Chemistry Central Journal
Open Access

ReviewChemistry in Second Life
Andrew SID Lang*1 and Jean-Claude Bradley2
Address: 1Oral Roberts University, Department of Computer Science and Mathematics, 7777 S Lewis Ave, Tulsa, OK 74171, USA and 2Drexel
University, Department of Chemistry, 32nd and Chestnut Streets, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
Email: Andrew SID Lang* - alang@oru.edu; Jean-Claude Bradley - bradlejc@drexel.edu* Corresponding author

Published: 23 October 2009
Chemistry Central Journal 2009, 3:14

doi:10.1186/1752-153X-3-14

Received: 9 July 2009
Accepted: 23 October 2009This article is available from: http://journal.chemistrycentral.com/content/3/1/14© 2009 Lang et al

Abstract
This review will focus on the current level on chemistry research, education, and visualization
possible within the multi-user virtual environment of Second Life. We discuss how Second Life has
been used as a platform for the interactive and collaborative visualization of data from moleculesand proteins to spectra and experimental data. We then review how these visualizations can be
scripted for immersive educational activities and real-life collaborative research. We also discuss
the benefits of the social networking affordances of Second Life for both chemists and chemistry
students.

Introduction
With over 80,000 simultaneous users on at any given
time, Second Life has emerged as the most popular non
game-based 3D virtual world [1]. Users interact with theenvironment and with each other in the form of avatars,
usually lifelike representations of people or animals. Since
users are empowered to create objects and environmentsof their choosing, almost every aspect of real life has been
replicated in Second Life. Of course, since virtual worlds
do not necessarily suffer the same limitations as reality,
creative adaptations abound. Science is no exception andmany exhibits in Second Life can be found depicting scientific content [2].
Chemistry presents some special challenges and opportunities for a platform like Second Life. Full use of 3D space
is a real asset, since an understanding of the shape of molecules and orbitals is essential for chemists. We will show
how such representations can be made in Second Life andhow these have been applied to educational activities.
Chemical data can also benefit from use of 3D space andsome examples of interactive exhibits will be detailed.
Finally, the social networking aspect of Second Life sets

this virtual platform aside from others and this will bedemonstrated.
This review does not attempt to exhaustively compare Second Life with other currently available technologies andplatforms that perform similar operations. It is also not
our intent to compare specific educational outcomes fromusing Second Life compared to alternative approaches orplatforms. The targeted readers of this review are educators, students and other chemistry professionals who are
curious about ways of using Second Life for chemistry
related projects. We do however briefly note that there areseveral packages [3] available to display molecules in 3D
on the web, such as, Jmol [4] and RasMol [5]; and evenmethods to embed interactive 3D molecular structures
into PDF documents[6]. Representations of the dynamics
of chemical reactions in 3D are available from browserbased applications; an excellent example is the Mol4D
tutorial site [7]. Finally, social networking sites where
chemists can interact on the web are multiplying very
quickly [8].

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Visualization
Molecules
Second Life provides an environment to interact withmolecules in their full 3D representations. It is only
recently that it has been possible to easily render molecules with realistic conformations. Our molecule rezzer,
named Orac [9], is a tool that anyone can use to easily create molecules without having to painstakingly link prims
together or learn Linden Scripting Language - the scripting
language of Second Life. The Orac molecule rezzer interacts with the user via the chat interface; you tell Orac themolecule that you want and he builds it for you. Oracaccepts any SMILES [10], InChi [11] or InChiKey [12] via
chat. Orac then queries web-services at ChemSpider(Inchi web-service provided by Antony Williams) andIndiana (smi23d web-service provided by David Wild)
which dynamically calculate and return the minimized
3D structure; Orac then rezzes the molecule in Second
Life, see Figures 1 and 2.

The molecules that Orac makes can be manipulated inmany ways. You can easily change the position, size andorientation; you can save the molecules to your inventory
for later retrieval, make multiple copies and even distribute them to other users. Also, with a little scripting, you
can make the molecules interact with users and even eachother.

