StructureMate: The Chemistry Dataset Browser for iPad and iPhone
Datasets are ubiquitous in chemistry research and education. For fields involving organic chemistry, these datasets often take the form of Structure data files (SD files). Although an assortment of tools can present SD files on desktops and laptops, few options exist for doing so on increasingly-useful tablets and phones.
StructureMate™, just released today on the App Store, aims to bring chemical dataset analysis and visualization to a much wider range of devices. This Universal app runs on both the iPad/iPad Mini and iPhone/iPod Touch families, with custom-built interface for each.
This first release delivers a streamlined, responsive user interface. Two views are available: a scrollable table view showing all structures; and an advanceable record view showing chemical structure and associated data. All views can be rotated for better viewing.
SD files are imported by opening the file as an attachment in the Mail app.
It was essential that StructureMate work well with larger datasets containing several thousands of records or more. Although it required some ingenuity under the hood to make this possible, these larger datasets can be used even on iPod Touch and iPhone devices with little apparent degradation in performance compared to datasets with only a few dozen records.
The touch interface, rich graphics, and portability of tablets and mobile devices offers many possibilities for better chemical information tools. As StructureMate evolves, turning some of these possibilities into reality, your feedback and suggestions are welcome.
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