Chemistry
- Key
- Strong Points
- Weak Points
- Ratings
- Excellent
- Very Good
- Good
- Wide variety of educational content
- Plug-in issues
- Rating
- Chemical Education Research Group Simulations
- www.chem.iastate.edu/group/Greenbowe/sections/projectfolder/simDownload/index4.html
- Back in my day, if we wanted to learn something about chemistry, we had to walk barefoot into the snow 5 miles to school and watch our wild-eyed chemistry teacher illustrate some wild experiment he’d dreamed up (that often involved an explosion at the end). Aye – those were the days. Kids these days have it made – all they have to do is sit down with their fancy laptops and download animations (often user- controlled) of major basic principles of chemistry. One excellent source of these can be found at Tom Greenbowe’s Chemical Education Research Group Simulations site. Here, a wide variety of animations and tutorials can be downloaded and viewed. Categories include solutions, thermochemistry, reactions, kinetics, stoichiometry, electrochemistry, acid/base equilibria, measurement, gas laws, and redox titration. Most of the animations ran on my system, but not all. One suggestion – sites like this should ALWAYS provide links to all the browser plug-ins necessary to view each animation. Otherwise, users are either locked out of using them or must spend a lot of time trying to find the right one.
- Wide variety of educational content
- Plug-in issues
- Rating
- Chemical Education Research Group Simulations
- www.chem.iastate.edu/group/Greenbowe/sections/projectfolder/simDownload/index4.html
- Back in my day, if we wanted to learn something about chemistry, we had to walk the five miles to school barefoot in the snow and watch our wild-eyed chemistry teacher illustrate some wild experiment he’d dreamed up (that often involved an explosion at the end). Aye, those were the days. Kids these days have it made, all they have to do is sit down with their fancy laptops and download animations (often user-controlled) of major basic principles of chemistry. One excellent source of these sites can be found at Tom Greenbowe’s Chemical Education Research Group Simulations site. Categories include solutions, thermochemistry, reactions, kinetics, stoichiometry, electrochemistry, acid/base equilibria, measurement, gas laws, and redox titration. Most of the animations ran on my system, but not all. One suggestion though, sites like this should always provide links to all the browser plug-ins necessary to view each animation. Otherwise, users are either locked out of using them or must spend a lot of time trying to find the right one.
- Useful chemistry info
- Could be broader
- Rating
- ChemiCool
- http://www.chemicool.com
- There are a lot of ways of looking at the periodic table, and the web has provided a means of squeezing more content into the table than a printed version could ever do. Clicking on an element in the ChemiCool table leads to a complete page of info including density, oxidation number, melting point, conductivity (thermal and electric), cost, and reactivity, among much other data. Sites with these aims are pretty common, but ChemiCool tries to distinguish itself by providing other chemistry-relevant content. This includes an alphabetically organized and searchable chemistry dictionary, a forum for users to communicate with each other (surprisingly active), a list of chemistry tools (a few graphs, some unit calculators, and a second link to the dictionary), and resources (a handful of links to outside sites). While the content here goes beyond your “father’s periodic table,” there is a lot more that could be done, and I hope it is.
- Free, peer-reviewed articles
- None
- Rating
- Chemistry Central
- http://www.chemistrycentral.com
- A site that declares “Open access is a sustainable model for the publication of chemical research,” Chemistry Central is bound to make some waves, and friends too. At this online, peer reviewed journal, all research articles are available for free access and can be reused and redistributed, as desired. The authors also retain copyright. Wow! It doesn’t get much better than this. Articles at the site can be accessed by browsing or via a search engine. An online blog on the opening page follows relevant news items, available by hyperlink. Visitors to the site can upload articles for consideration and can even download a poster to help promote the journal. One of the best publications of its kind that I have seen, Chemistry Central is leading the way for open access to scientific information. I’m sure chemists and anyone interested in scientific publishing will love it.
