REACh: On the market faster, with technical information from FIZ CHEMIE

The new EU REACh regulation (Registration, Evaluation and Authorization of Chemicals) imposes the responsibility for safety in handling the processed substances and products on companies that bring the chemicals onto the market. REACh reorganizes the registration, evaluation, licensing and restriction of chemical substances and also rescinds the previously valid exemption rules for old substances. With the coming into effect of the regulation on June 1st 2007, manufacturers and importers throughout Europe must provide safety certificates for handling the chemicals which they process and distribute and provide safety recommendations for the entire added value chain, from the raw material, right up to disposal.

Reorganization triggers a huge demand for information. Experts estimate that between 30,000 and 100,000 substances must be classified in detail, in relation to toxicity and production rate. The “first marketers”, as German public authorities refer to the affected companies, are obligated to gather all information for evaluating raw materials and products and to base their handling recommendations and documentation on this data. With this, high-quality technical information sources, such as the thermophysical Infotherm® database, the ChemInform RX reaction database and additional specific technical quality databases from FIZ CHEMIE Berlin can provide valuable assistance. In cooperation with renowned international partners, FIZ CHEMIE Berlin has been selectively documenting specialist technical information from chemistry and its associated fields in databases for more than 25 years. Today, the information service provider has enormous collections containing literature references, as well as data and facts on chemical substances and reactions, available electronically. FIZ CHEMIE Berlin has developed specialized search engines for seeking information on the Internet. During the search, these exclusively access evaluated Internet sources, which results in high-quality answers. The offers of the non-profit institution for business and science are partly free of charge and partly subject to a fee.

Infotherm® provides thermophysical parameters on chemical substances
With Infotherm®, FIZ CHEMIE Berlin offers one of the world's largest databases, with thermophysical characteristics. The high-quality information source contains thermophysical parameters on around 7,400 pure substances and around 29,000 mixtures. These can be linked with up to 150 substance characteristics, for example, with boiling points, PVT properties, phase equilibria, transport or surface properties. For a substance mixture, the components of which are entered as compound names, molecular formulae or CAS numbers, Infotherm® can find characteristics under various conditions within seconds. The results can be displayed as a compromised table or an interactive chart. Infotherm® is offered as a database on the Internet and alternatively, on DVD, for incorporation into you own company network. http://www.infotherm.de/
ChemInform® calculates alternatives for synthesis
ChemInform® is the most popular information source from FIZ CHEMIE Berlin. Introduced decades ago, the reporting service on organic and element-organic synthesis now exists in all technically available media formats – from print form, right up to the interactive reaction database.

ChemInform® provides brief descriptions of syntheses, methods and processes, in a highly compromised form, which are described in approx. 200 international specialist publications. This data is prepared electronically, using high-performance software, so that information can be accessed in a very targeted manner. In this way, ChemInform® offers, among other things, the simulation of various alternatives for synthesis planning. In relation to fulfilling REACh, these functions can be used, for example, in seeking alternative components for the elimination of toxicological or other critical interim stages in the production chain, which could possibly lead to problems with licensing. http://www.cheminform.com/

Guides provide a good overview of information sources on toxicology
Toxicology and ecotoxicology of substances play a significant part in the reorganization of handling chemicals. In order to gain a quick overview of available information, the use of the specialized search engines, ChemGuide and MedPharmGuide, is recommended, which were developed by FIZ CHEMIE Berlin over a period of years and constantly improved. These search engines exclusively access Internet sources during the search, which have previously been examined by specialists, with respect to their relevance, quality and reliability. They not only search the web superficially, but also cover large parts of the so-called “deep” or “hidden web”, which other search engines do not take into account. Extensive information search options are available in the guides. Wildcards and operators from professional research can be used for the search. The search results provide valuable starting material for obtaining high-quality, scientifically determined data and facts on the toxicity of chemical substances – as well as on every other technically relevant question in the REACh environment. http://www.fiz-chemie.de/guides/
Additional Information:
FIZ CHEMIE Berlin
P.O. Box 12 03 37
D-10593 Berlin
http://www.chemistry.de
E-Mail: info@fiz-chemie.de
Contact:
Prof. Dr. René Deplanque
Managing Director
Phone: +49 (0)30 / 399 77- 200
Fax: +49 (0)30 / 399 77- 133
E-Mail: deplanque@fiz-chemie.de
Contact for the press:
Richard Huber
Phone: +49 (0)30 / 399 77- 217
E-Mail: huber@fiz-chemie.de
About FIZ CHEMIE Berlin
FIZ CHEMIE Berlin is a state-supported non-profit information agency financed by the Federal Government and the Governments of the German States whose primary task is to provide high-quality information services concerning chemistry, chemical engineering and related fields to science, education and industry. It is certified according to the DIN EN ISO 9001:2000 quality standard. FIZ CHEMIE Berlin maintains close relationships with research and information institutions in Germany and abroad and has marketing agreements with partner organizations worldwide. The Centre is committed to the further development and the linking of national and international chemistry information. FIZ CHEMIE Berlin is a member of the Germany's Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Science Association (Leibniz-Gemeinschaft).

All statements in this press release that are not historical are forward- looking statements within the meaning of the U.S. securities laws. Such statements are based upon current expectations that are subject to risks and uncertainties. Actual results may vary materially from those projected because of factors such as uncertainties relating to technologies, product development or manufacturing, market acceptance, cost or pricing of FIZ CHEMIE Berlin's products, dependence on collaborations and partners, regulatory approvals, competition, intellectual property of others, or patent or copyright protection or litigation.