What is CAS?
CAS stands for Chemical Abstracts Service, an authoritative database set up by the American Chemical Society (ACS.) A CAS number, or CAS registry number, is a unique numerical identifier used to tag chemical substances, compounds, biological sequences, polymers, and more. In the chemical industry, the CAS number is a crucial tool because it helps scientists and engineers easily and accurately identify and retrieve specific chemical substances.
Importance of CAS Number
In the chemical industry, the identification and tracking of chemical substances is one of the core aspects of daily work. As chemical substances may have multiple names, common names or brand names, this can easily lead to confusion. the CAS number solves this problem by providing a standardised number that is used globally. Regardless of changes in the name or language of a chemical substance, the CAS number always uniquely corresponds to a specific substance. This precise method of identification is vital in a number of areas including research and development, procurement, production and regulatory compliance.
The structure of a CAS number and its significance
A CAS number usually consists of three parts: two numbers and a check digit. For example, the CAS number for water is 7732-18-5.This structure, although seemingly simple, carries a great deal of information. The first three digits represent the substance’s position in the Chemical Abstracts Service, the second set of digits indicates the substance’s unique properties, and the last check digit is used to ensure that the previous digits are correct. Understanding the structure of CAS numbers helps professionals to quickly understand and use them.
CAS in the Chemical Industry
CAS numbers are widely used in the registration, regulation and trade of chemical products. During the registration and importation of chemical products, CAS numbers are often required by regulatory agencies to ensure the safety and legality of chemicals. In international trade, CAS numbers are also used to ensure that buyers and sellers have the same knowledge of the product being traded. Chemical researchers also need to cite CAS numbers when publishing literature or applying for patents to ensure the accuracy and verifiability of their findings.
How to use CAS numbers to find information
Using CAS numbers, chemical industry practitioners can accurately retrieve information about chemical substances in multiple databases. For example, information on a chemical substance’s Safety Data Sheet (SDS), toxicity, environmental impact, production method and market price can all be quickly found using a CAS number. This efficient retrieval capability is of great value to companies for R&D decision-making and risk assessment.
Comparison of CAS numbers with other numbering systems
Although CAS numbers are widely used in the chemical industry, other numbering systems also exist, such as the UN number of the United Nations or the EINECS number of the European Union. In comparison, CAS numbers have wider coverage and higher accuracy. This has led to the dominance of CAS numbers in the chemical industry on a global scale.
Conclusion
CAS, as a standardised identifier for chemical substances, has become an indispensable tool for the chemical industry. Through CAS numbers, chemical companies and researchers are able to manage and utilise chemical substance information more accurately and efficiently, thus promoting the development of the industry and technological advancement. Understanding and correctly using CAS number can not only improve work efficiency, but also effectively avoid potential risks.