Book’s topic Chromatographic Methods in Metabolomics is the 19th book in the series “RSC Chromatography Monographs”. This monograph focuses on descriptions of important experimental aspects of metabolomics studies that use chromatography methods, including gas chromatography (GC) and liquid chromatography (LC), and other types of separation, including capillary electrophoresis (CE) and microchip technology.Detailed discussions are included of sample collection and preparation, data processing, and examples of applications of the techniques described. The editors state that the aim of the book was to give the reader an overview of chromatographic and electromigration techniques, and to provide practical guidelinesfor selecting the appropriate technique. Contents The book is 232 pages long and contains nine chapters. Chapter 1 introduces, in brief, the experimentalworkflow and analytical methods used in metabolomics studies. Chapter 2 describes the methods and techniques used in collecting and preparing a range of sample types, including mammalian biofluids, faecal samples, cells, and tissues. Techniques covered include quenching of materials, homogenisation, extraction, sample fractionation, and derivatisation for GC and LC. Chapter 3 discusses the mass spectrometry (MS) instruments used, including descriptions of the interfaces used to couple MSto GC, LC and CE, and comparisons of the massanalysers used. This chapter also discusses metabolite identification and fluxomics. Chapters 4–6 introduce the separation techniques used in metabolomics. Chapter 4 describes liquid chromatography techniques, including HPLC, UPLC, capillary LC, multi-dimensional LC, turbulent flow LC and supercritical fluid chromatography. Modes of liquid chromatography are also discussed. Chapter 5 introduces the techniques of GC–MS and GC×GC–MS, and includes discussions of sample collection for volatiles analysis and metabolite identification.Chapter 6 introduces capillary electromigration, with specific focus on CE, and includes descriptions of the interfaces used to couple CE to MS. Chapter 7 introduces innovative recent work on microchip fabrication and applications, including use of microchips for sample preparation, LC and CE. Chapter 8 discusses data handling, with emphasis on peak detection, alignment and deconvolution followed by normalisation and quantification. Chapter 9 describes specific applications of the techniques discussed in the previous chapters, with a focus on global profiling or targeted analysis of lipids or polar metabolites.Comparison with the existing literature This monograph adds to the growing number of recent textbooks and review articles focussing on the tools used in metabolomics and on the applications of metabolomics in biological sciences. Most other textbooks and review articles provide a detailed overview of either a broader (metabolomics in general) or narrower (e.g. GC–MS) range of metabolomics techniques and applications, with some including detailed procedures for the topics discussed. This monograph is unique in providing the first focused description of a specific range of chromatographic and separation techniques, thus enabling the reader to research each topic and choose appropriate techniques by consulting a single source.Critical assessment This is a general textbook on the metabolomics applications of chromatographic and separation methods, including GC, LC and CE as well as the emerging field of microfluidics and microchip fabrication. The contributing authors are global leaders in their field, with five of nine chapters written by Finnish authors. Each chapter provides a descriptive overview of a topic, and includes information on the important aspects researchers should consider. This approach achieves the editorial objective of enabling the reader to understand the principles and to make decisions regarding the appropriate techniques to use in their research. In several chapters, a greater diversity and number of references describing the research of global leaders in the field would have enabled the reader to research the experimental procedures in more depth. Some topics, namely quality control and metabolite information, are discussed in multiple chapters, and providing more focused and expansive chapters on these subjects would have been beneficial.Summary Chromatographic Methods in Metabolomics is a monograph providing overviews of separation techniques used in metabolomic studies, and of associated sample collection, sample preparation and data processing. Each chapter is written by an expert in the field, and all chapters are written with clarity and focus. The book is a single-source reference work, enabling the reader to understand the important aspects of each topic and providing the information necessary for the reader to investigate the chapter topics in more depth. The work would be an important addition to the bookshelf of under-graduate, post-graduate and post-doctoral scientists starting a research role applying metabolomics.