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Reactions
Using Second Life, it is possible to render chemical reactions in full 3D [13]. By scripting the atoms and bonds ofmolecules to respond to chat, users can step through areaction mechanism by simply typing "next" and "back."As the user commands the molecules he sees bonds twist,
break, and re-form as the atoms move to their new positions in each fully minimized intermediate structure. Figure 3 shows snapshots of the reaction of benzaldehydewith 5-methylfurfurylamine to form an imine and water.
Each intermediate in the reaction has been minimized(using smi23d) to show a realistic conformation. Largechanges in geometry are easily appreciated within the 3D
environment, something that is not easily represented in
2D renderings on paper.
Docking
Simple non-rigorous rigid docking, via hydrogen bondcontact points, can easily be implemented using Second
Life's built in scripting language. We scripted an example
from real-life anti-malarial research [14], so that when auser clicks on the docked molecule it jumps out of thebinding pocket to a random location but same orientation. It then self-docks back into the binding pocket of thetargeted enzyme (enoyl reductase in this case) by minimizing the simulated H-bond interaction energy. The fourhydrogen-bonding interactions between the molecules
and the atoms involved are tagged in green, something

FigureOracuses
1 freely-available web services to dynamically calculate and display 3D molecular data
Orac uses freely-available web services to dynamically calculate and display 3D molecular data.

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http://journal.chemistrycentral.com/content/3/1/14(by avoiding local minima), over computer-only docking,can be achieved [16].
PeptidesA good example of how Second Life can be used as a platform for enhancing education through visualization has
been provided by Joan Slonczewski of Kenyon College
who has created "Amino World" to help students identify
amino acid R-groups in peptides [17]. Amino World consists of five peptides each composed of four amino acidresidues, see Figure 5.

FigureOracand
2 serotonin
Orac and serotonin.

that is common in stand-alone docking visualization
applications such as Jmol and Pymol, see Figure 4[15].

The peptides of Amino World are fully interactive, complete with extensive information available on notecards
that users can save to their inventories, and by clicking on
the peptide tower controller or the molecule itself you canhighlight different structures such as the peptide backbone and the different R-groups. The R-groups can bemade to identify themselves and copies can be taken andexamined by users.

To achieve a more realistic docking simulation, a docking
web-service could be used; and together with humaninteraction more efficient and sometimes better results

Figure 3 of each step in a user-controllable reaction mechanism simulation
Snapshots
Snapshots of each step in a user-controllable reaction mechanism simulation.

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Figure 4 docking in Second Life
Molecule
Molecule docking in Second Life.

FigureWorld
Amino
5
Amino World.

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Proteins
Second Life has a few built-in limitations that currently
makes the rendering of large stick-and-ball molecules
impractical. For example, there is a limit to the number ofatoms that can be linked together to form a single molecule. Practically this limit is around 120 atoms for most
molecules. It is possible to have Orac rez molecules up to
the prim limit (15,000 prims on a single sim), but suchmolecules would be one-time structures and you would
not be able to save them to your inventory (as a single
molecule). Also, with such a large structure you wouldn't
be able to build anything else. Several solutions to theselimitations have been developed. Peter Miller at the University of Liverpool has developed a 'Protein Rezzing
Toolkit,' based on code originally written by Troy McConaghy, which allows for the creation and packaging ofproteins up to the simulator prim limit [18]. The toolkit
allows users to create and manipulate simple protein
structures from PDB files, which are available from afreely accessible database [19]. The molecule once packaged and re-rezzed will respond to touch by displaying theresidue number, type and amino acid (for the atom). The
molecule also responds to user chat commands allowing
users to search for and display sheets, helices, and particular amino acids, see Figure 6.

