About a month ago I was studying some advanced organic chemistry for one of my final exams and I needed to use the periodic table (I was looking at electronegativity values). I didn’t want to distract myself by turning on my laptop so I did a quick search in the App Store on my iPod Touch and I found some really cool periodic table apps and much more.

What was supposed to be a quick app search turned out to be a long study-break looking for life science related apps.

I’ve installed quite a few apps and here’s my top 10 list:

10. Lab Timer: This app may only come useful to those doing work at the bench. It’s what the name says, it’s a lab timer. Allows for 4 separate timers with descriptions. Simple, intuitive and above all useful. [@ iTunes]

9. Measures – Unit Converter: A great help when working with odd units like the English system. Hah! [@ iTunes]

8. Primer Jot: A very simple way to keep your primers and oligos in order. Although I haven’t used a PCR in quite a while, I’m sure this can be useful for those that run PCRs regularly. [@ iTunes]

7. The Chemical Touch: This is probably the best of the Periodic Table apps I got a chance to use. Very intuitive and it also comes with a extra functionality that includes all the amino acids with detailed info, including chemical structure. [@ iTunes]

6. Evernote for iPhone: This award winning piece of software has been improving since day one and they keep outdoing themselves with new features. The free app allows you to synchronize anything from notes, photos, snippets and now even files! Great app for taking notes that you can later check on your computer, or vice-versa. [@ iTunes]

5. Solutions: This awesome app comes from the guys that are responsible for the award winning Apple software, Papers. If you have trouble with your solubility calculations or just don’t want to keep running numbers through your calculator, this is definitely worth every penny. (My short review of Solutions)

4. Molecules: This free app lets you glimpse at molecules in 3D. Allowing you to rotate them and zoom in to see their structure. Great stuff! [@ iTunes]

3. iCut DNA: Restriction enzymes are the scissors that allow us to engineer our very own source code, DNA, and there are plenty of them. This app comes in handy, allowing quick access to the restriction enzyme database (REBASE) and detailed info on each restriction enzyme. [@ iTunes]

2. PubSearchPlus: For a few bucks more than the non-Plus version, you get full-text access to PubMed search. Everyone knows how useful this can be. [@ iTunes]

1. Papers or Mendeley for the iPhone or iPod Touch. I’m quite sure that neither of these great applications are available for iPhone/iPod Touch yet, but when they do become available, I’m also sure they will be right at the top of my list. Nothing like having your papers at the tips of your fingers.
Until then, Air Sharing [@ iTunes] or Dropbox (webapp) will have to do.

Honorable mention: Although not a native iphone app, I must refer you to the Biocourseware web apps for iPhone and iPod Touch. A bunch of tools ranging from Bio/Chem Dictionaries to Genetic decoders. A great resource.

I’m sure there are many more life science related apps that I’m not aware of. Do you recommend any that may not be on this list? I’d like to hear about other useful apps.

*** UPDATE*** 20/Jan/2009
Great news!! It looks like the folks at Mekentosj.com are beta testing Papers for iPhone/iPod Touch! I’ll do my best to share impressions as soon as I get a chance to use it. I wonder if Mendeley is in the process of making an app too? Anyone know?

*** UPDATE *** 20/Jul/2010
It looks like there is will be a Mendeley app for your iPhone, iPodTouch and iPad coming out very soon!

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