Chemical database provider Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS) has announced that CAS Registry now includes 40 million organic and inorganic substances. The CAS Registry is one the most comprehensive collections of chemical substances and the CAS Registry Number is the recognised global standard for chemical substance identification. More than 100 million CAS Registry Numbers have been assigned to organic and inorganic substances and biosequences.

The 40 millionth substance was identified by CAS scientists in a journal article published in Angewandte Chemie International Edition. The article describes a novel method for the synthesis of polycyclic substances with ‘a central seven-membered carbocycle’, including the 40 millionth substance.

A division of the American Chemical Society, CAS provides the world’s largest and most current collection of chemical and related scientific information, including the authoritative database of chemical substances, the CAS REGISTRY. CAS combines these databases with advanced search and analysis technologies to deliver complete, cross-linked and effective digital information environment for scientific research and discovery, including such products as SciFinder, STN, STN Express and STN AnaVistTM, among others.

Source:  Knowledgespeak Newsletter Dec. 4, 2008