The protein rezzing toolkit gives users the ability to manage large protein structures in Second Life. These structures however are still prim intensive so we have also
developed a sculpted protein web-service. This web-serv-

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ice takes any PDB file and calculates the macromolecularsolvent-accessible surface of the protein using methods
similar to those developed by Greer and Bush [20]. Thissurface is then rendered as a 'Sculpt Map' - a 128 by 128
pixel image of the projected surface data with x, y, z coordinates represented via the three channel RGB format.
This image can then be uploaded into Second Life andrendered as a 'Sculpted Prim.' The same web-service also
creates texture maps colored based on closest amino acidresidues, charge, and polarity, that allows users to texture
their proteins accordingly; see Figures 6 and 7.
Another protein rezzer is Monolith[21] scripted by Erich
Bremer of Stony Brook University. Like the Protein Rezzing Toolkit, Monolith reads and parses PDB files. Monolith then rezzes the atoms of the structure in 3D. This
makes it prim intensive but it rezzes structures relatively
quickly - it can rez a 3000+ atom protein in under aminute. The atoms rezzed by Monolith are interactive,
allowing the user to set labels, change colors based on residue name/number, set transparency of atoms interactively, and to display subsets of atoms. This makes
Monolith a potentially useful tool for dynamic collaborative discussions, though unlike Orac, Hiro's Molecule Rezzer [9], or the Protein Rezzing Toolkit [18], it is currently
not Open Source or freely available. Also, unlike Orac,which can make any structure, Monolith resembles theProtein Rezzing Toolkit in that it is limited to structures
stored in PDB format.

FigureA
protein6 (3cyt) rezzed using the protein rezzing toolkit enveloped in a single-prim sculpted protein
A protein (3cyt) rezzed using the protein rezzing toolkit enveloped in a single-prim sculpted protein.

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FigureAsculpted
7 protein (falcipain-2) colored from left to right by amino acid charge, polarity, and amino acid residue respectively
A sculpted protein (falcipain-2) colored from left to right by amino acid charge, polarity, and amino acid residue respectively.

Paul Bourke of the University of Western Australia has
also done innovative work in evaluating Second Life forremote collaboration and visualization, including chemistry visualization. His work includes examples of immersive crystal structure visualization, including Hershfieldsurfaces, using preprocessed spherical projections, a useful low prim visualization technique [22].

Data Visualization
SpectraSecond Life continues to improve its interoperability with
the Web and therefore its usefulness as a platform forinteracting with all forms of media, including scientificdata. One thing that is now possible is the ability todynamically create images on any server and then havethat image appear on a prim in Second Life for all to see.
We have used this ability to build an interactive spectrum
viewer [23]. The viewer interacts with users via chat andresponds to commands such as "zoom [range]," "back"and "reset." By typing "zoom" with a specified range ofvalues you can expand any area of the spectrum. The integral value is also calculated and displayed on the resulting
image. The viewer works by querying a PHP script whichparses a specified JCAMP-DX spectrum file, calculates theintegral for the specified range, and uses the Google Chart

API to create and return to Second Life an image of thespectrum, see Figures 8 and 9.
The particular spectrum shown can be changed fromwithin Second Life by simply changing the Media URL topoint to the appropriate spectrum file. Displaying spectra
in Second Life has advantages over currently available
web-based viewers: In addition to the inherent collaborative nature of Second Life, it is easier to control focus, has
the integral value, and can be used in conjunction withother chemistry visualization tools, see Figure 10 and The
Spectral Game below.
Solubility
As part of a research project to synthesize anti-malarial
agents using the Ugi reaction [24], we are collecting solubility data of Ugi reagents and products in non-aqueous
solvents. This non-aqueous solubility data, produced via
crowdsourcing [25], is stored as open data in a Google
spreadsheet. Using the Google spreadsheets data API we
can display this data in Second Life, see Figures 11 and 12.

