New Electronic Resource: Reaxys
The UCI Libraries have licensed Reaxys, an authoritative reference source on chemical properties and reactions which aims to be the synthesis resource for organic and inorganic chemistry. Reaxys is a combination of three chemistry databases: Beilstein (organic), Gmelin (inorganic), and Patent Chemistry. New data from selected chemistry journals adds to the experimentally validated data that chemists need, including structures, reactions (including multistep reactions), and physical properties.
Reaxys' search, analysis, and workflow tools are designed around the needs and common tasks of users, including a synthesis planner to design the optimum synthesis route and multistep reactions to identify precursor reactions underlying synthesis of target compounds. Users can filter search results by key properties, synthesis yield, or other ranking criteria. The interface allows search results to display in a table or list format and users can explore intermediate steps in reactions by highlighting and expanding steps within reactions. The structure search allows for exact and family searching and similarity search, for related compounds or close variations, and transformation analysis for changes to chemical structures. It integrates with UC E-Links for linking to full-text information sources.
Reaxys contains new tools to evaluate search result sets, propose chemical synthesis strategies and move more quickly from a basic idea to a target compound. Reaxys will provide more information about reaction pathways. Synthesis planner functionality allows evaluation of alternative synthetic routes, identifies the shortest potential path, and generates a list of reactants for target compound synthesis. Reaxys can gather large amounts of data quickly and structure them in a compact and accessible manner, making data from journals and patents equally easy to connect with.
For more information, please contact Mitchell Brown, Research Librarian for Chemistry and Earth System Science (mcbrown@uci.edu or x49732).