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About
meta-synthesis
Founded in 1999 and based in the UK, meta-synthesis
is a scientific publishing house offering books, posters, databases,
multimedia materials, web books, seminars and short courses that attempt
to explain and demystify chemical reaction science. We also provide
consultancy services to education and industry. Our
products are
derived from the work of Mark R. Leach Ph.D.:
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"Some people collect
stamps. I collect and study chemical reactions. I use a MySQL relational
database, ChemThes, to store,
sort, classify and slice 'n' dice information about chemical entities
and the interactions and reactions they undergo."
"Using this software tool and taking a combinatorial approach,
I explore reaction chemistry space close to the periodic table of
the elements. Main group binary compounds are examined in terms
of the van Arkel-Ketelaar triangle and Laing tetrahedron of bonding
and material type. Hydrogen probe experiments are used to find objects
& patterns including: congeneric arrays, the five reaction chemistries,
the Lewis acid/base interaction matrix and the mechanism matrix.
Chemistry, the whole thing is explored in terms of complexity
and the nature of structural theory."
"I seem to be filling part of the scientific story between
the periodic table and the established disciplines of organic and
inorganic chemistry, an area that is poorly covered by traditional
texts. I call this science chemogenesis,
as it deals with the emergence of mechanism and chemical reactivity."
"The Chemogenesis Web Book is both a new chemistry text. The
new analysis presents reaction chemistry science as a narrative
for the first time, rather than as a collection of tenuously connected factoids. Indeed, I suggest that chemogenesis
is the chemistry textbook unmuddled.
"Chemogenesis is also a new type of textbook because it is dynamic. The ChemThes reaction chemistry database engine is used to drive interactive pages such as the Binary Material and Redox Chemistry synthlets, mini-applications written in PHP/Java script that make predictions about chemical structure and reactivity.
"At all times the
logic behind the chemogenesis analysis is backed by the rigour and beauty
of the relational schema that lies behind The
Chemical Thesaurus reaction chemistry database."
Mark
R Leach Ph.D.
Read more in
a interview with Mark Leach in Reactive
Reports.
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Product Timeline
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1980
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B.Sc.
Chemistry, Loughborough University |
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1984
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Ph.D.
Organic/organometallic chemistry, University
of Salford |
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1985
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Question:
How can chemistry be computerised?
Zen answer: What is chemistry? |
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4.30pm
June 8th,
1986
Larkhall Rise
London
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June the 8th
Theory: Independent congeneric series
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H3C
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H2N
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HO
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F
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H3N:
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H2O:
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HF:
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Ne:
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1987-1989
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Analysis
of chemical reactions.
Study theory & philosophy of chemistry.
Heavy use of spreadsheets.
Discovery of the Lewis acid/base interaction matrix. |
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1989-1999
The
PNG
Decade
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Move from spreadsheets
to mapping chem data with to a relational database.
Extensive use of ab initio chemistry software.
Separate ideas about chemistry from chemistry data.
All reactions are changes in phase space, and changes in phase space
can be mapped to an elegant RDMS schema. Processes
that can be expresses as a chemical equation of the type:
A > B, X
+ Y > Z, etc.
Enter reaction chemistry data from all branches of chemistry.
Develop software gadgets utilising reaction chemistry data.
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1996
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The Chemical
Thesaurus 1.0, Helix Express RDMS: Publication.
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1999
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Launch
the meta-synthesis company.
Lewis Acid/Base Reaction Chemistry book: Publication.
Patterns in Reaction Chemistry poster: Publication.