- Massive database
- Few descriptions of content
- Rating
- ChemMine-search
- bioweb.ucr.edu/ChemMine/search.php?opt=2
- You've got to admire the aspirations of this interesting site—to facilitate chemical genomics screens and disseminate the generated knowledge. Hosted at the Center for Plant Cell Biology at the University of California, Riverside, the focus would seem to be on plants but it really isn't. The size of the database is impressive—over 2,000,000 compounds at press time. Users can search the ChemMine database and upload compounds, as well. Online analysis tools provide functions for structure-based clustering of compounds and numerous viewing and formatting functions. The entire project is open source, so as to provide maximum access to information. There's a lot to like here, but like other database-focused sites, a bit of background would be helpful.
- Useful database
- Nothing Significant
- Rating
- ChemRefer
- http://www.chemrefer.com
- Another site of interest to chemists is ChemRefer. Encompassing a mountain of chemical and pharmaceutical literature references, ChemRefer provides access to this content through both a very simple search function on the opening page and a more sophisticated search feature internal to the site. At the latter, users can narrow searches by specifying author, title, journal, citation date, publication, and web address. The site is more than just a literature database, however. For example, functions for drawing structures online are available and the drawn structures can be searched across the database. This is a dandy way to access information. An export feature for user-created structures would be a welcome addition. RSS feeds are available, as is a newsletter. A site that will be bookmarked by many a chemist, I’ll wager.
- Broad coverage of topic
- A bit too techie for general interest
- Rating
- Combinatorial Chemistry Review
- www.combichemistry.com
- When it comes to drug design, the technique of combinatorial chemistry is rapidly taking over the subject. Covering this important area is Combinatorial Chemistry Review, a site providing an overview of combinatorial synthesis with aims of providing insights to the field by describing major techniques and applications of them. Highlights of Combinatorial Chemistry Review (CCR) include a short description of the strategy of the technique, another description of resins used for solid-state synthesis, theoretical considerations for synthesis, an informative glossary, news/events, and a wide collection of useful links. The site could use a bit more of an educational focus for nontechies, but that is a relatively minor concern. CCR is an important site for anyone interested in the subject of combinatorial chemistry.
- Very useful information
- Nothing significant
- Rating
- GEMs Home
- greenchem.uoregon.edu/gems.html
- I was pleasantly surprised to discover the interesting GEMs site housed just down the road from me. Located at the University of Oregon, GEMs focuses on teaching the subject of chemistry as a green subject, meaning that all efforts are made to reduce or eliminate the use of materials that are hazardous to human health and the environment. This is no small order! The site is funded by the NSF and the U. of O and has a database of information that can be accessed as keywords or by topic. An informative description of green chemistry rounds everything out.
- Great design, useful for students
- None
- Rating
- General Chemistry Online
- antoine.frostburg.edu/chem/senese/101/index.shtml
- Way back in the early days of this column (1998), I was one of the first reviewers to report on this well-designed, educational page. It seemed like now might be a good time to provide an update. Put together by Fred Senese at Frostburg State University, the site excels in several areas. The first is a common compound library. In it, users enter the name of a compound and a search engine retrieves data about the molecule, which includes links to PubChem, Webbook, and MSDS info. Chime structures and spectra are included where relevant. Second is a section entitled Exam Survival Guide. It provides practice exams and “ten ways to pass your next exam” that will be popular with students. A glossary covers many of the terms and can be sorted by topic. Last, a set of Construction kits help students to “build” chemical equations, convert units, and construct ionic compounds. Clearly a labor of love, General Chemistry Online has been around long enough to be called a classic of web education.
- Great writing, perspectives
- None
- Rating
- In the Pipeline
- pipeline.corante.com
- In the Pipeline is a blog from Derek Lowe, described as a Ph.D. organic chemist who is an Arkansonian by birth. I’m not sure how that all fits together, though. At his site, visitors get Derek’s views of the world of medicinal/organic chemistry, and these are quite fun reading. You don’t have to be a chemistry nerd to appreciate what Derek has to say, though it certainly doesn’t hurt. I found his writing to be both insightful and informative. Whether he is talking about the nastiness of cyanogen or the news of the latest Pfizer layoffs, Derek has a voice worth listening to. You can give him feedback at the site and if you tire of his opinions, the site’s links to related blogs will surely yield something of interest. His own site has archives going back to (gulp) 2002. An excellent site that shows what just one guy can do. In the Pipeline is a must-see.
