chemistry

Gmelin database

Gmelin database is a chemistry topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Gmelin database rather than just read about it. In short: The Gmelin database is a large database of organometallic and inorganic compounds updated quarterly. It is based on the German publication Gmelins Handbuch der anorganischen Chemie ("Gmelin's Handbook of Inorganic Chemistry") which was originally published by Leopold Gmelin in 1817; the last print edition, the 8th, appeared in the 1990s.

Key takeaways

Gmelin database belongs to chemistry; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Gmelin database to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Gmelin database from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The Gmelin database is a large database of organometallic and inorganic compounds updated quarterly. It is based on the German publication Gmelins Handbuch der anorganischen Chemie ("Gmelin's Handbook of Inorganic Chemistry") which was originally published by Leopold Gmelin in 1817; the last print edition, the 8th, appeared in the 1990s. Although published over many decades, the printed series was not uniform in coverage or currency. Some elements are represented only by decades-old and not updated slim summary volumes. Others (Fe, B, S, F, U, etc.) have numerous supplements. Most later supplement volumes focused on an element's organic complexes. Each volume lists its literature coverage date. The database currently contains every compound/reaction discovered between 1772 and 1995, amounting to 1.5 million compounds and 1.3 million different reactions, with over 85,000 titles, keywords and abstracts. It has over 800 different data fields on subjects such as the compounds' electric, magnetic, thermal, crystal and physiological information. The Gmelin database is maintained by Elsevier MDL. It is the sister database to the Beilstein database, which deals with organic chemicals and reactions; both are now part of the Reaxys system. The Gmelin database is less complete and less up-to-date than the handbook; the printed book is consequently kept available.

References

External links

Gmelin's Handbook of Inorganic Chemistry 1905-1915 (in German) Vol. I/1 Vol. I/2 Vol. I/3 Vol. II/1 Vol. II/2 Vol. III/1 Vol. III/1b Vol. III/2 Vol. IV/1 Vol. IV/2 Vol. V/1 Vol. V/1b Vol. V/2 Vol. V/3 Vol. VI/1 Vol. VI/2

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Gmelin database

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Gmelin database claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In chemistry, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Gmelin database before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Gmelin database ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Gmelin database

In research: Gmelin database appears in chemistry research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Gmelin database in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Gmelin database is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Chemical databases, Inorganic chemistry, Organometallic chemistry, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Gmelin database outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Gmelin database in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Gmelin database means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Gmelin database out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Gmelin database in simple terms?

Why does Gmelin database matter?

Because it connects several chemistry ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Gmelin database?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Gmelin database.