Citations to chemical resources in scholarly articles: CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics and The Merck Index

Visibility, impact, and applications of bibliometric software tools through citation analysis

This study examines the visibility, impact, and applications of bibliometric software tools in the peer-reviewed literature through a "Cited Reference Search" using the Web of Science (WOS) database. A total of 2882 citing research articles to eight bibliometric software tools were extracted from the WOS Core Collection between 2010 and 2021. These citing articles are analyzed by publication year, country, publication title, publisher, open access level, funding agency, and WOS category. Mentions of bibliometric software tools in Author Keywords and KeyWords Plus are also compared. The VOSviewer software is utilized to identify specific research areas by discipline from the keyword co-occurrences of the citing articles. The findings reveal that while bibliometric software tools are making a noteworthy impact and contribution to research, their visibility through referencing, Author Keywords, and KeyWords Plus is limited. This study serves as a clarion call to raise awareness and initiate discussions on the citing practices of software tools in scholarly publications.

Current Trends and Changes in Use of Membrane Molecular Dynamics Simulations within Academia and the Pharmaceutical Industry

There has been an almost exponential increase in the use of molecular dynamics simulations in basic research and industry over the last 5 years, with almost a doubling in the number of publications each year. Many of these are focused on neurological membranes, and biological membranes in general, applied to the medical industry. A smaller portion have utilized membrane simulations to answer more basic questions related to the function of specific proteins, chemicals or biological processes. This review covers some newer studies, alongside studies from the last two decades, to determine changes in the field. Some of these are basic, while others are more profound, such as multi-component embedded membrane machinery. It is clear that many facets of the discipline remain the same, while the focus on and uses of the technology are broadening in scope and utilization as a general research tool. Analysis of recent literature provides an overview of the current methodologies, covers some of the recent trends or advances and tries to make predictions of the overall path membrane molecular dynamics will follow in the coming years. In general, the overview presented is geared towards the general scientific community, who may wish to introduce the use of these methodologies in light of these changes, making molecular dynamic simulations more feasible for general scientific or medical research.

Mapping research output on library and information science research domain in South Africa: a bibliometric visualisation

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to examine the research output on “library and information science” (LIS) research domain in South Africa. It also highlights the top LIS research organisations, authors, journals, collaboration types and commonly used keywords. This research will aid in the identification of emerging concepts, trends and advances in this subject.

Design/methodology/approach

The Web of Science (WoS), an indexing and abstracting database, served as a tool for bibliographical data. By applying advanced search features, the authors curated data from 1989 to 2021 through the WoS subject category WC = (Information Science & Library Science), limiting the scope to the region, CU = (South Africa), which resulted in 1,034 articles. Moreover, the research focuses on science mapping using the R package for reliable analysis.

Findings

The findings reveal that the publications have considerably grown over time, indicating significant attention among researchers in LIS. The findings indicate the critical operator’s performance, existing thematic choices and subsequent research opportunities. The primary topical fields of study that emerged from the bibliometric analysis are impact, information, science, model, management, technology, knowledge and education. Pouris and Fourie are the most productive citations, h-index and g-index. The influential institute was The University of Pretoria.

Research limitations/implications

The use of the WoS database for data collecting limits this study. Because the WoS was the only citation and abstract database used in this study, bibliometric investigations using other citation and abstract databases like “Scopus”, “Google Scholar” and “Dimension” could be interesting. This study presented a bibliometric summary; nevertheless, a systematic and methodical examination of highly cited LIS research publications could throw more light on the subject.

Practical implications

This paper gives valuable information about recent scientific advancements in the LIS and emerging future academic subject prospects. Furthermore, this research work will serve as a reference for researchers in various areas to analyse the evolution of scholarly literature on a particular topic over time.

Originality/value

By identifying the standard channels of study in the LIS discipline, and the essential journals, publications, nations, institutions, authors, data sources and networks in this subject, this bibliometric mapping and visualisation provide new perspectives into academic performance. This paper also articulates future research directions in this realm of knowledge. This study is more rigorous and comprehensive in terms of the analytical procedures it uses.

Experimental and Theoretical Study of N2 Adsorption on Hydrogenated Y2C4H− and Dehydrogenated Y2C4− Cluster Anions at Room Temperature

The adsorption of atmospheric dinitrogen (N₂) on transition metal sites is an important topic in chemistry, which is regarded as the prerequisite for the activation of robust N≡N bonds in biological and industrial fields. Metal hydride bonds play an important part in the adsorption of N₂, while the role of hydrogen has not been comprehensively studied. Herein, we report the N₂ adsorption on the well-defined Y₂C₄H_0,1⁻ cluster anions under mild conditions by using mass spectrometry and density functional theory calculations. The mass spectrometry results reveal that the reactivity of N₂ adsorption on Y₂C₄H⁻ is 50 times higher than that on Y₂C₄⁻ clusters. Further analysis reveals the important role of the H atom: (1) the presence of the H atom modifies the charge distribution of the Y₂C₄H⁻ anion; (2) the approach of N₂ to Y₂C₄H⁻ is more favorable kinetically compared to that to Y₂C₄⁻; and (3) a natural charge analysis shows that two Y atoms and one Y atom are the major electron donors in the Y₂C₄⁻ and Y₂C₄H⁻ anion clusters, respectively. This work provides new clues to the rational design of TM-based catalysts by efficiently doping hydrogen atoms to modulate the reactivity towards N₂.

