 | |
| Formation | 1907 |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Columbus, Ohio |
| Location |
|
Official language | English |
President | Manuel Guzman |
| Website | www |
CAS (Chemical Abstracts Service) is a division of theAmerican Chemical Society. It is a source of chemical information and is located inColumbus, Ohio, United States.
.jpg) | |
| Discipline | Chemistry (index) |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Publication details | |
| History | 1907–2010 |
| Publisher | Chemical Abstracts Service (United States) |
| Frequency | Weekly |
| Standard abbreviations ISO 4 (alt) · Bluebook (alt) NLM (alt) · MathSciNet (alt  ) | |
| ISO 4 | Chem. Abstr. |
| Indexing CODEN (alt · alt2) · JSTOR (alt) · LCCN (alt) MIAR · NLM (alt) · Scopus · W&L | |
| CODEN | CHABA8 |
| ISSN | 0009-2258 |
| LCCN | 09004698 |
| OCLC no. | 1553947 |
| Links | |
Chemical Abstracts is a periodical index that provides numerous tools such as SciFinder as well as tagged keywords, summaries, indexes of disclosures, and structures of compounds in recently published scientific documents. Approximately 8,000journals,technical reports,dissertations,conference proceedings, and newbooks, available in at least 50 different languages, are monitored yearly, as arepatent specifications from 27 countries and two international organizations.Chemical Abstracts ceased print publication on January 1, 2010.[1]
The two principal databases that support the different products are CAplus and Registry.
CAS References consists of bibliographic information and abstracts for all articles in chemical journals worldwide, and chemistry-related articles from all scientific journals, patents, and other scientific publications.
As of 2023[update], the CAS Registry contains information on more than 200 million organic and inorganic substances, and about 70 million protein andnucleic acid sequences.[2][3] The sequence information comes from CAS andGenBank, produced by theNational Institutes of Health. The chemical information is produced by CAS, and is prepared by the CAS Registry System, which identifies each compound with a specificCAS registry number, index name, and graphic representation of its chemical structure.
The assignment of chemical names is done according to thechemical nomenclature rules forCA index names, which is slightly different from the internationally standardIUPAC names, according to the rules ofIUPAC.
CAS databases are available via two principal database systems, STN, and SciFinder.
STN (Scientific & Technical Information Network) International is operated jointly[4] by CAS andFIZ Karlsruhe, and is intended primarily for information professionals, using acommand language interface. In addition to CAS databases, STN also provides access to many other databases, similar toDialog.
SciFinder is a database of chemical and bibliographic information. Originally it was available only as aclient application (for bothWindows andMacOS operating systems), a web version was released in 2008.[5] By that time it had a graphical interface, and was able to do graphical searches for chemical structures and reactions (the first database to allow such functions), as well as keyword searches for literature in chemistry and related disciplines.[citation needed] SciFinder Scholar was a very similar a product developed for academic institutions, but discontinued in 2023.[6][7]In 2017 theACS released SciFinder-n as a web-only product with the same data content and improved user interface and search functions.[8]
SciFinder is considered as the best source of chemical information worldwide, with substantially larger number of relevant information sources thanWeb of Science orScopus withReaxys.[9] However, due to its unique and unusual search functions, substantial training is needed in order to fully take advantage of SciFinder capabilities.[10]
CASSI stands forChemical Abstracts Service Source Index. Since 2009, this formerly print and CD-ROM compilation is available as a free online resource to look up and confirm publication information. The online CASSI Search Tool provides titles and abbreviations,CODEN,ISSN,publisher, and date of first issue (history) for a selected journal. Also included is its language of text and language of summaries.[11]
The range is from 1907 to the present, including both serial and non-serial scientific and technical publications. The database is updated quarterly.[11]Beyond CASSI lists abbreviated journal titles from early chemical literature and other historical reference sources.[12]
Chemical Abstracts (CA) began as a volunteer effort and developed from there. The use of volunteer abstractors was phased out in 1994.Chemical Abstracts has been associated with the American Chemical Society in one way or another since 1907.[13]
For many years, beginning in 1909, the offices ofChemical Abstracts were housed in various places on the Columbus, Ohio campus ofOhio State University, including McPherson Laboratory andWatts Hall.[14] In 1965, CAS moved to a new 50-acre (200,000 m2) site on the west bank of theOlentangy River, just north of The Ohio State campus. This campus became well known in the Columbus area and famous as the site of manyColumbus Symphony Orchestra pop concerts. In 2009, the campus consisted of three buildings.
In 1907,William A. Noyes had enlarged theReview of American Chemical Research, an abstracting publication begun byArthur Noyes in 1895 that was the forerunner ofChemical Abstracts. When it became evident that a separate publication containing these abstracts was needed, Noyes became the first editor of the new publication,Chemical Abstracts.
E. J. Crane became the first Director of Chemical Abstracts Service when it became an American Chemical Society division in 1956. Crane had beenCA editor since 1915, and his dedication was a key factor in its long-term success.
Dale B. Baker became the CAS Director upon Crane's retirement in 1958. According to CAS, his visionary view of CAS' potential "led to expansion, modernization, and the forging of international alliances with other information organizations."[15] CAS was an early leader in the use of computer technology to organize and disseminate information.[16]
The CAS Chemical Registry System was introduced in 1965. CAS developed a unique registry number to identify chemical substances. Agencies such as theU.S. Environmental Protection Agency and local fire departments around the world now rely on these numbers for the definite identification of substances. According to the ACS, this is the largest chemical substance database in the world.
In 1965, CAS left their offices at OSU for a new headquarters north of campus. Ground was broken in 1971 for an expansion to the building designed by architectsBrubaker/Brandt to accommodate the review of 400,000 new research reports printed each year. The 5-story 142,000 square foot building opened in May 1973.[17]
In 2007, the ACS designated its Chemical Abstracts Service subdivision anACS National Historic Chemical Landmark in recognition of its significance as a comprehensive repository of research in chemistry and related sciences.[18]
In 2021, CAS rebranded along with a change in logo. The organization updated their mission to be more focused on dynamic responsiveness due to ongoing changes within scientific industries and communities.[19]
In 2022, CAS announced the release of almost half a million CAS registry numbers under an open license in their Common Chemistry project.[20][21]
