THE OILY PRESS

Written by William W. Christie. Published in 2003.
ISBN-13: 978-0-9531949-5-7 (ISBN-10: 0-9531949-5-7).

On this page you can read the Author's Preface and reviews of this book written in the scientific literature. For more details of the chapters and to buy the book, please see the main Lipid Analysis web page.

Go to main Lipid Analysis web page

---

Preface | Reviews

This third edition of Lipid Analysis is long overdue, and I must apologise that other pressures have prevented me from revising it earlier. Little of the first two editions remains, as a complete re-write was necessary. Here, I deal with the isolation, separation, identification and structural analysis of glycerolipids, including triacylglycerols and phospholipids, sphingolipids, and the various hydrolysis products of these. I do not discuss steroids (other than cholesterol and plant sterols), prostanoids, carotenoids and terpenes, or petroleum products. These topics would require several more volumes of this size, and I leave them to others that are better qualified.

Gas chromatography was first developed by lipid analysts, and lipid analysts have been at the forefront in the development of the technique. Since the second edition of this book, there has been a remarkable improvement in the resolution attainable thanks to the availability of capillary columns fabricated from fused silica. Related developments in mass spectrometry have meant that the combined technique of gas chromatography-mass spectrometry is less costly, more versatile and more accessible than formerly. Similarly, the technique of high-performance liquid chromatography has become a major tool for lipid analysts, and the development of sensitive mass spectrometry systems of relatively low cost that can interface with the technique is fueling further advances in the science of lipids. Thin-layer chromatography may be humble and ‘low-tech’, but it is still immensely useful to lipid analysts. In preparing this new edition of Lipid Analysis, these three chromatographic techniques have been at the forefront of my thoughts. There are still many gaps in our knowledge that remain to be filled, and many published procedures could be improved. Hopefully, this book will stimulate further endeavours. In the Preface to my previous books, I stated that I hoped they would “remain on the laboratory bench, not on the library shelf”. That comment is equally apposite now.

I would like to make an apology to many excellent lipid analysts here. At the outset, I decided that I did not want to produce an encyclopaedic compendium on the subject, as has often been suggested to me. To keep the number of references cited within reasonable bounds, I have tried to pick out the more important current papers and review articles on each topic, frequently ignoring the historic precedent. This means that I will give the impression of unfairly neglecting much first-class work. Please forgive me if your publications fall into this category.

Please note that many of the solvents and reagents mentioned in this book have the potential to do harm to the operator and other laboratory personnel if used carelessly. Take appropriate precautions at all times.

I am grateful to Professor John Hillman and the Council of the Scottish Crop Research Institute and to the Scottish Executive Rural Affairs Department for providing the facilities and encouragement that made this book possible. Over the many years of my research career, I have been privileged to work with a great number of fine scientists, here in Scotland, from most of the countries of Europe, and from North America, South America, Asia and Africa – too many to mention individually – to whom this book is respectfully dedicated.

William W. Christie

To return to the top of the page.

Dr Franz Ulberth, European Commission, DG Joint Research Centre, Institute for Reference Materials and Measurements, Geel, Belgium, writing in European J. of Lipid Science and Technology , 2003, Vol.105, pp.781–782.

This is the new edition of Christie's immensely popular book on lipid analysis. In comparison to the second edition which came out in 1982 and had 207 pages it has grown in volume. Nevertheless, it was not the author's objective to compile an encyclopaedic compendium on the subject, but it was always Bill's hope that the book should "remain on the laboratory bench, not on the library shelf". In the older editions he formidably succeeded in presenting a balanced mix between theoretical background and step-by-step instructions how to put theory into practice in a lipid chemists' laboratory. Personally, l tried a lot of the methods he suggested, and they really worked! In the new edition this proven concept was retained, and I am sure that the readership will appreciate that very much.....

