mathematics

MDL Chime

MDL Chime is a mathematics 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 MDL Chime rather than just read about it. In short: MDL Chime was a free plugin used by web browsers to display the three-dimensional structures of molecules. and was based on the RasMol code. Plug-in Chime was used by a wide range of biochemistry web sites for the visualization of macromolecules, many of which were linked to the World Index of Molecular Visualization Resources MolVisIndex.Org.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

MDL Chime was a free plugin used by web browsers to display the three-dimensional structures of molecules. and was based on the RasMol code.

Plug-in Chime was used by a wide range of biochemistry web sites for the visualization of macromolecules, many of which were linked to the World Index of Molecular Visualization Resources MolVisIndex.Org. Chime was also used until 2006 at the Protein Data Bank (PDB) to examine structures stored there. Although available in 1996 in both Windows 95 and classic Mac OS versions for both Netscape and Internet Explorer browsers, development of Chime did not follow the move to Mac OS X for the Mac and support for Windows-based browsers other than Internet Explorer was limited (although it works well in Mozilla Firefox). One significant feature added in 1997 was the ability to display spectroscopic data in the form of the IUPAC JCAMP-DX protocols. Apart from this, most subsequent updates were for the installation package to follow the development of Windows and Internet Explorer. Accelrys announced in 2012 that Chime was no longer supported and would remain available for download until the end of 2012. Chime was part of the ISIS product line acquired by Symyx Technologies from scientific publisher Elsevier in October 2007. Now Chime is owned by Dassault Systèmes BIOVIA (formerly Accelrys), and has been merged into Discovery Studio, but no longer exists as a free browser plugin. Chime largely has been superseded by Jmol, a non-proprietary open-source Java molecular visualization application and JavaScript applet that has maintained most Chime command compatibility while adding numerous features.

See also List of molecular graphics systems ISIS/Draw Molecular graphics Discovery Studio

References

External links Screen Capture of Chime in Action. Accelrys Chime Chime Download RCSB Protein Data Bank MolviZ.Org: Molecular Visualization Resources with rich collection of molecules Dublin City University CHIME and Jmol Pages

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with MDL Chime

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what MDL Chime claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In mathematics, 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 MDL Chime 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 MDL Chime 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 MDL Chime

In research: MDL Chime appears in mathematics 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 MDL Chime 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: MDL Chime is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Molecular geometry, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for MDL Chime 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.

Affiliate

Preply — study more efficiently by working with a personal tutor. 50% off.

How to study MDL Chime in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what MDL Chime 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 MDL Chime out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is MDL Chime in simple terms?

MDL Chime was a free plugin used by web browsers to display the three-dimensional structures of molecules. and was based on the RasMol code. Plug-in Chime was used by a wide range of biochemistry web sites for the visualization of macromolecules, many of which were linked to the World Index of Mole…

Why does MDL Chime matter?

Because it connects several mathematics 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 MDL Chime?

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 MDL Chime.