Reaxys is the Web-based successor to the
Crossfire system, and provides user-friendly access to reliable information about millions of chemical structures, reactions, and properties contained in the Beilstein and Gmelin databases.
Reaxys is currently available to UT-Austin users on a trial basis.
The legacy Crossfire Commander software client can still be used, but this access will be discontinued after 2010. Users are encouraged to make the switch as soon as possible, for these reasons:
- More user-friendly, task-driven interface
- Uses a Web browser, not client software
- It works on a Mac!
- Off-campus (remote) use is possible via the Libraries' proxy server
- Gmelin data on inorganic/organometallic substances is available to UT-Austin users for the first time.
- Reaxys is under active development; Crossfire Commander is a legacy product. Most Crossfire functionality is available in Reaxys, plus a number of new features and tools not previously available, including a synthesis planner, hitset relevance ranking and filtering, and more.
Content
Reaxys merges the content from three major data sources:
- Beilstein
- The definitive source of information on the structures, reactions, and properties of organic carbon compounds, drawn from the journal literature back to the 18th century. More about Beilstein
- Gmelin
- The definitive source of information on structures and properties of inorganic and metal-organic compounds, drawn from the journal and patent literature back to the early 19th century. More about Gmelin
- Patent Chemistry Database
- A new file of organic chemistry information drawn from selected English-language chemical patents (US, WO, EP, 1976- ). Additional historical (1869-1980) patent coverage comes from the Beilstein and Gmelin files.
Documentation
Reaxys offers a robust array of
support and instructional materials, including live webinars, training videos, downloads, and PDF and PowerPoint guides.
Frequently Asked Questions
>>> See also the
FAQ page on the Reaxys site.
- Can I access it from off campus?
- Yes. Just enter your UT EID and password when prompted. Access is restricted to current UT Austin students, faculty and staff (no visitors or Courtesy Borrowers).
- Can I still use the old Crossfire Commander software?
- Yes, but Commander access will be discontinued at the end of 2010.
- What structure editors are supported?
- Reaxys defaults to MarvinSketch, which requires current Java and JRE. Other Windows editors require plugins: ISIS Draw, Symyx Draw, and Crossfire Structure Editor. These can be downloaded from the Reaxys site.
- I can't get the structure editor to open.
- This is most likely a Java problem. Make sure Java and cookies are enabled in your browser. Check your Java and/or JRE versions and update them if necessary. Consult the About Reaxys page for compatibility and version details.
- What compounds does Reaxys cover?
-
The Beilstein and Gmelin file segments complement each other and cover different elements in the periodic table. The Beilstein file covers compounds of carbon with the elements shown in white:
Gmelin covers compounds without carbon; elemental and inorganic carbon, CO, CO2, carbonic acid, and carbides; pure elements, alloys, and compounds containing metallic elements shown in green, including inorganic, organometallic, and coordination compounds thereof; plus glasses, ceramics, minerals and some polymers.
In general, organic polymers, peptides, biological molecules, and mixtures are not included in Reaxys.
- Does Reaxys link to full text of journals?
- Reaxys provides links to full text in the citation records. However, UT Austin does not have licensed access to all the possible content, so you will not be able to see full text in every case.
- What are the sources of Reaxys' content?
- For the nitty-gritty details, click Help button in Reaxys, then choose Reaxys Content Details/Sources.
The Beilstein Handbook up to 1959 (Supplement IV) and the Gmelin Handbook up to 1975 are the core sources of historical content. Thereafter, information has been extracted from selected journals with varying levels of thoroughness. In addition, Gmelin's coverage of the literature was always uneven: some chemical elements were very extensively covered over time in multiple volumes and supplements, while others were never updated after the original volume was published. It is important to remember that Reaxys is not intended to be a comprehensive index to the recent literature in the way that CAS' SciFinder (Chemical Abstracts) is. Its coverage is much more selective than CAS'.
- What is the patent coverage in Reaxys?
