Chemical Information Bulletin, Volume 62, Number 3, Fall 2010 Page: 6
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Chemical Information Bulletin Vol. 62(3) Fall 2010
SB: As the editor of The Merck Index, what do your responsibilities include?
MO: Most importantly, I author a significant amount of the material in the monograph section and tables. I am
responsible for the selection of new compounds to be included as well as monographs that are retired from each
edition. It is very difficult to select the compounds that will no longer appear in print, but it is necessary to
maintain the single volume size. The retired monographs are still available in the online editions, although the
information is no longer updated.
If you look through previous print editions of The Index, you will notice that the contents are really an
encapsulation of what was happening in science during a particular period of time. I so much enjoy reading and
scanning journals and news articles for the latest developments, and I have been privileged to read and write about
a number of significant scientific advancements.
Perhaps the most enjoyable aspect of my role as editor is the opportunity to interact directly with those who use
The Index in their daily work. Their specialties span a wide range of scientific disciplines and include researchers
in the lab, emergency first responders, information professionals, educators, and, of course, students. It is most
gratifying to speak with these individuals to learn how The Index has contributed to their ability to do their work.
Many of them have great suggestions for us that they are willing to share. We try to incorporate their ideas into
our workflow to continually improve both the information we provide and the way we deliver it. I and some of
my team regularly attend the ACS National Meetings and would welcome everyone to stop by at our booth in the
exhibition center.
FT A.E. E - - -,--The title page of the First Edition of The Merck Index
SB: With the many new resources available online, what is
the niche that The Merck Index occupies now and which is its
audience today? What is unique about it? Why would people
] ,use it rather than go to other resources?
MO: There is an overwhelming amount of information available
f K hehicTas -now through the internet and some of it is very good. However,
it is often difficult to find authoritative information while
Jvarerievedica weeding through thousands of leads in your search engine of
A4rts. choice. Scientists have come to rely on the accuracy of the
physical properties and chemical structures presented in
The Index. It's also viewed as a key to the literature a first
stop for an overview of a compound's use or its significance.
1889.
The Merck Index centralizes a lot of information that is critical to many different research disciplines.
Approximately half of the monographs cover human and veterinary drugs, traditional and herbal medicines, and
diagnostic aids. The remainder includes standard lab reagents, agricultural and commercial chemicals, plants and
natural products, and compounds of environmental significance. We try to select the most important compounds
across this broad sweep of science to retain the ready reference characteristic.6
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American Chemical Society. Division of Chemical Information. Chemical Information Bulletin, Volume 62, Number 3, Fall 2010, periodical, Autumn 2010; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc823066/m1/7/: accessed April 19, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; .