The revised version of Lipid Analysis is not more of the same stuff with the addition of a couple of new data. It has been completely re-written and re-structured and is easy to follow, even for a novice in this field. However, as with the past versions, chromatographic techniques are still the centrepiece of the treatise, but the developments that led to the coupling of spectroscopic techniques, in particular mass spectrometry, to GLC and HPLC are now covered. High-resolution chromatography, which was in its infancy when the former editions appeared, has to a large extent replaced packed column GLC and column chromatography, and this is adequately reflected in the new edition. ...On top of that, in each chapter the analyst finds an ensemble of method descriptions, which can be applied mostly without consulting other references....

Compared to the previous editions the chapter on chromatographic analysis of lipids has been expanded and includes now the basic theory and instrumentation of HPLC (columns, detectors, etc.). The section on silver-ion chromatography, either in the form of TLC or HPLC was adequately expanded to demonstrate the potential of this powerful method for the separation of fatty acids or triacylglycerols according to their degree of unsaturation. Completely new is the chapter on mass spectrometry as a tool to identify lipids and to locate the position of double bonds in the acyl-chain of fatty acids, and the one on methods for the determination of the positional distribution of fatty acids in glycerolipids.

To sum up, I wholeheartedly recommended the third edition of Lipid Analysis, published by one of the most reputed scientists in this field, to anyone who has a need to analyse lipids.

---

Dr Robert A. Moreau, USDA-ARS Eastern Regional Research Center, Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania, USA, writing in INFORM, August 2003, Vol.14, (8) pp.507–508.

"The author is generally considered to be the most prominent international authority on lipid analysis...this book is an excellent compilation of the most useful modern analytical methods for lipid analysis. I am confident that it will serve for many years as a valuable reference tool to all oil chemists who are involved in the analysis of lipids from animals, plants, or microbes."

---

Professor Arnis Kuksis, University of Toronto, Canada, writing in Lipid Technology, March 2003, Vol.15, p.47.

Dr W.W. Christie is well-known for his pioneering work in lipid analysis, numerous publications, reviews and texts on chromatography of lipids. The completely rewritten third edition of Lipid Analysis extends the literature review to 2002 in some cases. The book is subdivided into four sections of equal size, which cover lipid structure and occurrence, general principles of chromatographic analysis, separation and analysis of individual lipid classes, analysis of fatty acids, and analysis of molecular species. All references are given at the end of the book in order of citation.

The organization of the discussion of the different chromatographic methods is arranged according to the type of detection employed, including mass spectrometry. This approach helps to identify immediately the salient points of each technique. Despite this type of writing, the text contains minimal repetition. The mastery of the subject is further reflected in the practical detail supplied and in the theoretical coverage of chromatography on a need-to-know basis. All sections are written in a user-friendly way and sprinkled with personal commentary. Abbreviations are kept to a minimum and even the common usage of PC and PE to identify phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine, respectively, is limited to figures only.

In many respects the book compares to a master menu of a computer, with frequent reference to slave menus for more detailed coverage of specific points by the author or his trusted correspondents in Advances in Lipid Methodology and elsewhere. Although some of the latter reviews would appear to be dated, they are still the best available at the moment.

The three basic chromatographic systems (TLC, HPLC and GLC) are covered in detail, but HPLC appears to be favoured. A lack of a universal detector, however, restrains it from conquering the world. The commercial demise of the flame ionization detector suitable for HPLC is rightfully deplored. I found no errors of fact or any arguments with the good laboratory practices recommended. The book emphasizes a constant need to guard against sample peroxidation, especially during TLC, but the presence of metal ions in chromatographic column supports may also contribute to lipid oxidation. The text and bibliography are essentially free of typographical errors. The book concludes with a useful Index.

Despite rapid advances in direct inlet MS² and MS³ methodology of lipid analysis and computerized data processing, chromatography is unlikely to be replaced entirely and will remain an essential part of lipid analysis for many years to come. Without a doubt, this is the definitive text on lipid analysis that should be present in any lipid laboratory.

PJ Barnes & Associates, PO Box 200, Bridgwater TA7 0YZ, UK
Tel: +44-1823-698973
Fax: +44-1823-698971
E-mail: sales@pjbarnes.co.uk
Web site: www.pjbarnes.co.uk

Please contact us if you have any problems using this web site. Thank you.
Copyright 20076 PJ Barnes & Associates

Home page | News | Buy books | Search | Contact us