ChemQuery

ChemQuery is an additional module within the Uncountable platform, designed to simplify and accelerate the process of searching, evaluating, and comparing raw materials available on the web.

Instead of spending time navigating supplier websites and downloading technical documents like TDS’s or marketing materials from various suppliers, ChemQuery centralizes this information into a single, searchable database. It pulls data from a range of online resources, including supplier sites, and other publicly available documents, allowing users to make well-informed material decisions more efficiently.

Accessing ChemQuery

If ChemQuery is available for your Uncountable account and license type, you’ll find within the Inputs/Outputs tab.

ChemQuery Homepage

On the ChemQuery page, you’ll find a search bar where you can input material names, search criteria, or categories (1). There’s also a dropdown menu offering a list of categories to further limit your search results (2).

You’ll also find several examples of search capabilities and advanced filtering options, demonstrating how to refine your material searches:

Search Examples

• “Two component” + “High temperature” + Epoxy (Category): This search will return all two-component, high-temperature epoxy materials.
• “Heat stabilized” + PA66: This search will return all heat-stabilized Polyamide 66 (PA66) materials.

Search Capabilities

• Category filtering: Start by applying a filter, such as “Polyethylene (PE),” and then search within this category to find relevant materials.
• Importing search results: Easily import selected results directly into your Uncountable ingredient library.
• Full text document search: Configure your search to include full text documents.

Advanced Search Options

• Supplier filtering: Use a filter like “Product Info” + “Company” + “includes” + “Dow” or “DuPont” to limit results to materials supplied by those companies.
• Property-based filtering: Search by specific properties, such as adding a filter for “Tensile Strength” within a range of “100-150 MPa” to find materials that meet those criteria.

These examples highlight how ChemQuery’s advanced search and filtering tools can help you quickly locate and evaluate the right materials for your needs.

ChemQuery Search Results Page

After configuring your initial search criteria and clicking “Go”, you will be routed to a new page with search results organized into a listing table.

From this page, users can:

Add/change search category

Add, remove, or select a new search category from the Category dropdown menu (1).

Add/change property columns

Add property columns by selecting from the dropdown menu (2). This allows you to display only materials with specific properties (density, pH, benefits, etc.), helping you focus on the most relevant options.

Add new listing columns

Add a new listing column as normal, by clicking List (3) → “Set Columns” and configuring in the Set Columns modal.

Sort listing columns

Click a columns arrows (4) to sort by ingredients in either ascending or descending order.

Add listing filters

Add new filters to your listing by clicking Filters (5) and configuring as normal. This allows you to narrow down ingredients by criteria such as company, category, or specific properties like density or pH. Like all listing tables in Uncountable, you can also add filters by clicking column headers and selecting “Add Filter”.

Request additional materials

In some cases, you may find that a material lacks certain information you need. In these cases, users can click Request Additional Materials (6). Uncountable will then work to expand its database, seeking to gather additional information to support your evaluation process.

Search within documents

If a document is associated with a raw material, you can enable Document Search (7) to locate specific terms, descriptions, or supplier information.

Note: This feature will increase load times due to the large volume of documents that may be searched.

Toggle between units of measurement

Switch between Default, Imperial, and SI units by selecting from the pill filter at the top of the page (8).

ChemQuery Ingredient Page

Selecting an ingredient by clicking its name on the ChemQuery results table will bring you to a new page with detailed information on that material.

Material Details

On the left side of the page (1), information and links supplier, listings, TDS, and HDK documents are displayed in a table. If additional files are relevant to the material, you can also upload them directly into the system by clicking “Add File”. Files added here are only available to the user that added them.

Material Properties

On the right side of the page (2), ChemQuery generates a table of properties gathered and collated from various sources. This list includes both qualitative and quantitative data, such as appearance, applications, carbon content (%), material type, pH, density, and BET surface area.

Chemical Information and References

ChemQuery also offers advanced functionality related to CAS numbers and chemical structures. You can then explore these materials and view their properties within a separate section of any ChemQuery Ingredient page (3). Tabs include:

• PubChem Info: Provides direct access to data from PubChem, including the ingredient’s chemical structure, CAS number, molecular weight, EC number, GHS symbols, and SMILES string.
• CAS Matches: If a material has an associated CAS number, ChemQuery will automatically search for materials with similar CAS numbers or structures.
• Similar Names: Displays synonyms for the material you’re exploring, such as common industry terms, trade names, or abbreviations. This is useful for identifying materials that may be marketed under different names across suppliers or regions.

Importing Materials into Uncountable

Once you’ve found a material in ChemQuery that meets your needs, you can easily import it into your raw material library within Uncountable. Materials can either be imported as a new ingredient or linked to an existing ingredient.

Adding as a New Ingredient

Adding as a new ingredient creates a brand-new entry in your Uncountable ingredient library. To do so, follow these steps:

1. Click “Import as Ingredient” in the top right corner.
2. Toggle on “Add as new Ingredient”.
3. Select a material family to import the ingredient into.
4. Click “Add”.

Linking to an Existing Ingredient

Linking to an existing ingredient updates an the ingredient by either overriding current values or adding new ChemQuery-specific attributes. To do so, follow these steps:

1. Click “Import as Ingredient” in the top right corner.
2. Toggle off “Add as new Ingredient”.
3. Select an existing ingredient to import into.
4. Toggle on one of the following options:
   1. Populate ingredient attributes: Imports available values as new ingredient attributes, linked to ChemQuery properties.
   2. Overwrite values: Imports available values, overriding current ingredient attributes, linked to ChemQuery properties.
5. Click “Add”.

Benefits of Using ChemQuery

Using Uncountable’s ChemQuery feature offers several advantages for streamlining raw material searches and calculations:

• Centralized Access to Public Data: ChemQuery aggregates information from various public sources, including supplier websites and databases like PubChem. This centralization saves time by eliminating the need to visit multiple websites to retrieve technical data sheets (TDS) and other material documentation.
• Efficient Material Selection: ChemQuery’s advanced search and filtering options help you quickly locate materials that meet your exact specifications. By filtering searches based on properties and other criteria, users can evaluate and compare materials more efficiently.
• Integration into Uncountable: Once you’ve identified a material, you can easily import it into your Uncountable ingredient library.
• Enhanced Calculation Capabilities: By importing accurate material attributes directly from public sources, you can leverage this data for more precise calculations. In this way, ChemQuery ensures that your calculations are based on up-to-date, reliable data.

If you’re interested in leveraging ChemQuery for your material evaluations, reach out to your Uncountable account manager to discuss enabling this feature as an additional purchase.