Chemical Building Blocks of Nucleic Acids and Proteins

Adams, R.L., J.T. Knowler, and D.P. Leader. 2009. The Biochemistry of the Nucleic Acids, 11th ed. New York: Academic Press.

Saenger, W. 1984. Principles of Nucleic Acid Structure. New York: Springer-Verlag.

Chemical Bonds and Weak Chemical Interactions

Pauling, L. 1960. The Nature of the Chemical Bond. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press. A classic text covering the details of chemical bonding and the properties of molecules.

Pauling, L. 1988. General Chemistry. New York: Springer-Verlag. This text, also a classic, provides a great general introduction to the principles of chemistry.

Chemical Reactions in Biology

Fersht, A. 2005. Structure and Mechanism in Protein Science: A Guide to Enzyme Catalysis and Protein Folding. New York: Macmillan. A discussion of enzyme catalytic mechanisms from the standpoint of protein structure and folding.

Jencks, W.P. 1987. Catalysis in Chemistry and Enzymology. Mineola, NY: Courier Dover Publications. A clear and cogent discussion of catalytic mechanisms and experimental approaches to understanding how enzymes work.