Synthetic uranium oxide hydrate materials: Current advances and future perspectives

Uranium oxide hydrate (UOH) materials, a group of minerals and synthetic phases, have attracted recent attention due to their high structural flexibility and diversity as well as their primary relationship with natural weathering of the mineral uraninite and the alteration of spent nuclear fuel (SNF) in geological disposal. Due to the limited structural and chemical understanding of UOH minerals, synthetic UOH phases provide a unique opportunity to fill existing knowledge gaps through the exploration of further structural diversity and distinctive properties, as well as potential applications. Some of the latest developments of synthetic UOH phases include the incorporation of 3d transition metal and lanthanide ions, the evolution of uranyl oxide hydroxide layers driven by interlayer charge, the structural diversity of uranyl oxide hydrate frameworks, and the intrinsic driving force for the formation of diversified structural types. The purpose of this review is to provide a comprehensive summary of the latest advancements of synthetic UOH phases with 3d transition and lanthanide metal ions, including their syntheses, structural diversities, microstructures, uranium valences, vibration modes, and structural and chemical complexities. It also highlights the subsequent implications of these advancements on uranium geochemistry and SNF alterations, amongst other potential applications. A further discussion on technical challenges and knowledge gaps is included to identify areas for future research.

Simultaneous removal of Cr and organic matters via coupling Cr-Fenton-like reaction with Cr flocculation: The key role of Cr flocs on coupling effect

Cr contamination is frequently combined with organic pollution. Cr flocculation using flocculants results in difficulty in Cr recovery and increase of salinity. Moreover, the fates of coexisted organic pollutants are rarely attended. In this study, the Fenton-like reaction based on Cr redox reaction (Cr-Fenton-like reaction) coupled with Cr flocculation was established using H₂O₂ as additives, which gave the opportunity to realize simultaneous removal of Cr and organic matters sustainably. In the coupling system, Cr-Fenton-like reaction generated more OH^- for Cr flocculation via the H₂O₂ decomposition, meanwhile, Cr flocculation provided heterogeneous catalytic regions for Cr-Fenton-like reaction. The formation of Cr flocs was the key to the coupling effect. They created partially alkaline regions, therefore Cr-Fenton-like reaction (reaction condition: pH > 5) and Cr flocculation (reaction condition: pH > 8) occurred in these heterogeneous regions, although the pH of the solutions was below 5. Besides, the Cr flocs in the coupling system tended to adsorb Cr(III) which also contributed to the coupling effect. Although Cr-Fenton-like reaction generated Cr(VI) inevitably, the dissolved Cr(VI) didn't accumulate due to the persistent acidic condition and the heterogeneous catalysis of Cr flocs in the coupling system. When the coupling effect was applied to a stimulated tannery wastewater with Cr and organic co-pollution, the simultaneous removal rates for Cr and total organic carbon were 81.2% and 41.34% respectively after an 8-h running. This study gives deep insights into the coupling effect and provides a sustainable and eco-friendly strategy for the remediation of wastewater with Cr and organic co-pollution.

Synthesis and characterization of a uranium oxide hydrate framework with Sr(ii) ions: structural insights and mixed uranium valences

A uranium oxide hydrate framework with Sr(ii) ions was synthesized hydrothermally and characterized.

Size-Dependent Association of Cobalt Deuteride Cluster Anions Co3Dn- (n = 0-4) with Dinitrogen

Dinitrogen (N₂) activation by metal hydride species is of fundamental interest and practical importance while the role of hydrogen in N₂ activation is not well studied. Herein, the structures of Co₃D_n^- (n = 0-4) clusters and their reactions with N₂ have been studied by using a combined experimental and computational approach. The mass spectrometry experiments identified that the Co₃D_n^- (n = 2-4) clusters could adsorb N₂ while the Co₃D_n^- (n = 0 and 1) clusters were inert. The photoelectron imaging spectroscopy indicated that the electron detachment energies of Co₃D_2-4^- are smaller than those of Co₃D_0,1^-, which characterized that it is easier to transfer electrons from Co₃D_2-4^- than from Co₃D_0,1^- to activate N₂. The density functional theory calculations generally supported the experimental observations. Further analysis revealed that the H atoms in the Co₃H_n^- (n = 2-4) clusters generally result in higher energies of the Co 3d orbitals in comparison with the Co₃H_n^- (n = 0 and 1) systems. By forming chemical bonds with H atoms, the Co atoms of Co₃H_2-4^- are less negatively charged with respect to the naked Co₃^- system, which leads to higher N₂ binding energies of Co₃H_2-4N₂^- than that of Co₃N₂^-.

Citations to chemical databases in scholarly articles: to cite or not to cite?

Purpose

Chemical databases have had a significant impact on the way scientists search for and use information. The purpose of this paper is to spark informed discussion and fuel debate on the issue of citations to chemical databases.

Design/methodology/approach

A citation analysis to four major chemical databases was undertaken to examine resource coverage and impact in the scientific literature. Two commercial databases (SciFinder and Reaxys) and two public databases (PubChem and ChemSpider) were analyzed using the “Cited Reference Search” in the Science Citation Index Expanded from the Web of Science (WoS) database. Citations to these databases between 2000 and 2016 (inclusive) were evaluated by document types and publication growth curves. A review of the distribution trends of chemical databases in peer-reviewed articles was conducted through a citation count analysis by country, organization, journal and WoS category.

Findings

In total, 862 scholarly articles containing a citation to one or more of the four databases were identified as only steadily increasing since 2000. The study determined that authors at academic institutions worldwide reference chemical databases in high-impact journals from notable publishers and mainly in the field of chemistry.

Originality/value

The research is a first attempt to evaluate the practice of citation to major chemical databases in the scientific literature. This paper proposes that citing chemical databases gives merit and recognition to the resources as well as credibility and validity to the scholarly communication process and also further discusses recommendations for citing and referencing databases.