CrossFire: a structural revolution for chemists

Abstract

When the CrossFire databases were released in 1994, chemical information became available in electronic form of a quality and quantity never before accessible to end‐users. Describes the information sources used by chemists before CrossFire and the origins of the CrossFire database. Discusses the content and functionality of CrossFire, and provides examples to illustrate its capabilities. The database allows chemists to search in their own language of structures, reactions and properties, and this has had an impact on the type of chemical information searching possible. Makes particular reference to the CrossFire service provided by MIMAS to the UK and Scandinavian academic communities. Also mentions the position of CrossFire in the chemical information landscape, along with news of expected developments.