- Organic chemistry info
- Incomplete delivery of content
- Rating
- Internet Resources: Organic and Biochemistry
- http://bbruner.org/402net.htm
I haven’t covered an organic chemistry site in the column for a while, so when I found this one, I jumped on it. Organized by someone with a bit of a stream-of-consciousness approach to information organization, the site is not exactly a model of hierarchy. Rather, all information appears to be focused on a single page, with hyperlinks routing users to sub-locations within the page. It would be easy to complain about a site like this if the information was not sound and useful, but such is not the case here. There is, in fact, a lot of useful information about organic chemistry to be had. The biochemistry info is a bit more limited, but shouldn’t be viewed as a major shortcoming of the site. Yes, I’d like to see this put together in a more hierarchical fashion and yes, I’d like to see a bit more extensive coverage, particularly of biochemistry, but this is a good first effort, albeit a bit unrealistic in its intended coverage of biochemistry AND organic chemistry. Worth checking out.
- Superb coverage of topic
- None
- Rating
- JCE Digital Library
- jce.divched.org/jcedlib
- If you’re interested in chemistry education, you probably already know about the Journal of Chemical Education’s online digital research. One of the most popular topics young scientists like to get their teeth into is chemistry. That was certainly true for me. If I could have accessed instructional material like what JCE offers when I was in high school, I gladly would have. Cutting a very broad swath through the subject, JCE’s site provides everything from the molecule of the month (rendered in 3-D) to numerous structures, classifications, rules for naming, online tutorials, practice test questions, QuickTime/Flash movies, videos (for sale), external links, and more. Though the site is aimed at instructors, I’m sure when word gets out among high school students about what is offered here for free, they’ll come in droves. One of the best education-related sites I’ve seen to date.
- Extensive coverage, tidy organization
- None
- Rating
- Links for Chemists
- www.liv.ac.uk/chemistry/links
- It takes a certain amount of bravado (and perhaps nerve) to name a site Links for Chemists. After all, the field is rather broad, so if you don’t qualify your offerings, they’d darn sure better be as broad as the field you cover. They say it’s not bragging if you are as good as you say you are and that holds for this rather awesome site. I mean, I had to literally wade through the content here to reasonably cover the site. Serving as the chemistry section of the WWW Virtual Library, Links for Chemists is hosted at the University of Liverpool. Main category headings include companies/industry, chemical literature, chemical information, organizations, topics, and links. Each topic has numerous subtopics and these, in turn, each have individual links. Clearly, there is more here than can be covered in a one paragraph review, so interested readers will simply need to check this one out for themselves. I’m sure they won’t be disappointed.
- Great reading and choice of links
- Nothing significant
- Rating
- Mass Spectrometry Blog
- msblog.kermitmurray.com
- Blogs seem to be everywhere, but I think the noise-to-signal ratio among them is even higher than that of the rest of the web itself. It is for that reason I’ve been fairly selective about including them here. An interesting or maybe unusual one that I couldn’t resist, however, is the Mass Spectrometry Blog. I’m not sure if my description here will do it justice, so I encourage anyone curious to check it out. The opening page seems to be sprinkled with articles and links to topics ranging from mass spec cartoons and photos, to humorous chemistry videos to Google trends in mass spectrometry, and much more. At first glance, many of the topics are loosely related to mass spec but that may be a plus at least for outsiders. I found the material very fun to peruse, and that is unusual for a blog. Besides the stories, there is an impressive collection of links to relevant journals and to the most impressive set of science blogs I’ve seen yet. Some of these are very interesting and one of them follows this review. All in all, a surprisingly useful site.
