The Merck Index

The Merck Index is a single volume encyclopedia of chemicals, drugs and biologicals. Since its initial publication in 1889, the Index has expanded in scope and evolved from simply a catalog of Merck products to an authoritative, widely quoted, reference source. The CD-ROM product, a counterpart to the 12th edition, continues the tradition of providing up to date information on selected important compounds to chemists, pharmacists, physicians and others in allied professions; it will be updated annually. Each monograph describes a single chemical entity or a group of closely related compounds and corresponds to a single record in the database. Systematic chemical nomenclature, trivial and generic names, tradenames, CAS registry numbers, molecular weights and formulae, physical and toxicity data, citationhs to the scientific and patent literature, and therapeutic and commercial uses are provided. All text in the database is fully searchable. Additionally, structures corresponding to the record may be displayed together with the text or searched separately and then linked to the appropriate monograph. Although great care has been taken to assure the accuracy of the information contained in The Merck Index, reference to the original sources is encouraged.