Unique in both content and approach, this text/reference provides a systematic introduction to basic laboratory methods from the perspective of the everyday work in the labs of the biotechnology/bioscience industry. Written at a level that is accessible to beginning college students with average math and science backgrounds. Provides the depth and detail useful to professional laboratory workers. It blends the background and theory provided by introductory chemistry texts with the practical concerns discussed in advanced lab manuals. It focuses on basic laboratory methods, the principles that underlie those methods, and the equipment that makes laboratory work possible.