- Ease of use, usefulness of info
- None
- Rating
- ProNIT: Database for Protein-Nucleic Acid Interactions
- gibk26.bse.kyutech.ac.jp/jouhou/pronit/pronit.html
- Finding useful thermodynamic information of interest to molecular biologists is not particularly easy. Over the 11 years I’ve done the column, I’ve only come across a handful of such sites. I’m happy to have identified a new one in ProNIT, whose thermodynamic data for protein-DNA interactions is “very useful for understanding the principles of molecular recognition.” Indeed it is, and indeed, this is an awesome collection of info. Visitors can locate desired information via either a simple or an advanced search engine. I found the advanced engine to be actually easier to use. Returned records include extensive basic protein information as well as thermodynamic information regarding binding and other parameters. Easily the most useful thermodynamic site I’ve seen for molecular biology.
- Technical and data sections
- Very uninspired
- Rating
- QSAR World
- www.qsarworld.com
- Quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) is aimed at using structural information about chemicals to predict function. The idea here is that molecules with similar functional groups will have similar properties. As a simple example, boiling points are related to the amount of hydrogen bonding a molecule can undergo. Modern QSAR goes far beyond such simple properties. For example, QSAR modeling may be used to identify ligands for binding to hormone receptors or designing drugs based on the effectiveness or means of action of existing ones. QSAR World aims to assist professionals in this field in their efforts, but struggles with a rather boring organizational scheme and a disappointing amount of information. The technical sections are somewhat educational and the Web-based Resources section provides access to numerous databases, so there are at least a few goodies to be had.
- Creativity in design
- Narrow audience
- Rating
- The Astrochymist
- www.astrochymist.org
- One of my dreams as a child was to become an astronaut, and while today I think the value of humans in space is overrated, I still carry a fascination with the findings of astronomers and the various robot spacecraft we have out there. It was a particular pleasure, therefore, to discover “The Astrochymist” (no, that’s not a typo) site, which is packed with resources for astrochemists and interested bystanders. The designer(s) of the site have put a lot of thought into it. Start with the astromolecule of the month. Move from there to the most intelligently designed FAQ I’ve ever seen on a website. Describing the FAQ won’t do—you’ve got to see it to appreciate it. Other highlights include a Who’s Who in astrochemistry, an updated publications list, conference info, links, and a news archive. Kudos to the designer(s).
- Very good idea
- Signal to noise low
- Rating
- The Chemistry Unpublished Papers Forum - Index
- www.chemunpub.it
- Here’s an idea realized that I’ll wager a number of readers will also recognize as one they had themselves. The Chemistry Unpublished Papers Forum, hosted by a group of organic chemists at the University of Pisa, is a medium for those failed ideas that all of us have had at some point in our careers for which we wanted to “get the word out.” Indeed, how many times has the average scientist done an experiment that was either not completely thought out or that gave results that weren’t exactly clear? One person’s failed experiment is sometimes another person’s gold mine of information. It was with this observation that the site was clearly designed. Posting requires registration, but fortunately this is free. A set of rules describing what and how to post is informative. The articles, as one might expect, cover a wide range of territory and there is a lot of junk, as might be expected. However, even if only the occasional useful piece of information makes it through this process, the site is worthwhile.
- Good coverge of topic
- Could have broader scope, better figures
- Rating
- The Organometallic HyperTextBook Index
- www.ilpi.com/organomet/index.html
- Here’s a site I covered back in the early days of this column, and like many of us with our physicians, it is long overdue for a checkup. Having grown considerably in the past few years, The Organometallic HyperTextBook Index retains its basic philosophy of a descriptive name and a focus on organometallic chemistry while expanding its coverage of this important topic. With over 50 topic areas, some of which were frustratingly unlinked, the site takes no prisoners in its efforts. Individual topic descriptions contain figures, even though they may be a bit primitive, and hyperlinks to other articles. I’d like to see at least a few things at the site aimed at nonresearchers to help increase knowledge of the topic. Otherwise, a very useful site for practitioners.