Our Ugi solubility explorer is a data visualization tool thatallows users to select the four components of the Ugi reaction (an aldehyde, an amine, an isonitrile, and a carboxy-

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FigureThe
spectrum8viewer uses the Google chart API to dynamically create spectrum images
The spectrum viewer uses the Google chart API to dynamically create spectrum images.

lic acid) and view the solubility data for each compoundin various solvents in a 3D bar chart. Clicking on a bar
opens a web-page showing the dynamic solubility data foreach experiment with links to the lab notebook, see Figure
13.
Another way to view the solubility data as a whole isthrough interactive descriptor chemical spaces [26], see
Figure 14[27]. The interactive chemical space is a real-time
5-dimensional visualization of the solubility data with thethree spatial directions corresponding to CDK [28]descriptors of the user's choice. The fourth and fifth
dimensions are point-size which is proportional to thesolubility concentration and the color of the point indicating the functionality of the solute, respectively. Byclicking on the data point in Second Life, you again canaccess the solubility data for each experiment, see Figure
13. One of the advantages of viewing the data in Second
Life over traditional two-dimensional chemical space visualization is the third molecular descriptor which canreveal patterns in the data that often get hidden in twodimensional points [29].
The solubility explorer and 5-dimensional chemical spacerezzer allows us to explore the data in real-time to find target solvents for particular combinations of Ugi reactants
and analyze the chemical space for solubility trends. It
also allows us to easily visualize regions of the data, seeing
where the data is sparse, and guiding further research.

Teaching Applications
Quizzes
Using a collection of tiles (bitmap images) that are true or
false in any context has proved to be a versatile means ofcreating chemistry quizzes on various platforms forundergraduate organic chemistry quizzes taught at Drexel
university. This collection was first used as part of the EduFrag project [30] in the first person shooter game Unreal
Tournament, in versions both with and without weapons.
The images were used as doors to pass through. Correct
images on the doors led further in the game maze or provided rewards (health, weapons, strategic positioning,etc.) while incorrect doors led to negative outcomes suchas losing a life or starting the maze again, see Figure 15. In
the non-weapons version of the game, such quizzes were
often used in the form of races where the first student tocomplete the maze won a prize (typically a molecularmodel kit or a textbook) [31].

When porting over to Second Life, the format of the quizzes was altered to minimize the use of prims, building elements that are limited in number for each building area.
In one implementation, obelisks were used to identify thelocation of quizzes [32]. Upon clicking an obelisk 4 tiles
appear, including only one that is correct, see Figure 16.
Clicking on this correct tile generates another set of fourtiles and advances the student in the quiz. Clicking on anincorrect tile resets the quiz. By assigning each participating student one obelisk and ensuring that everyone starts

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Figure 9 spectrum viewer
Interactive
Interactive spectrum viewer.

at the same time, races can be held in the same way thatthey had been in Unreal Tournament.
In the most recent implementation of these quizzes, content was ported over to a web interface. The resulting
ChemTiles game [32] is now more accessible to everyone,since neither Unreal Tournament nor Second Life need to
be installed. However, as will be detailed below, the social
aspect of Second Life is absent in the web version. The web
version maintains a high score list, so contests do notneed to be run in real time in the form of races. During animplementation of the game in the spring of 2009 at
Drexel University, students were given about a week toachieve the high score. Students in the class only competed against each other for prizes by signing up under the
Drexel group. However, the game is open to anyone in theworld to try.
The default is to get a random collection of tiles covering
all categories, with only one correct in the mix but eachcategory can be practiced separately simply by selectingfrom a drop-down menu. At the beginning of the gametwo tiles, one correct and one incorrect are shown, and theuser is asked to click on the tile that is correct. If the user
selects the correct tile, then they proceed to the next set oftiles and the process is repeated. The game becomesincreasingly difficult with the number of tiles increasing,to a maximum of six. Additionally, when a player reaches
a score of forty, rounds also become timed, see Figure 17,
and the player must select an answer before the countdown expires. The amount of time a player gets decreases
as rounds progress to a minimum of ten seconds, making
the game a challenge, even for experts.
The insertion of new content in the form of bitmap
images was streamlined in this version by uploading all
the tiles to a Flickr group [33] and tagging each image
according to its category, such as Lewis structures, chirality, etc. The tiles uploaded to Flickr automatically become
part of the game via an API provided by Flickr. Hosting thetiles on a Flickr group allows for the crowdsourcing ofquestions.
Spectral Game
Since NMR spectroscopy is taught in CHEM242 (Organic
Chemistry II) at Drexel, the Spectral Game was evaluatedin this class during the Winter 2009 term [34]. Students
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Figure 10
1-Pyrenebutanoic
acid together with its NMR spectrum
1-Pyrenebutanoic acid together with its NMR spectrum.

