Chemistry Division Special Libraries Association

Reference Corner
by
Dana L. Roth

Facility for the Analysis of Chemical Thermodynamics, F*A*C*T-Web

F*A*C*T-Web is housed at the Centre for Research in Computational Chemistry at Ecole Polytechnique de Montreal. It is "a fully integrated thermochemical database which couples proven software with self-consistent critically assessed thermodynamic data. The highlight of F*A*C*T-Web is its free, easily searchable databases that include Compound-Web, Reaction-Web, Equilib-Web, and Aqualib-Web.

With Compound-Web, users enter up to four elements or one compound and the program gives compounds of the elements or phases of the compound.

With Reaction-Web, users enter units, temperature limits, phase, and number of steps and the program calculates changes in extensive thermochemical functions (H, G, V, S, Cp, A) for a species, a group of species, or for a chemical reaction.

With Equilib-Web, users enter temperature, mass and pressure, and up to three reactants and five different elements and the program will list the most stable products of that combination.

With Aqualib-Web, users enter up to three reactants, including water, with up to five different elements and the program will calculate the chemical equilibrium.

All four databases have instructions. Besides these handy databases, F*A*C*T-Web also includes neatly categorized links to sites in inorganic chemical thermodynamics. A section on the FACT-Win database (for purchase), solution database, and links to news and announcements from F*A*C*T round out the site. This is a superb resource for chemists. [HCS]

Reprinted with alterations from the Scout Report, v.7, no.32, February 2, 2001.

NEW PATENT-TECHNICAL-BUSINESS WEBSITE SEARCH SERVICE

SurfIP http://www.surfip.gov.sg is a vertical portal that offers convenient access to multiple sources, such as IP databses, legal and business websites in one search operation. The patent sources that can be searched include the European Patent Office, the UK Patent Office, the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), and the USPTO.

SurfIP is also linked up Web Search Engines that include Google, Northern Light, etc. so that users only type in keywords once and can search 2 to 50 websources/databases at the same time. SurfIP also provides aggregated search results for the patent databases (i.e. a patent document which can be found separately in US PTO, EPO and WIPO databases will have its title displayed only once in SurfIP. Below the title of such patent documents, SurfIP will indicate the sources, where the document can be found. More and more databases/sources and facilities are being added to SurfIP, so try it today for your IP information needs! Search facility in SurfIP is FREE.

Dana L. Roth
Millikan Library / Caltech 1-32
1200 E. California Blvd. Pasadena, CA 91125
626-395-6423 fax 626-792-7540
dzrlib@library.caltech.edu
http://library.caltech.edu/collections/chemistry.htm

Comments to: Susanne J. Redalje
Chemistry Division
(206)543-2070(voice)
(206)543-3863(fax)
curie@u.washington.edu

Copyright©2001 SLA All Rights Reserved

This page updated April 2001