The diversity of computer resources that chemists find useful precludes our making this list a truly comprehensive one. Just as our book index must focus on materials of potential utility to teachers and professors of chemistry, this compilation of providers of computer software will center on chemical pedagogy. There is no way that we could begin to include all of the reference management systems, word processors, spreadsheets, compilers, and so forth. Likewise, it would be impossible for us to survey the large amount of software freely-available on the Internet. Therefore, we attempt to list below commercial sources of computer materials likely to be of interest to teachers of chemistry. Users of this list should also consider the list of publishers of books when looking for computer resources that support chemical education. Sometimes such software is available free, with adoption of a text.
Structure Drawing , Spectroscopic Database Management, NMR Processing and Prediction and Systematic Naming Software. Demos and useful freeware including ChemSketch 5.0 are available for download on their Web site.
In addition to CAChe, they also sell WinMOPAC, for computer modeling of chemical systems. (The Cache line of modeling software once was sold by Oxford Molecular.)
Computer Chemistry Systems Department 15244 NW Greenbrier Parkway Beaverton, OR 97006-5733
This company was a pioneer in the development of a system for managing homework, grading, and class recordkeeping for chemistry. They have products for General Chemistry, Introductory Chemistry, General-Organic-Biological Chemistry, and Advanced Placement courses.
Supplier of the ISIS family of utilities for chemists, and the indispensable Chemscape Chime plug-in for browsers that allows 3-D rendering of molecules. Both of these applications are available free to academic users
This company produces high-end data acquisition and automation equipment, mostly for industrial users. Academic laboratories might be interested, especially in applications using LabView software.
Specializes in interfaced science experiments and demos. Pasco has an excellent reputation in the physics education community, and now offers an extensive line for chemists.
10101 Foothills Blvd. P.O. Box 619011 Roseville, CA 95678-9011
A simple way to get data from standard instruments into your computer is through the serial port, using WinWedge. You can also bring data from a TCP/IP source into any Windows application using TCP-Wedge. CRC Press, Garland Science, and Routledge are part of this group.
You don't always need a computer to record laboratory data. Texas Instruments' Calculator Based Laboratory (CBL) (and CBL2) systems provide a less-expensive alternative. Several of the other companies in this list provide products that use these systems.
Texas Instruments Customer Support Line P. O. Box 650311, MS 3962 Dallas, TX 75265
Specializes in interfaces with experiments. LoggerPro 3 is new this year. Very oriented toward applications for educators, and supplies software for PC, Mac, CBL and their new LabPro system.
Wavefunction provides a broad range of molecular modeling software applications for education and research. Student versions are available for as little at $60. Education solutions: Odyssey and Spartan student editions.
18401 Von Karman, Suite 370 Irvine, California 92612