- Very well written
- Nothing significant
- Rating
- The Science of Spectroscopy
- scienceofspecroscopy.info
- A site that starts with the musical question, "What is a WIKI," the Science of Spectroscopy site is a part of the Open Spectrum WIKI effort that represents an interesting attempt to build collaborative education projects. As defined at the site, a WIKI "can be thought of as a combination of a Web site and a Word document." It is a document to which multiple registered users can contribute and for which history can be tracked. The document is visible on the Web and can be easily viewed in a browser. The idea here is that teachers can register as users to be given editing permission and students can read the results. Topic areas covered include a wide variety of applications, techniques, and theory relative to spectroscopy. The writing is good and appropriate for students in college. An excellent educational effort that I will use with some of my classes.
- Educational value
- For nerds?
- Rating
- The Second Law of Thermodynamics
- www.secondlaw.com
- Most of us probably remember that the second law of thermodynamics relates entropy to disorder in the universe, but that is probably about it, if you're not a physical chemist, an engineer, or a biophysicist. This site may turn your perspective of the second law on its ear. How about the following as a description of the second law; "Energy spontaneously disperses from being localized to becoming spread out if it is not hindered from doing so." That is as concise a description of the second law as you may find. With an interest in educating visitors about the second law, this informative site provides an approachable way of looking at thermodynamics that is both refreshing and insightful. Written by Frank Lambert at Occidental College in L.A., The Second Law of Thermodynamics is a welcome alternative view of an otherwise dull subject that will open a few eyes.
- Good instructional and reference resources, nice organization
- None
- Rating
- The Wired Chemist
- www.wiredchemist.com
No, this website isn’t about a scientist on a caffeine high. Rather, this site contains a collection of wonderful electronic resources to teach chemistry. Material is organized into the general topics of chemistry, mineralogy, environmental, and NMR, and within each category there are a variety of subdivisions. These include, among others, instructional animations, problem sets, and laboratory exercises. A particular strength of this site is that it appeals to a wide audience, realizing that we are all “students of chemistry” in some capacity. Just because you’ve outgrown the lecture hall doesn’t mean you can’t find value in this site. The database of various NMR spectra, the annually updated bibliography of spectroscopic literature, and the list of employment and funding opportunities are just some of the resources targeted toward the professional. So I say, grab a cup of coffee and enjoy being a Wired Chemist!
- Useful information
- Hopefully more incidents will be reported
- Rating
- UK Chemical Reaction Hazards Forum
- www.crhf.org.uk/index.html
- Thank goodness for science ditties to help us remember our lab safety protocols. Perhaps you’ve found yourself preparing to add water to concentrated acid, yet you suddenly worry that you have it backwards. Calmly, you think to yourself, “Do as you oughta, add acid to water.” Phew—you avoided disaster there. While there aren’t chemistry jingles for every lab hazard, tales of the ensuing lab disasters have been compiled by a group of safety professionals from the UK chemical and pharmaceutical industry for our benefit. This site regales readers with recounts of unstable epoxide polymerizations, mechanical failures, and malfunctions in the laboratory with the purpose of hopefully avoiding similar mishaps in the future. The website also provides links to other lab safety and accident investigation resources, as well as software to calculate heats of reactions. All in all, the currently reported 152 incidents comprise a useful “how-not-to-do” lab manual for scientists.