- Beilstein included selected worldwide organic chemical patents from about 1920 to 1980. Gmelin also covered chemical patents. The Patent Chemistry Database covers selected English-language patents (US, WO, EP) since 1976, based on a subset of IPC codes.
Search SciFinder (Chemical Abstracts) for much more complete chemical patent coverage.
- Does Reaxys contain CAS Registry Numbers?
- Yes, but not comprehensively. Beilstein substance records created prior to 1994 ususally contain RNs as chemical identifiers. Some records added since 1994 do not. Not all Gmelin substance records have RNs.
A single compound record in Reaxys may contain several CAS RNs. This is because the two systems use different registration rules: CAS assigns RNs more narrowly than Beilstein or Gmelin. CAS RNs should not be confused with Beilstein (BRN) and Gmelin (GRN) registry numbers.
- What's the easiest way to find a piece of data for a known compound?
- If you already have its CAS Registry Number:
- Select the "Substances and Properties" tab.
- Select "Form-based search".
- Open the "Identification Data" menu.
- Enter the CAS RN in the appropriate box and click Search. If you don't have the CAS RN, do a search by structure, molecular formula, or name.
- Click View Results. In the table entry for the matching compound, click "Show Details" or the appropriate link under "Available Data".
- Open the desired data category to view the data table.
- Can I export references into EndNote?
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Yes. When you open the Output tool, select "Literature Management Systems" for output format, and then import into EndNote or another bibliographic management software.
- Should I search in SciFinder or Reaxys?
- Both. SciFinder and Reaxys are complementary resources, and although both are ultimately based on the primary literature, the two are quite different in the ways they scan and index the literature, the ways they register compounds and index reactions, and in the dates they cover. Reaxys is very useful for obtaining checked physico-chemical data, preparation/reaction methods, and especially for its near-comprehensive coverage of pre-1960 organic journal literature (pre-1976 for inorganic literature). Literature references in Beilstein and Gmelin go back to the 18th century.
SciFinder is more useful for its very thorough coverage of the literature and patents from 1967 forward and its comprehensive registration of all types of chemical compounds and structures. CAS also scans far more journals.
For chemists interested in synthesis, reactions and chemical properties, it is always advisable to search both databases for complete coverage of the entire literature. For a side-by-side comparison see the Database Comparison table.
- Is there any reason to consult the printed Beilstein or Gmelin handbooks anymore?
- For most purposes, no. However, the Reaxys database is not an exact duplication of the Handbooks. Pertinent data and references were extracted from the printed works to create the electronic database. The Beilstein Handbook entries, while in highly abbreviated German, provide some textual descriptions of synthetic chemistry that are not present in the online version. Beilstein Supplement V (1960-79) has only been partially converted. Conversely, there is much information later added to the Beilstein database that was never included in the printed Handbook.
The print Gmelin Handbook content from 1976 to 1998 (when it ceased) has not been converted to the database format. Print Gmelin remains the more useful of the two because it was more textual and narrative in presentation and provided useful tables and graphs in the text.
Because the two formats are complementary rather than identical, the printed Handbooks remain in the Chemistry Library.
- Where do Beilstein and Gmelin come from?
- The Beilstein database was originally created and maintained by the Beilstein Institute in Germany, drawing the core data from the printed Handbook. The original Gmelin Handbook was compiled by the Gmelin Institute (part of the Max Planck Institute) in Germany, and published by Springer Verlag. The Commander client interface was launched by MDL in the mid-1990s; Reed Elsevier acquired MDL in 1997. In March 2007 Elsevier purchased the Beilstein database outright from the Institute to merge with its MDL subsidiary. Later in 2007 Elsevier sold MDL to Symyx Technologies Inc., but retained ownership of the Beilstein content. The Gmelin content is owned by Gesellschaft Deutscher Chemiker (GDCh) and licensed to Elsevier.
- Who pays for Reaxys?
- Reaxys at UT-Austin is cooperatively funded by the University Libraries, the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, and the Division of Medicinal Chemistry in the College of Pharmacy.
For more information about Reaxys and Beilstein, including questions about access, contact the Chemistry Library by
email or phone 512-495-4600.