FigureThe
3D 11
solubility data explorer displays data stored in a Google spreadsheet
The 3D solubility data explorer displays data stored in a Google spreadsheet.

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FigureUgi
reaction
12 solubility explorer
Ugi reaction solubility explorer.

them concepts as they appeared in the NMR spectra, see
Figure 18.
The presentation of molecules in 3D was especially helpful for bridged cyclic structures, which are difficult toimagine correctly using 2D representations. The chatinterface with the spectral display board was easy to master to zoom into desired regions. With the implementation of the web version of the Spectral Game [35], most
students migrated to that version since it did not require
downloading software or learning a new interface. For students who are physically present in a workshop the web
version is probably more convenient, whereas teachers
who have most students participate remotely may findsignificant advantage in using the Second Life version.
Student Exhibits
In addition to teacher generated content, Second Life provides a rich environment for student projects. Students at
Drexel University were given the option of creating exhibits for up to 2% extra credit on their final grade. This relatively small reward usually affords on the order of 5%participation, which is useful for large undergraduate
courses, where it would be impractical to have 200 students trained and guided within Second Life. Althoughsome training is required, optimally in a face-to-faceworkshop environment, students are asked to use simple
tools.
The Orac rezzer is an especially easy to use tool since students simply need to look up the SMILES code of a molecule of interest and pass the information to Orac via thechat interface. There are several easy ways to look up
SMILES such as the ChemSpider database or the freechemical drawing package ChemSketch. Posters are also
conveniently prepared by creating an image on PowerPoint or other similar software and uploading to SecondLife. Poster boards are provided to students and they are
shown a simple way to copy their images to boards. Someof the boards have the ability to open a browser window
upon clicking. By combining posters and 3D molecules,
students can quickly prepare exhibits of their choosing,
relating to material learned in class, see Figure 19[36].
Networking
In addition to providing a rich environment for 3D exhibits, Second Life enjoys a vibrant community of scientists.
Students can benefit from spending time in areas with scientific content simply for the people that they meet who
happen to be interested in the same topics. In the spring

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Figure 13of 4-nitrobenzaldehyde in acetonitrile
Solubility
Solubility of 4-nitrobenzaldehyde in acetonitrile.

2009 term, students at Drexel University taking introductory organic chemistry were asked to seek out and interview people on Second Life who are connected somehow
to chemistry related fields. Another part of this extra credit
assignment involved taking snapshots of areas in Second
Life with chemistry content. A convenient way of identifying suitable people on Second Life involved identifying
the creator of chemistry objects and contacting them by
IM. FriendFeed, another social networking site was madethe target of interviews for people involved with chemistry. The results of this assignment were aggregated on theclass wiki [37] and highlight the richness of projects andnetworks of people working in the field. Such networking,impossible not so long ago, could prove crucial for students to identify opportunities in the course of their education and career.

