science-softCon UV/Vis⁺ Spectra Data Base (UV/Vis⁺ Photochemistry Database)

Reviews concerning the on-line database and the CDs

• Short Review about the 6^th Edition UV/Vis+ Spectra Data Base CD-ROM (2008)

   

  The whole body of the UV/Vis+ Spectra Data Base is an invaluable tool to quickly find the most reliable and updated information about absorption cross-sections, spectral characteristics and/or photochemistry of a huge number of important molecules and radicals, particularly those relevant to atmospheric and environmental studies.

  The Data Base project is a non-profit project, and therefore does not have all the functionalities that could be encountered in other systems. This is precisely what makes us, the generators of new data, feel the obligation to collaborate in order to improve its content. The database is a work in continuous progress and it deserves all our cooperation.

  The content is exposed in a number of categories, which reflect rather accurately the type of substance treated, though in my opinion, radicals should have their own entry in order not to be buried together with many other molecules.

  It is nevertheless, easy to work with the database, its menu is very friendly and it takes no more than a couple of minutes to get acquainted with the whole content.

  In general, the work done and the service offered is absolutely appreciated by the scientific community.

   

  Gustavo Argüello (Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Argentina), July 2009.
  
  

• Short Review on the 6th Edition of the UV/Vis+ Spectra Data Base CD-ROM by A. Noelle, G.K. Hartmann, A. Fahr, D. Lary, S. Le Calve, J.J. Orlando, A.C. Vandaele, R.P. Wayne, C.Y.R. Wu
  
  The UV/Vis+ Spectra Data Base operates on-line since 2000 and every one or two years a mirror of the on-line database on CD-ROM is published. The 6th edition of the UV/Vis+ Spectra Data Base was published in October 2008 and compiles photochemical data in the gas, liquid, and solid phases of a large number of stable organic and inorganic species as well as radicals. The spectral information, which includes mainly absorption cross sections and quantum yields, covers the ultraviolet, visible, and, in a lesser extent, the near infrared regions. The division of the database by 23 groups of substances is an efficient way of finding what the user is looking for.
  The interdisciplinary of this photochemistry database is well-known in the scientific community and provides an excellent interaction between different research areas. So, this database is an excellent tool for scientists who investigate on different fields such as atmospheric chemistry, astrophysics, agriculture, analytical chemistry, environmental chemistry, medicine, remote sensing, etc.
  A proof of the feedback between the scientific advisory group and the database users is that the UV/Vis+ Spectra Data Base is constantly getting updated with data from published papers and provided from the users. Links to the data through the publisher is also of great use for the user.
  As a user of the UV/Vis+ Spectra Data Base, I greatly appreciate the effort to maintain and update the on-line database with more interesting photochemical data.
  
  Elena Jiménez (University of Castilla-La Mancha, Spain), September 2009.
  
  

• Short review about the 6^th edition of the UV/VIS+ Spectra Data Base  

  This database contains absorption cross sections and quantum yields of many species under atmospheric conditions whose knowledge are essential for an accurate determination of photolysis rates, which are in turn important parameters for the chemical models of the atmosphere.

  This database offers therefore a unique collection of spectroscopic and photochemical information of utmost interest to atmospheric scientists.

  The database is organized such that accessing the data is achieved in a very simple, quick, and efficient way. The chronological ordering of the data (instead of alphabetical) as well as the dual finding mode -by categories or by CAS number- represents very useful and practical functionalities.

  I greatly appreciate the fact that raw data initially coming from the literature are given, also with the direct link to their associated publication and hence to their original source. Old references for which no dataset is available are also archived, giving the opportunity to perform a detailed bibliographic review. This gives to the user a guarantee of transparency and independence of the compilation.

  Such a non-profit initiative should be highly encouraged through support from the contributors and help from the users. A database is a work in constant evolution, and continuing efforts to improve and extend it must be pursued.

  Sophie Fally (Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy, Brussels, Belgium), December 2009.

• Review of  UV/Vis⁺ Spectra Data Base, 7th Edition (2010)

  In its present seventh edition, the UV/Vis⁺ Spectra Data Base and its associated UV/Vis⁺ Photochemistry Database provide information about many hundreds of chemical compounds – and even about fifty free radicals – concerning their absorption spectra involving electronic transitions in the near infrared, visible, near and far ultraviolet regions and in some cases in the extreme ultraviolet. Such information is naturally useful in connexion with the photochemical properties of these compounds, and in reaction systems in which these compounds and radicals participate. The information is well organised, under 26 categories plus a small miscellaneous collection of 20 other compounds, so covering from H₂ to UF₆ with many organic compounds and free radicals, in gaseous, liquid and solid phases.

  The use of this data base as a compact disk readable on a computer connected to internet bestows a great advantage of hyperlinks to the original papers in those cases in which the sources permit such access. In such a case, the computer connects automatically to the particular sources – journal web site, author’s web site, et cetera – at which the relevant publication is available. There is an internally linked access to data on the disk based on a search through Chemical Abstract number of a particular compound, but no author index that might anyhow be of marginal utility. For journals and other depositories that do not permit direct access, the library of an institution or organisation typically enables electronic access according to the bibliographic data located through this data base.

  The spectra service, also part of the information on the compact disk, presents lists of absorption coefficients of compounds in small increments of wave length or wavenumber, according to what authors included in their paper and provided to this compilation. The entire data base is an invaluable resource that enables one rapidly to locate reliable and current information about absorption cross sections, spectral and photochemical characteristics of important molecules and radicals, including many organic dyes. These data are particularly useful in connexion with research on atmospheric and environmental topics because so many oxide, peroxide and hydroxide species are here included.

  Anybody who is undertaking research in spectrometry involving molecular electronic transitions or modeling photochemical processes is strongly advised to arrange access to this admirable data base. All authors of papers on, or including quantitative data on, spectral transitions in the visible or ultraviolet regions are likewise encouraged to submit promptly their papers and data for this compilation, so that global colleagues will quickly become aware of their accomplishments.

  J. F. Ogilvie, Universidad de Costa Rica, and Simon Fraser University, Canada, June 2010.