological language. Try to write the same statement without teleology. Do the same with any statements that you recognize as teleological. Try it with the example at 113/4/4.
p. 57, Figure	Isoleucine (I) (Iso)	Isoleucine (I) (Ile)
p. 91, ¶1, line 5	... is shown in Figure 4.24e	... is shown in Figure 4.23e
p. 117, Fig. 4.42	wrong PDB ID: 1HND	should be 1HHO
p. 119, Fig.4.45, caption, last line	wrong PDB ID: 1AGM	should be 1A6M (same model as in Fig 4.40, p. 117.
p. 122, Fig. 4.49	missing PDB ID	PDB 1B86
p. 139, Eq (5.26)
p. 143, Eq. (5.27)	E + I <=> EI	EI <=> E + I Explanation: The equilibrium constant is written for the dissociation of the EI complex, not for the formation of the complex.
p. 159, ¶4, line 1	In this case, the nucleophile Y- attacks the carbonyl carbonyl.	In this case, the negatively charged nucleophile and the partially postively charged carbonyl carbon join to form a tetrahedral intermediate... Explanation: The authors use what I call "attack language" to describe reactions. This language is inaccurate and misleading. Molecules do not attack each other. They collide at enormous frequencies, and certain collisions, such as those between properly oriented nucleophiles and electrophiles, cause bonds to form or break. Attack language a widespread problem in this text (and to be fair, in many chemistry texts). I will not list other examples unless they are particularly misleading. Make an opportunity out of this problem. Whenever you see the word "attack" in a description of a reaction, try to rewrite the same statement in a more accurate manner. To do so, recognize that reactions result from random collisions of molecules and ions. Some collisions are more likely than others, because of electrostatic attractions that come into play as two species approach each other. But even in such cases, the initial approach is random until the two species are quite near each other and begin to be affected by the forces. At the molecular level, motion is very rapid. Molecules in solution collide with each other in every possible way in a very short time. If species A and B are both present at concentrations of 1.0 M, a given molecule of A will collide with molecules of B at a rate 10⁸ or 10⁹ times per second (the diffusion limit). If some of these collisions can produce reaction, reaction will occur rapidly.
p. 159, ¶3, line 1	There are two types of ionic intermediates: ... (nucleophiles and electrophiles)	Explanation: Not all nucleophiles and electrophiles are ionic, nor are they intermediates. They may be neutral (the nucleophile NH₃, and such electrophiles as carbonyl carbon atoms), and they may be reactants and products as well as intermediates in reactions.
p. 170, Eq. (6.18)	labels under first and second arrows	Under first arrow: superoxide u=Under second arrow: catalase
p. 175, Figure 6.13	False advertising! In the PDB models, the glucose is actually bound to the model on the left!	The figure shows glucose bound to 1HGK in the closed conformation (b), and the substrate-free 1YHX (a). If you download these two files from the Protein Data Bank, you find a glucose analog bound to 2YHX in the open conformation, and no glucose in model 1HGK in the closed conformation. In other words, these models have been "cooked" to make a point that the models themselves do not support. Tsk-tsk.
p. 186, Figure 6.27, last caption on the page	one or more lines missing after the word "water".	one way to finish the sentence accurately after the comma: "a water molecule replaces it."
p. 198, ¶1, last line	In fact, the charge is distributed over the entire aromatic ring.	Omit the sentence. ExplanationThe positive charge is localized on the nitrogen. You cannot write any sensible resonance forms of the aromatic ring that show positive charge on any atom except the nitrogen.
p. 198, ¶2, line 1	In the reduced form the aromatic ring ...	In the reduced form the pi system extending over atoms C5, C6, N1, C2, and C3 has six electrons. Explanation: In the reduced form, the reduced nicotinamide ring is not aromatic. An aromatic pi-system is cyclic, and in reduced nicotinamide, C4 has no p-orbital, so the pi system is not cyclic.
p. 203, ¶3	... ionization of ...(HETPP) ...	This paragraph is puzzling. It appears to confuse the ionization of HETPP with the ionization of TPP itself (the phrase "dipolar carbanion" suggesting ionized TPP rather than HETPP, which is resonance stabilized and thus not appropriately called a dipolar carbanion). Reference to the TPP carbanion as a dipolar cation in the error on p. 204 (below) supports the idea that the author should be referring to the pKa of the TPP carbanion instead of the HETPP carbanion. Or maybe he just should not refer to the ionized HETPP as a "dipolar carbanion".
p. 204, Fig 7.15, caption, line 6	Ionization generates a resonance-stabilized dipolar cation known as an ylid.	Ionization generates a dipolar cation, known as an ylid, whose negative charge is stabilized by the inductive effect of the positive charge on the neighboring nitrogen atom. Explanation: The ylid is not stabilized by resonance. You cannot draw any sensible resonance forms of the TPP carbanion that show delocalization of the negative charge on C2 of the TPP carbanion.
p. 206, Fig 7.18, step (1)	Under arrows: transamination	Under arrows of step (1): trans i mination Explanation: Step 1 is the transimination reaction shown in Figure 7.17, previous page. The transamination is steps 1 through 4, replacement of the alpha-keto acid with a different one, and then steps 4 through 1.
p. 279, text accompanying Eq. (9.2).	Direction of transport not specified.	Discussion of the thermodynamics of any process should start with the balanced equation that makes plain the direction of the process. This will determine signs of all quantities and assure consistency of signs. Eq. (9.2) implies that the process is inward transport. The appropriate balanced equation is A_out A_in.