- Thorough approach
- Most parts need beefing up
- Rating
- Virtual Chembook
- http://www.elmhurst.edu/~chm/vchembook/
- Speaking of virtual content online, Virtual Chembook is a sprawling effort from Elmhurst University that goes beyond the bounds of chemistry. Like the site before it, the opening page is decidedly uninspired visually, but at least it is not gray (it is light blue). On it, in table form are topic areas arranged in three main categories (General Chemistry, Organic/Biochemistry, and Miscellaneous). Underneath those are dozens of sub-topics, including Solutions/Solubility, Molecular Geometry, Carbohydrates, Enzymes, Global Warming, and Drug Chemistry, among many others. Clicking on sub-topics brings up primary information, which is adequate, but not as in-depth as that in the previous site and of limited use for teaching, other than for parenthetical, basic information. While the Virtual Chembook in sum is good, the individual sub-sections are somewhat lacking, making yet another case where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
- Thorough approach
- Most parts need beefing up
- Rating
- Virtual Chembook
- www.elmhurst.edu/~chm/vchembook
- In terms of virtual content, Virtual Chembook is a sprawling effort from Elmhurst University that goes beyond the bounds of chemistry. The opening page, which is visually uninspiring, has topic areas arranged into three main categories in table form: General Chemistry, Organic/Biochemistry, and Miscellaneous. Underneath those are dozens of subtopics, including Solutions/Solubility, Molecular Geometry, Carbohydrates, Enzymes, Global Warming, and Drug Chemistry. Clicking on subtopics brings up primary information, which is adequate but not as in-depth as that in the previous site and of limited use for teaching, other than for parenthetical, basic information. While Virtual Chembook is good, the individual subsections are somewhat lacking, making yet another case where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
- Fantastic idea
- A few rough edge
- Rating
- WebReactions
- www.webreactions.net/search.html
- WebReactions offers a rather impressive approach to organic synthesis. The site provides users with a clean slate on which to draw their starting reactants and desired products. Tools for common structures such as rings of several sizes, specific atoms and stereochemistry options are available. After drawing the requested molecules, the program queries multiple databases containing hundreds of thousands of records to locate protocols to perform the desired reactions. This is an organic chemist’s dream application in theory, but I discovered some snags that were annoying. The application is written in Java and while that provides cross-platform options, the interface is not a simple GUI at all levels. Structures can be drawn easily enough, but deleting them or undoing them is not at all intuitive. After drawing structures of reactants, I wanted to join them together by dragging one to the other but could not find an easy way to do so. There are some rough edges here, to be sure, and not every reaction can be expected to be in the databases, but WebReactions is a fantastic idea with enormous potential. I think it deserves the benefit of the doubt.
- Well put together
- None
- Rating
- Welcome to the Homepage of the Robert Boyle Project
- www.bbk.ac.uk/boyle
- If you’re into scientific history, you really need to check out this informative site on Robert Boyle, hosted in Birkbeck College at the University of London. Robert Boyle was one of the most prominent early British scientists and he is credited with significant contributions to developing the modern experimental method. Born in 1627, Boyle made major inroads to developing the modern philosophy of science. Visitors to the site will find papers on Boyle and an electronic version of the work diaries of the man as well. This is an incredible collection of material and a treasure trove for historians. The material is easy to read through and most informative. Two thumbs up.
- Departmental info
- Main point obscured
- Rating
- YCES – Case Western Reserve University
- electrochem.cwru.edu
- From Case Western Reserve comes YCES, an acronym for the Yeager Center for Electrochemical Sciences. Set in the Department of Chemistry, YCES is mostly an informative collection of pages about the offerings of participating departments relating to electrochemistry. The stated mission of the group is the education and training of students in fundamental aspects of the field. What caught my eye at YCES wasn’t an explicit focus on electrochemistry, which is unfortunate. Instead, I found the listings of several of the participating departments to be informative. I particularly liked offerings from the departments of Biomedical Engineering and Macromolecular Sciences/Engineering. There is a lot of info to be uncovered through the links on each of these. While the organization is not ideal and the site’s main focus is obscured a bit, YCES does have some interesting and informative content.
*The opinions expressed are solely those of the author(s) and should not be construed as reflecting the viewpoints of the publisher, Genetic Engineering News, the Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishing house, or employees or affiliates thereof.
Suggestions of websites for review are welcome and should be addressed to .
INTERVIEW:
(BIO) BANKING IN LUXEMBOURG - Interview with Robert Hewitt, Ph.D., CEO, Integrated Biobank of Luxembourg, and European Editor, Biopreservation and Biobanking (published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.)
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