with chemists discovering that organic chemicals such as benzaldehyde could be oxidized and conjugated to amino acids in the human body. During the remainder of the nineteenth century, several other basic detoxification reactions were discovered, such as methylation, acetylation, and sulfonation. In the early twentieth century, work moved on to the investigation of the enzymes and pathways that were responsible for the production of these metabolites. This field became defined as a separate area of study with the publication by Richard Williams of the book Detoxication mechanisms in 1947. This modern biochemical research resulted in the identification of glutathione S-transferases in 1961, followed by the discovery of cytochrome P450s in 1962, and the realization of their central role in xenobiotic metabolism in 1963. See also References Further reading External links Databases Drug metabolism database Directory of P450-containing Systems University of Minnesota Biocatalysis/Biodegradation Database SPORCalc Drug metabolism Small Molecule Drug Metabolism Drug metabolism portal Microbial biodegradation Microbial Biodegradation, Bioremediation and Biotransformation History Metabolism Hepatology Toxicology Pharmacokinetics