ENHANCED POLYMER STRUCTURE, SEARCHING, AND RETRIEVAL IN AN INTERACTIVE DATABASE

A fully interactive, online, proprietary database that uses Chemical A bstracts Services (GAS) STN MESSENGER software is described. Recent en hancements offered by MESSENGER software for structure records for pol ymers make this a powerful, flexible tool for polymer registration, se arching, and retrieval. Categorization, classification, and naming of polymers are explained. Polymer types include the following: (1) sourc e-based condensation (polyamides, polyesters, polyimides, polyurethane s, and combinations of these, e.g., polyamide-esters); (2) other sourc e-based [carbon-carbon multiple-bond (acetylenic, acrylic, ethylenic, vinyl); other (e.g., formaldehyde, melamine, phenol, urea)]; (3) struc tural repeating unit (constitutional repeating unit). Source-based ver sus structure-based representation is discussed. Nomenclature for poly mer end groups is presented, together with their database registration . Aftertreated, alternating, block, comb, graft, ladder, and star-shap ed polymers are also covered.