ChemFinder.Com and ChemINDEX are interfaces that access the same database. ChemINDEX, however, provides greatly enhanced search, display and customization features (and without any pop-up ads). The common database has indexed nearly 80K compounds (with an additional 160K synonyms) from over 800 publicly available sites

Roth, Dana L.

English

Caltech Authors - Main

40 ChemNews.Com  13.1
Dana Roth has a BS in Chemistry from UCLA,
an MS in Chemistry from Caltech and an MLS
in Library Service from UCLA. Employed at
Caltech since 1965, he served as the Head of
Science and Engineering Libraries from 1983-
1995 and is currently the chemistry librarian.
His other interests are politics and history,
especially the World War II era.
AS JONATHAN Brecher points outin the introduction to his defini-tive description of Chem-
Finder.Com, “the internet offers a wealth
of data on all topics, but chemical infor-
mation provides unique challenges for
searching”. Thus, while traditional chem-
ical information resources such as the
Combined Chemical Dictionary,
Beilstein, Gmelin, and Chemical
Abstracts provide access to formally pub-
lished research results and data compila-
tions for individual chemical substances,
ChemFinder.Com has uniquely
addressed increasingly important, pub-
licly available, information resources on
the World Wide Web.
By way of explanation, both
ChemFinder.Com and ChemINDEX are
interfaces that access the same database.
ChemINDEX, however,
provides greatly enhanced
search, display and cus-
tomization features (and
without any pop-up ads).
The common database
has indexed nearly 80K
compounds (with an
additional 160K syn-
onyms) from over 800
publicly available sites.
One of the unique fea-
tures of searching with
ChemINDEX is the nor-
malization of chemical
names, which largely
eliminates the need to
search with precise
names. Searching and
retrieving substance
mentioned, (e.g., specific gravity/density,
refraction index, vapor density, water sol-
ubility, RTECS ID, flash point, evapora-
tion rate, vapor pressure, DOT number
and EPA code). 
One possible problem for librarians,
who provide workstations with either
ChemFinder.Com or ChemINDEX for
student use, is that the free ChemDraw
Net Version 7.0 plug-in is user specific
and ChemDraw Pro is currently required
for machine specific applications. This
problem will be ‘corrected’ with the new
ChemDraw Net Version 8.0 plug-in.
Each substance record provides a
property listing, including comments on
color, odor, sensitivity and natural occur-
rence, if available. This is followed by a
listing of web sites that contain 
additional information such as spectra.
ChemFinder.Com and ChemINDEX
both provide links to ChemACX Net (a
supplier database), a 3-D model view,
and CAS RN links both to The Merck
Index (if subscribed) and to the
CambridgeSoft version of the NCI
Database (Cancer and AIDS screening
data).
Superior Searching
ChemINDEX clearly shows its superiori-
ty when retrieving multiple search results.
Following a substructure search based on
the R isomer of 2-hydroxy-3-oxo-pen-
tane, ChemFinder.Com simply lists the
chemical names for the first 25 com-
pounds, with links to the full record.
ChemINDEX, however, provides tabular
data (for all 64 compounds) that also
includes a structural diagram, the CAS
RN and molecular formula. Chem-
INDEX also provides an ‘edit query’ but-
ton that allows one to easily return to the
original search screen and change the
structure or add additional search terms
to refine the output.
As an aside, ChemFinder.Com and
ChemINDEX may re-interpret user
search statements to maximize retrieval.
For example, entering C6H10O2 as a
search term retrieves all molecular formu-
ChemINDEX Database
information is made much easier by
stripping chemical names of spaces,
parentheses and other punctuation, as
well as accommodating British/American
spelling differences, inverting Chemical
Abstracts Index Names, and including a
variety of synonyms.
An Array of Information
While the underlying ChemINDEX
database focuses on access to health and
safety data, physical property data and
MSDS sources are also provided.
Biological macromolecules are not cov-
ered since they are well indexed (e.g.,
Genebank, Protein Databank).
Searching with ChemFinder.Com or
ChemINDEX is always a welcome
adventure, as a wide variety of unusual
resources, not covered in traditional data-
bases, are quickly revealed.
With the ChemFinder.Com interface,
one is limited to searching with chemical
names, structural diagrams, CAS Registry
Numbers, molecular formulas, molecular
weights, boiling and melting points (the
latter two on the structure query page).
ChemINDEX, however, provides oppor-
tunities to search with a much wider vari-
ety of properties, in addition to those just
The Professional's Version
of ChemFinder.Com
ChemNews.Com  13.1 41
Dana L. Roth
dzrlib@library.caltech.edu
las with C6 and H10 and O2 (including,
for example, C6H10BrO2 and
C6H10N2O2). Exact retrieval requires
prefacing the search term with an ‘equals
sign’ ( = ).
Additional Features
Another feature of ChemINDEX is the
ability to mark and export structures and
associated data into ChemOffice, or
other chemically enabled database pro-
grams, for the creation of private data-
bases for personal use. In addition,
ChemINDEX offers the ability to cus-
tomize search and display parameters
(e.g., match tetrahedral or double bond
stereo, % similarity, etc.) under the
‘Preferences’ menu. Marked records are
saved at logoff.
Access to NCI Database
A ChemINDEX database subscription
also includes direct access to the
CambridgeSoft version of the NCI data-
base (220K compounds), which consists
of the DTP (Developmental
Therapeutics Program) Human Tumor
Cell Line Screen and the AIDS Antiviral
Screen. The ChemINDEX interface
uniquely allows one to search for NCI
records using structures/substructures,
molecular formulas, molecular weights,
CAS RNs and synonyms. The Chem-
INDEX interface is a significant
improvement over the standard ‘govern-
ment issue’ NCI search screen. While not
all 220K compounds have screening data,
the NCI database is an excellent source
of exportable structural diagrams.
Summary
The ChemINDEX database rates a 4.9
out of 5 from this reviewer and, while I
received a complimentary one year sub-
scription for writing
this review, I will
soon be requesting a
renewal invoice. ChemNews.Com CS Catalyst
CS Catalyst
CS Catalyst
CS Catalyst
CS Catalyst


ChemINDEX Database; The Professional's Version of ChemFinder.Com

http://authors.library.caltech.edu/25898/1/Dana_final.pdf

ChemINDEX Database; The Professional's Version of ChemFinder.Com

Abstract

Similar works

Full text

Available Versions

Caltech Authors - Main