Research
Laboratory Information
Web sites have now become a ubiquitous platform forsharing information about research projects. Second Lifecan be used in a similar way by making use of 3D exhibits.
For example, a project involving the synthesis of antimalarial compounds [14] displays one of the molecules
synthesized in the group and the target protein, see Figure
20. Posters give brief descriptions of the exhibit and loada web page with more information about each topic.
Images of lab equipment and pictures of group members
can be made available to provide more insight about aresearch group. As described below, the American Chem-

ical Society Island had dedicated a portion of its space tohouse areas where chemists can showcase their researchwork.
Conferences
Given the ability to stream video into Second Life combined with the ease of converting PowerPoint presentations into a similar format in Second Life, many groups
are exploiting the platform to host conferences, both fully
virtual and mixed reality (with interaction between reallife and second life venues). A notable example in chemistry involved the presentation of about 20 posters on ACS
island in the Spring of 2008 [38], see Figure 21. Hosting
conferences in Second Life is more cost effective for both
hosts and attendees. It also alleviates the need to travel
which saves time, money, and is beneficial to people withdisabilities who may not be able to travel and scientists indeveloping countries who may not be able to afford totravel. Second Life conferences consequently have muchsmaller carbon footprints over real-life conferences. While
Second Life conferences cannot give the full experience ofa real-life conference, they have been shown to continue
some of the benefits of real life conferences including
effective teamworking, networking, collaboration, innovation, and socializing [39].

Chemistry content can also be found at more general conferences and special events covering the sciences mostnotably on the Elucian Islands Archipelago owned by
Nature Publishing Group who host the Nature Podcast

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Figure 14
5-Dimensional
interactive solubility data visualization
5-Dimensional interactive solubility data visualization. Originally appeared in [22].
[40] in Second Life and the Sci-Foo Lives On conference[41], as well as other conferences in science communication related events [42].
Collaborations
As mentioned above, one of the most useful attributes ofSecond Life is its ability to promote networking. For educators and researchers, this can turn out to be at least as
valuable as leveraging the platform for the creation of 3D
exhibits. By simply spending some time on Second Life tocreate content or assist students, one often accidentallymeets people who may ultimately end up as collaborators
at some point. People that one meets can be added to afriends list very easily by clicking on their avatar. Whenever one logs in the list of friends currently online is highlighted and any of these people can be contacted by IM or
teleported over to interact with a group. The ease withwhich this can happen in Second Life enables rapid
growth of contacts via friend-of-a-friend networks. The
authors of this paper represent an excellent example of acollaboration originating from Second Life and evolving
to include work in drug discovery, solubility and data visualization, both in Second Life [43] and on the bench[29].

Islands with Chemistry Content
ACS Island
ACS Island is the Second Life home of the American
Chemical Society [44]. The ACS uses the island for virtual
poster sessions, held sometimes concurrently with its
national meetings; special talks both technical and educational and is currently developing an outreach program
for local sections. ACS Island also naturally has many
exhibits relating to chemistry created by both the American Chemical Society and by "resident scientists" who are
ACS members with virtual labs [45] on ACS Island. The
exhibits on ACS Island include "Amino World," discussed
above, an interactive chemical landmarks museum whichhouses interactive and animated displays explaining suchthings as nylon, DNA, and HIV; and a red-tide exhibit
showing how farmland fertilizer and animal waste canexacerbate harmful algal blooms, see Figures 22 and 23.

The American Chemical Society also provides many freevirtual items in its HQ building including amongst otherthings a molecule rezzer [9], a 3D periodic table [46], andclothing such as an ACS branded outfit consisting of a tshirt, lab coat, and safety goggles.

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FigureTournament
Unreal15
maze with organic chemistry content on doors
Unreal Tournament maze with organic chemistry content on doors.

DrexelThe northeast corner of Drexel Island [47], see Figure 24,
houses chemistry content relating to organic chemistrycourses and research from the Bradley research group.
Many of the exhibits discussed in this article can be foundthere with some additional chemistry related content provided by Sigma-Aldrich.
Elucian Islands
Nature Publishing Group, the publisher of the journal
Nature has several islands in Second Life known collectively as the Elucian Islands Archipelago [48]. Nature uses
these islands to hold both mixed reality events and Second Life only events such as Sci-Foo Lives On [41]. Nature
also hosts and displays chemistry-related exhibits including an interactive lab explaining atomic orbitals, hydrogen absorption spectra, and selection rules [49] and aninteractive gallery of proteins (green fluorescent protein,

DNA helicase, etc.) created by David Reeves of Yeshiva
University, see Figure 25.

