Gregorio Weber is widely acknowledged as the person responsible for the advent of modern fluorescence spectroscopy. Since 2016 is the 100th anniversary of Gregorio Weber's birth, this special volume has been prepared to honor his life and achievements. It offers contributions from outstanding researchers in the fluorescence field, describing their perspectives on modern fluorescence and its highly diverse applications, ranging from the photophysics of tryptophan and proteins, membrane studies, fluorescence microscopy on live cells, novel software approaches and instrumentation. Many of the authors knew Gregorio Weber personally and have shared their impressions of the man and his contributions. This volume appeals not only to aficionados of fluorescence spectroscopy and its applications in biology, chemistry and physics, but also to those with a general interest in the historical development of an important scientific field.

Since the publication of the first edition of Chemistry of Protein Conjugation and Cross-Linking in 1991, new cross-linking reagents, notably multifunctional cross-linkers, have been developed and synthesized. The completion of the human genome project has opened a new area for studying nucleic acid and protein interactions using nucleic acid cross-linking reagents, and advances have also been made in the area of biosensors and microarray biochips for the detection and analysis of genes, proteins, and carbohydrates. In addition, developments in physical techniques with unprecedented sensitivity and resolution have facilitated the analysis of cross-linked products.

Updated to reflect the advances of the 21st century, this book offers:

• An overview of the chemical principles underlying the processes of cross-linking and conjugation
• A thorough list of cross-linking reagents published in the literature since the first edition, covering monofunctional, homobifunctional, heterobifunctional, multifunctional, and zero-length cross-linkers
• Reviews of the use of these reagents in studying protein tertiary structures, geometric arrangements of subunits within complex proteins and nucleic acids, near-neighbor analysis, protein-to-protein or ligand-receptor interactions, and conformational changes of biomolecules
• Discusses the application of immunoconjugation for immunoassays, immunotoxins for targeted therapy, microarray technology for analysis of various biomolecules, and solid state chemistry for immobilizations

This volume is based on an international symposium held during September 9-12, 1986 in Bocca di Magra, Italy. The intent of the organizers was to bring together expert practitioners of fluorescence spectroscopy, particularly as applied to biological systems, to assess recent developments in the field and discuss future directions. At the same time the meeting was intended to honor the singular and outstanding scientific career of Gregorio Weber on the occasion of his seventieth birthday. Gregorio Weber is truly the pioneer in the application of fluores cence methods to biochemistry and biophysics. A complete list of his scientific contributions to fluorescence and to protein biochemistry is beyond the scope of this preface. Suffice it to say that since his initial landmark articles on fluorescence, published in the late 1940's and early 1950's, Gregorio Weber has continued to make seminal contribu tions to both the theory and practice of fluorescence and, contrary to many who might be tempted to rest on their laurels, he shows no signs of slackening his pace. In addition to his more obvious tangible contributions to the scientific field, Gregorio Weber has made equally valuable contributions of another type. Specifically, he has had the most profound impact, both profeSSionally and personally, on generations of young scientists."

Gregorio Weber is widely acknowledged as the person responsible for the advent of modern fluorescence spectroscopy. Since 2016 is the 100th anniversary of Gregorio Weber's birth, this special volume has been prepared to honor his life and achievements. It offers contributions from outstanding researchers in the fluorescence field, describing their perspectives on modern fluorescence and its highly diverse applications, ranging from the photophysics of tryptophan and proteins, membrane studies, fluorescence microscopy on live cells, novel software approaches and instrumentation. Many of the authors knew Gregorio Weber personally and have shared their impressions of the man and his contributions. This volume appeals not only to aficionados of fluorescence spectroscopy and its applications in biology, chemistry and physics, but also to those with a general interest in the historical development of an important scientific field.