Where do Beilstein and Gmelin come from?
The Beilstein database was originally created and maintained by the Beilstein Institute in Germany, drawing the core data from the printed Handbook. The original Gmelin Handbook was compiled by the Gmelin Institute (part of the Max Planck Institute) in Germany, and published by Springer Verlag. The Commander client interface was launched by MDL in the mid-1990s; Reed Elsevier acquired MDL in 1997. In March 2007 Elsevier purchased the Beilstein database outright from the Institute to merge with its MDL subsidiary. Later in 2007 Elsevier sold MDL to Symyx Technologies Inc., but retained ownership of the Beilstein content. The Gmelin content is owned by Gesellschaft Deutscher Chemiker (GDCh) and licensed to Elsevier.
