A. Links are created in the displayed HTML pages at the point in an article where a chemical structure is referred to. These links open up a new window which displays the structure as a Chime molecule. This structure is then passed to third-party applications and databases in order to find out more information on that structure. For instance, it is possible to find all articles including that structure in the Beilstein CrossFire database, find a similar compound in the Chapman & Hall/CRC Combined Chemical Dictionary, generate an IUPAC name with AutoNom, or find a NMR spectrum using ACD/Labs databases.

A. Dymond linking is available to individuals at those institutes holding an online subscription to Tetrahedron Letters and/or Tetrahedron via ScienceDirect. ScienceDirect subscribers can access full text articles directly via www.sciencedirect.com or if you are a registered ChemWeb member, you can use the journal links to ScienceDirect within www.chemweb.com.

A. Dymond links are provided free of charge for all customers of relevant Elsevier Science journals holding online subscriptions via ScienceDirect. At present they are only available for Tetrahedron and Tetrahedron Letters, but will expand to include other popular chemistry journals soon (Tetrahedron: Asymmetry will follow later in 2002). The links are intended as a service to those readers who wish to make the most of the web as a medium for browsing full-text articles. However, access to Dymond linking does not necessarily mean that you will have access to all of the databases and applications that are linked to. E.g. to search Beilstein CrossFire, you will need a subscription to CrossFire Direct or an in-house copy of the database. To access the other services, all that is needed is a ChemWeb membership. Although they are free to search, some require payment to view the full results.

A. Dymond stands for Dynamic Metadata On Demand. Dynamic, since the data sources we link into are constantly changing and growing, meaning the link may well yield different data when clicked at different times. Metadata, since the links go on to provide data about the chemical structure itself. On Demand, since the data is only revealed when the user clicks on the link of interest.

A. If you have a subscription to CrossFire Direct (the web-based application for CrossFire access) or an in-house copy of the database, then configuring Commander to accept Dymond linking is easy. First of all, it is essential that you are using the latest version of Commander 2000. All versions from 5.0 build 6 upwards will work. Now when you click on a Dymond Link, a file (of type .bccom) will be passed to Commander to search the CrossFire database for that exact structure. If you have already opened Commander 2000/CrossFire, the results will display seamlessly. If Commander 2000/CrossFire is not open, you may be prompted to enter your CrossFire login name before being able to progress. For further queries on Dymond linking and CrossFire, please contact your local MDL Sales Office.

A. Some searches on CCD (Combined Chemical Dictionary) can take up to 90 seconds or so. This is because large numbers of structures are being searched, typically at a similarity level of 60%. This introduces a 'fuzzy' aspect to searching which returns more hits, but which also increases the searching time. Please allow 90 seconds for a 'fuzzy' search of CCD.

A. The mol files which are displayed using the Chime viewer can be used in your own reports if you so wish. When viewing the files in the intermediate window, use the mouse to right-click on the structure. Choose "File > Save Molecule As..." and you can save the mol file to your hard disk. When right-clicking on the file, it is also possible to transfer the file to ISIS Draw, where it can be edited and then saved to disk or used to initiate another search in another database.

A. No. Elsevier Science will format the supplied author files into an appropriate mol file. In the future, authors who provide chemical structures in a certain format may have their structures available as Dymond Links quicker than those who do not, but this will be entirely voluntary and will not affect other editorial processes in any way.

A. Because of the time it takes to index all of the structures for a certain issue, there can be a delay of a few days between the appearance of the full text online and the appearance of the Dymond Links. We aim to keep this delay to a minimum.