CAS ― the Global Leader in Chemical Information
As the world’s authority for chemical information, CAS delivers the most current, complete, and cross-linked secure digital information environment for scientific discovery. CAS products and services bring speed and accuracy to customer research processes and help ensure their research is at the cutting edge.
In 2010, CAS set new records for database growth, adding more than 1.3 million searchable journal articles and patent documents, for a new total of nearly 33.5 million indexed records. CAS’s reaction database saw even greater gains, adding upwards of 7.8 million reactions. Both additions topped those from 2009, the previous record-high year. Thanks to the scientists who build CAS databases, researchers can explore the largest collection of disclosed chemical synthesis information, including more than 30 million single- and multi-step reactions from 1840 to the present.
As of year-end 2010, CAS REGISTRYSM included more than 56 million organic and inorganic substances, plus more than 62 million sequences. The continual growth and updating of the CAS REGISTRY database is apparent from the REGISTRY counter on the CAS home page (www.cas.org). This growth has been aided by CAS’s expanding coverage of predicted and experimental properties, spectra, and data tags, to more than 3 billion. The spectral data includes more than 43 million predicted proton NMR spectra and 44 million predicted carbon NMR spectra.
CAS’s patent authority coverage expanded to include the Costa Rica Registry of Industrial Properties (CR). CAS covers 61 patent authorities worldwide to ensure comprehensive patent information within its databases.
Released in late summer and fall, two separate full-featured enhancements to the web version of SciFinder® helped scientists and other researchers expedite research inquiries, lab preparations, and synthesis-planning processes. The enhancements included Markush searching, Digital Object Identifier (DOI) search and display, transformation center highlighting, monthly “Keep Me Posted” alerts, experimental procedures for chemical reactions, substance searching via Simplified Molecular Input Line Entry (SMILES) and InChI strings, relevance ranking of reactions, and various efficiency- and usability-improving features. Also, continuing work begun in 2009, CAS and the ACS Publications division enabled journal article readers on the ACS publication website to easily access patent-related information in SciFinder.
CAS Increases Academic Access to SciFinder at No Additional Cost
In the summer, CAS provided approximately 500 academic institutions around the world with 20 percent additional capacity for the web version of SciFinder, at no additional cost. This initiative, made possible through improved cost efficiency of CAS technology infrastructure, allows CAS to continue its mission of providing access to the best digital chemical information while elevating SciFinder competitively. Allocation of seats to an additional 500 schools began in December and will continue as capacity becomes available.
USPTO Signs Single Source Contract with CAS for STN
The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) signed a five-year “single source” contract with CAS for STN®. According to a notice from the USPTO, “CAS’ STN databases offer the largest collection and depth of chemical and related information compared to other commercial web based databases. In addition, CAS is the only company that has a unique, proprietary, chemical structure searching capability using its STN Express® software. No other source can successfully meet the USPTO’s requirements.”
This endorsement of STN bodes well for the next step in the product’s evolution. A proof-of-concept prototype was well-received by the global members of the STN Customer Advisory Council and is the basis for the pilot release of the new STN platform, tentatively called STN 21, due at the end of 2011.
CAS Chemistry Research Reports Confirm CAS’ Chemical Authority
The CAS Chemistry Research Report series examines global trends in journal and patent publications from the CAS databases. The reports identify categories of scientific research presenting promise for today’s global challenges as well as geographic shifts in scientific research and commercialization. The first report—China Takes Lead in the Commercialization of Bioethanol—was released mid-year to an enthusiastic reception. Two later reports—Human Genome Discoveries Spur Growth of Cancer Treatments and Nanofiltration Shows Promise in the Quest for Pure Water—also attracted attention in traditional and social media outlets while demonstrating CAS’ breadth on a range of topics. Watch for more reports to come in 2011.