Incorporation of the CrossFire Beilstein Database into the Organic Chemistry Curriculum at the Royal Danish School of Pharmacy

• Published in: Journal of chemical education Vol. 79; no. 6; p. 765
• Main Authors: Christensen, S. Brogger, Franzyk, Henrik, Frolund, Bente, Jaroszewski, Jerzy W, Staerk, Dan, Vedso, Per
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Easton Division of Chemical Education 01.06.2002; American Chemical Society
• Subjects: College students; Colleges & universities; Curricula; Online data bases; Organic chemistry; Pharmacists; Science education; Denmark; Internet / Web-Based Learning; Chemical Information Instructor; IR Spectroscopy; Organic Chemistry
• ISSN: 0021-9584; 1938-1328
• DOI: 10.1021/ed079p765

The CrossFire Beilstein database has been incorporated into the organic chemistry curriculum at the Royal Danish School of Pharmacy as a powerful pedagogic tool. During a laboratory course in organic synthesis the database enables the students to get comprehensive overviews of known synthetic methods for a given compound. During a laboratory course in identification and as a part of an applied course in organic spectroscopy the students use the database for obtaining lists of all recorded isomeric compounds, facilitating an exhaustive identification. The main entrances for identification purposes are molecular formulas deduced either from titrations or from mass spectra combined with partial structures identified by chemical tests, or by interpretation of spectra. Thus, identifications made using the CrossFire Beilstein database will exclude some possibilities and point to correct structures from a selection of existing compounds. This appears to help the learning process considerably.