A new company, hBar Solutions ApS, was founded today, July 1, 2008. hBar solutions is dedicated to spread the advantages of molecular and materials modeling to a wider audience. Molecular and materials modeling is the term used for computational modeling atom by atom of chemical and physical processes and properties. Modeling is based on algorithms, which in turn are based on the laws of physics (quite often on quantum mechanics). Indeed, the name hBar Solutions refer to the symbol (denoted h-bar), which is the symbol used for the physical Planck´s constant. It is the non-zero size of Planck´s constant that requires some phenomena to be described by quantum mechanics. Chemistry is one such phenomenon.

Molecular and materials modeling has a high return on investment and has already been adopted by a wide range of high-tech companies. However, despite the high return on investment, molecular and materials modeling is challenging to adopt and implement in the R&D department of a company, because it requires a high level of expertise and computational infrastructure. Dr. Thomas H. Rod, the co-founder of hBar Solutions, says:

“ there is no doubt that the advantages of using molecular and materials modeling are tremendous. In some cases, they can replace expensive experimental determinations of properties, but it is also an invaluable tool when it comes to a basic understanding of the processes behind an observation. However, it is not easy for scientists with limited time or budget to adopt these tools, because they require investments into software and hardware as well as a rather high level of specialist knowledge.”

To reach its goal of making molecular and materials modeling accessible for a wider audience, hBar Solutions is developing a web service, which they call hBar Lab, where the necessary computer resources are seamlessly provided and where users pay only for what they use. Thus, the customer will not have to deal with software and hardware, but “can finally focus on the chemistry and science” as Dr. Rod puts it. To make it even easier for users of the web service hBar Lab, the company strives towards making a simple interface that speaks in a language that technicians can understand. The company expects that this will appeal to a number of customers that are simply interested in getting started without having to invest time and resources into computer hardware and software.