p. 279, Eq. (9.4) and accompanying text	Equation (9.4) should not have deltas on RIGHT side.	Corrected Eq. (9.4):
p. 304, ¶1, line 6	Misleading language about evolution: "... modern pathway evolved by retro-evolution, successively adding precursors and extending the pathway."	"... modern pathway evolved by successively adding enzymes for conversion of simpler precursors, extending the pathway in the direction opposite to its current metabolic direction." The term "retro-evolution" should be avoided. It implies some sort of backward evolution, which would mean from better adapted to more poorly adapted. Even thought the pathway might have evolved "backward" (that is, by adding steps in the reverse of today's metabolic direction), the evolution was still "forward" (that is, in the direction of improved adaptation to the environment). Evolution goes other way.
p. 320, Eq. (10.26)	Equation (10.26) should not have deltas on RIGHT side.	Corrected Eq. (10.26):
p. 340, Box 11.3, ¶1, line 3	"Arsenate competes with phosphate for its binding site in glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase. Like phosphate, arsenate cleaves the energy-rich thioacyl enzyme intermediate."	The statement is correct; the trouble is, it appears to refer to a previously-discussed mechanism of GAPDG action, but the authors have not previously provided the GAPDH mechanism, nor described the thioacyl intermediate in its action, nor even mentioned that the enzyme has an active-site cysteine -SH that holds this acyl intermediate. So it's a puzzling passage, but now you know why.
p. 348, ¶2, line 2	"..., anaerobic glycolysis produces lactic acid in muscle cells... "	"..., anaerobic glycolysis produces lactate ion in muscle cells..." This is a widely propagated textbook error. Conversion of glucose to 2 lactate ion produces ZERO net hydrogen ions, so does not contribute to acidification of muscle or blood. Conversion of pyruvate to lactate actually consumes protons, preventing glycolysis from acidifying muscle. For a careful analysis of proton balance in glycolysis, and discussion of the source of protons from anaerobic muscle action, click HERE.
p. 353, Fig. 11.23	First reaction, enzyme name, "dehydrogmase"	dehydrogenase
p. 407, Eq. (13.20)	HCO₃⁺	HCO₃^– (bicarbonate)
p. 423, Table 14.1	FAD: E⁰' = 0.0 V	FAD: E⁰' = 0.22 V (See Table 10.4, page 321.)
p. 428, Fig. 4.10 label	Heme B₂	Heme B_L
p. 435, Box 14.1, ¶1, lase line, and ¶2, line 2	"... produces heat directly, without apparent use." "... deliberate uncoupling..."	replace with "... produces heat, but apparently this heat production is unavoidable and serves no cellular function." "... functional uncoupling..." Nothing in a cell has a "use" or is "deliberate". Better to say that molecules or processes have functions, which means that they are in some respect adaptive in cell maintenance or growth. In both of these corrections, I replace teleological language with more appropriate biological language.
p. 439, last ¶, line 4	"... the two enzymes catalyze a very similar reaction but in different directions."	Enzymes do not control the direction of a reaction; they make both forward and reverse reactions faster. Reaction direction and extent are determined by thermodynamics—specifically by the standard free-energy change of the reaction and the relative concentrations of reactants and products. It would be better to say that the two enzymes catalyze the same reaction, but that fumarate reductase is produced when oxygen is not present, allowing bacteria to use fumarate instead of dioxygen as a terminal electron acceptor, while succinate dehydrogenase is produced when oxygen is present, conditions which drive the citrate cycle forward.
p. 446, ¶ 4, line 2	"... , an electron from the lowest energy level of the pigment is promoted to a higher energy molecular orbital."	"..., an electron, usually from the highest-energy occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) of the pigment, is promoted to a higher orbital, usually the lowest-energy unoccupied orbital (LUMO)." The most likely electronic transitions in photosynthetic pigments are HOMO-to-LUMO transitions, usually pi to pi* transitions. Enormous energy would be required to promote one of the lowest-energy electrons to an unoccupied molecular orbital. Almost all chemistry involves the so-called frontier orbitals, HOMO and LUMO.
p. 447, ¶ 3, last sentence	"You can think of excitation energy transfer as a transfer of vibrational energy between adjacent chlorophyll molecules..."	Excitation energy transfer is much more like transfer of photons between the pigments. The energy transferred is not vibrational energy, which is energy in the infrared region. The energy transferred among pigments corresponds to eletromagnetic energy in the visible region. The transfer of excitation energy from pigment A to pigment B can be written as A* + B --> A + B* In this process, an excited electron drops down to the HOMO in A, while a HOMO ground-state electron is promoted to a LUMO excited state in B. In addition, such transfer does not occur exclusively between adjacent chlorophyll molecules, but among all the antenna pigments.
p. 465, Sec. B, ¶ 1, last line	"... p. 468."	"... p. 467."
p. 494, Box 16.3	structure on far left	extra H on carbony carbon at top or structure
p. 494, Box 16.3, ¶2, first sentence	"Lowering of serum cholesterol levels decreases the risk of coronary heart disease."	To many scientists, this is still a debatable statement. Advertisers of cholesterol-lowering medications state in their briefly-displayed fine print that the use of their product has not been shown to reduce the risk or severity of cardiovascular disease. It is perhaps better to simply say that there is a correlation between coronary heart disease and high cholesterol levels, leading many to believe that reduction of cholesterol levels by diet or drugs might reduce risks.