Prof. JI Ming-hou has been studying seaweed chemistry for several decades. Thus, his book is written on the basis of his rich accumulated practical experience and a large amount of literature. This book not only fills a gap in this research field, but also gives the readers a good framework for seaweed chemistry.

The book outlines the chemical contents, distribution patterns, seasonal variations, biosynthesis, structure, physic-chemical properties, principle of extraction and application for dozens of seaweeds of economic values. The book consists of 10 Parts and 24 chapters. The main topics include carbohydrates of red and brown seaweeds (Part l and 2), carbohydrates of green seaweeds and seagrasses (Part 3), nitrogenous compounds of seaweeds (Part 4), algal pigments (Part 5), lipids of seaweeds (Part 6), terpenoids and nonisoprenoids of seaweeds (Part 7), phenolic compounds of seaweeds (Part 8), seaweeds vitamins and seaweeds drugs (Part 9), and inorganic constituents of seaweeds (Part 10).

Having both the basic theoretical and practical contents, this book is suitable to scientists and technicians in the studies on seaweed chemistry, seaweed processing, algal physiology and pharmacology, as well as to the teachers and students of ocean sciences and fisheries in colleges and universities.