Good news for all those interested in any aspect of Chemistry. We now have access to Reaxys, www.reaxys.com, the fully web-based, updated version of the Crossfire database, but with a simpler, more streamlined interface.
Reaxys is an extensive repository of experimentally validated chemical data, including structures, reactions (including multi-step reactions) and physical properties. The information, dating back to the late eighteenth century, is drawn from source publications carefully selected for their importance and relevance particularly to synthetic chemists. Some of this information is not available through any other database.
Reaxys includes everything that was available through the Crossfire database but with many more easily accessible features and additional search capabilities, such as the ability to generate a structure query directly from names and/or phrases. The old Beilstein and Gmelin databases have been amalgamated for easier searching and, of course, there is still a powerful structure searching facility. Reaxys supports various Structure Editors, including Isis Draw, Symyx, the Crossfire Structure Editor and Marvin Sketch – the default Structure Editor. Search results can be filtered by key properties, synthesis yield or by other ranking criteria. All IUPAC names are available through the supported structure editors. Existing full-text links to our journals will be as before.
No username and password are required for access on campus but these will be necessary off campus. Registration is also required when setting up alerts and saving search histories.
Reaxys can run on Apple operating systems so there should not be any problems using Macintosh computers.
For further information or help, please contact Joan Whitaker, J.Whitaker@qub.ac.uk, ext. 6270.