The Chemical Thesaurus 1.5, FileMaker Pro RDMS: Publication. |
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2000-2003
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Compile
the chemogenesis narrative: Understand how chemical structure and
reactivity emerge from the periodic table and inevitably produce the
Lewis acid/base interaction matrix. FileMaker Pro versions of The
Chemical Thesaurus: 2, 3 & 4. |
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Dec
2003
Jan 2004
Feb 2004
May 2004
Aug 2004
Aug 2004
Sep 2004
Oct 2004
Oct 2004
Dec 2004
Jan 2005
Feb 2005
Apr 2005
Aug 2005
Sep 2005
Oct 2005
Dec 2005
Jan 2006
Feb 2006
May 2006
Jul 2006
Sep 2006
Oct 2006
Nov 2006
Nov 2006
Nov 2006
Dec 2006
Jan 2007
Jan 2007
Feb 2007
March 2007
May 2007
June 2007
Aug 2007
Nov 2007
March 2008
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Chemogenesis web book: First upload
Chemogenesis: Publication
Chemogenesis: Update
Chemogenesis: Update
Chemogenesis: vA-K Triangle
update
Chemogenesis: Laing Tetrahedron
update
ChemThes: A-Level Chemistry
Chemogenesis: Periodic Tables
update
Chemogenesis: Main Group Elements
update
Chemogenesis: General updates
Chemogenesis: General updates
Chemogenesis: HSAB page update
Chemogenesis: General updates
Chemogenesis: Chemistry
& Complexity
Chemogenesis: Classification
of Matter
Chemogenesis: General updates
Chemogenesis in 500 seconds
Chemical Thesaurus ported to
web
Chemogenesis: General updates
Chemistry Tutorials &
Drills
Chemogenesis: General updates, Periodic Tables
Chemogenesis: General updates
ChemThes: Sorts &
Finds redesign
Chemogenesis: Why Chemical
Reactions Occur
Chemogenesis: Electronegativity
update
Chemogenesis: VSEPR
Chemogenesis: Periodic Tables
Small Tournament
Systems
Chemogenesis: Periodic Tables, basic
& simple substance
Chemogenesis: Chapter order change
Chemogenesis: Binary Material
Synthlet
Chemogenesis: Congeneric
Array Database
Chemogenesis: Clickable
Matrix & General Updates
Chemogenesis: Redox Chemistry Synthlet
Chem-Drills: Nomenclature Tester
ChemThes: Links to Wikipedia, NIST & Webelements |
What
is the relationship between the Chemogenesis Web Book and The Chemical
Thesaurus?
The Chemogenesis web
book is made up of four broad strands:
- The story of how
chemical reactivity emerges from the periodic table of the elements
- An investigation
into the nature of mechanism
- A discussion of
the ideas and theories about chemistry
- A discussion of complexity & chemistry
The Chemical Thesaurus
is a reaction chemistry database that:
- Holds all of the
raw reaction chemistry data [OK, most of the reaction chemistry data]
that lies behind chemogenesis analysis, and it holds lots of other stuff
as well.
- The database has extensive links to Wikipedia chemistry knowledge and the NIST chemistry webbook.
Importantly, the rigour
of the relational database development environment the total separation
of chemical entities from chemical reactions, the formal classification
of material type, the introduction of generics, etc. provides a
stiff logical backbone to the analysis used in the Chemogenesis
web book.
There are numerous web links between the Chemogenesis web book and The Chemical Thesaurus
reaction chemistry database (in both directions), and more are being added on a regular basis.
The Chemical Thesaurus
database engine also drives much of the Chemistry
Tutorials & Drills web site.

For design and organisational
reasons, The Chemical Thesaurus reaction chemistry database is found under
www.chemthes.com, Chemistry Tutorials & Drills under www.chemistry-drills.com
and the chemogenesis web book uses the www.meta-synthesis.com domain.
All these domains are owned by meta-synthesis.
Are
The Chemical Thesaurus and the Chemogenesis web book finished?
No, definitely not!
The Chemogenesis
web book is nearly finished in that it is structurally more or less complete,
but subsections (pages) need to be added, text & graphics need to
be updated and expanded, the formatting needs sharpening and the text
professionally edited/proofed, more synthlets need to be added, etc... but overall the web book
is close to its final form.
The Chemical Thesaurus
reaction chemistry database is a different matter, and it is far from
finished.
- The Chemical Thesaurus now strongly links to Wikipedia & NIST. These will be expanded.
- Older "stand-alone" versions of The Chemical
Thesaurus are still still available here.
However, this situation is changing as this web version develops. If
you have a slow Internet connection these locally run versions
may be of interest.
There are many possible
developments:
- The Chemical Thesaurus
reaction chemistry database can quite easily hold data on the top 1000
chemicals of commerce, including an outline of how they are produced.
Much of this information is already in the database.
- Students of chemistry
are often confused about what exactly it is they are expected to know
for examination purposes. This information can be specifically mapped
to The Chemical Thesaurus reaction chemistry database. Work has already
been carried out on the British A-level university entrance exam system,
here, and this could
be extended to AP and IB.
- As The Chemical
Thesaurus is now a web resource, there is no reason why individual academics
or departments or institutions could not choose chemistry tailored to
specific courses.
- It will be possible
to expand and open up the data entry to chemists and chemical educators
on the web.
Many thanks to Athif
Mohammed and Hamza Jafree who helped with development in 2004.
The ideas behind,
and implementation of, the Chemogenesis web book, The Chemical Thesaurus
reaction chemistry database and the Chemistry Tutorials & Drills web
site are entirely Mark Leach's.
Our
subdomains include:
www.meta-synthesis.com
www.meta-synthesis.co.uk
www.metasynthesis.com
www.meta-synthesis.co.uk
www.chemogenesis.com
www.chemthes.com
www.chemistry-drills.com
www.small-tournament-systems.co.uk
© Mark Leach 1996-2008 mrl@meta-synthesis.com
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