Conclusion
This article represents a snapshot of some current chemistry related activities in Second Life. The open, immersive,and highly visual 3-dimensional platform combined withthe ease of content creation and scripting makes Second
Life a valuable tool for conducting chemistry research,education, and collaboration. As with many technologicalinnovations, change can happen quickly. It is expectedthat chemistry's presence in Second Life will continue toexpand in unexpected ways as more people join and bring
their creativity to innovate in this virtual world.

Glossary
Avatar - A user's avatar or agent is a virtual representationof themselves inside Second Life. Chat - In Second Life

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FigureQuizobelisk
16 in Second Life showing 4 random quiz tiles that appear upon clicking
Quiz obelisk in Second Life showing 4 random quiz tiles that appear upon clicking.

FigureThe
ChemTiles
17
game
The ChemTiles game.

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FigureThe
Spectral
18 Game in Second LifeThe Spectral Game in Second Life. Originally appeared in [29].

FigureA
student
19exhibit in Second Life
A student exhibit in Second Life.

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FigureAofsectionthe research
20of theprojects
Bradley on
research
the leftlab showing pictures of the lab equipment on the right and 3D reaction mechanisms of one
A section of the Bradley research lab showing pictures of the lab equipment on the right and 3D reaction
mechanisms of one of the research projects on the left.

FigureSci-Mix
Virtual21
on ACS Island
Virtual Sci-Mix on ACS Island.

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FigureACS
Island's
22 Interactive Chemical Landmarks Museum
ACS Island's Interactive Chemical Landmarks Museum.

Figure 23exhibit on ACS Island
Red-Tide
Red-Tide exhibit on ACS Island.

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Figure Island
Drexel24 in Second Life
Drexel Island in Second Life.

Figure 25 Protein Gallery
Interactive
Interactive Protein Gallery.

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users communicate with each other via text (chat), voice,and gestures. Text entered into the chat window can beread not only by other users but also by 'listening' scripts
within chat range. Orac - A freely available, Open Source,
scripted tool that allows users to create conformally realistic molecules from SMILES strings in Second Life. The
name Orac comes from a computer character in the British classic science fiction series Blakes 7. Prim - All items/
objects in Second Life are created with primitive objects(prims) such as cubes, sphere, cylinders, cones, etc. Rez,
Rezzer, Rezzing - To Rez is a verb that means to create or
to make an object appear in Second Life. Rezzing an
object/prim can be done by dragging items from yourinventory or by creating them in directly via the edit window. A scripted object that rezzes other objects, such as
molecules, is called a rezzer. The term comes from the science-fiction movie Tron. Smi23d - smi23d is a cheminformatics web-service, originally written by Kevin Gilbert,
improved upon by Rajarshi Guha, and is currently hosted
by the cheminformatics group at Indiana University [50].
Sim - In Second Life a sim (simulation, more accurately
region) is a named 256 m by 256 m area of land hosted
by a single simulator process.

Competing interests
The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

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22.

Authors' contributions
JCB and ASIDL use Second Life to work collaboratively
and together have created many of the chemistry related
items in Second Life mentioned in this article. JCB led in
the conception and use of the tools and ASIDL led in thetool creation and scripting.

23.
24.
25.
26.

Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank Joanna Scott and Nature who provided theinitial land in Second Life which led to the authors meeting and eventual collaboration, Kate Sellar and the American Chemical Society who provided
the land where a number of the tools were created; Sandy Adam of Aldrich
Chemical, Peter Miller of the University of Liverpool, David Reeves of Yeshiva University, Joan Slonczewski of Kenyon College, David Wild of Indiana
University, Rajarshi Guha at the National Institutes of Health, Antony Williams of ChemSpider, Eloise Pasteur, and Beth Ritter-Guth who all contributed their time and expertise at various points during the author's
collaboration.

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