Chapter 8 **Natural Products from Semi–Mangrove Plants in China 193** Xiaopo Zhang

Preface

and consider other applications.

that are provided.

tional.

As Moustafa and Morsi remind us in Chapter One, it has been just over 100 years since a Rus‐ sian botanist, M. Tswett discovered chromatography. It seems timely to review the current status of the field of chromatography and appreciate the many improvements that have been made in the field. To do this thoroughly, of course, would require many volumes, but within the limits of space, the chapters that follow surely do indicate the range of techniques and some of the important applications. It is to be hoped that careful readers will reflect on these

Accordingly, Chapters Two through Five look at different techniques of chromatography with a consideration of applications. These include ion-exchange chromatography (Chapter Two), the use of chromatography to characterize the bioactivity of compounds (Chapter Three), af‐ finity chromatography and the utilization in drug discovery (Chapter Four), and the use of column chromatography with chelating agents attached to useful substrates (Chapter Five). Finally, this volume provides three examples of the range of utilization of chromatography in the study of natural products. This section provides useful and, it is hoped, inspirational ex‐ amples of how far the field of chromatography has come with respect to natural products since Tswett's discovery. These examples are considered in Chapters Six, Seven, and Eight.

This book is characterized by three important features. The authors represent an impressive collection of international workers from Brazil, China, Egypt, Poland, Turkey, and the United States. The majority of the chapters reflect the importance of collaborative efforts in contempo‐ rary research. Finally, some chapters are especially useful because of the experimental details

And it is to be hoped that readers will find that the chapters are both informative and inspira‐

**Dean F. Martin Barbara B. Martin**
