From inventory to the laboratory, the requisition of chemicals for research has just entered the computer age. David Perry's Chemdex Corp., an on-line marketplace for chemicals, may revolutionize the way researchers obtain specialty biochemicals in the research industry.
Until recently, the process of ordering chemicals for research has had all the convenience and much of the flavor of a Persian bazaar. With hundreds of manufacturers and distributors vying with one another for a share of this billion dollar market, the problem had been finding a consistent vendor that produces quality products.
Now that Chemdex has entered the marketplace, many of the headaches associated with finding the proper chemicals for laboratory experiments could be eliminated. According to Chemdex president and CEO David Perry, Chemdex offers over 120,000 products from 80 different companies. This number continues to grow by three to four additional suppliers per week and 20,000 products per month, making ...