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Dialog Reorganizes & Expands Beilstein Content

Alerting Capability Integrated

CARY, N.C., USA (November 3, 2004) — Dialog, a Thomson (NYSE: TOC; TSX: TOC) business and a leading worldwide provider of online-based information services and integrated information solutions, said today that it is now offering a reorganized and expanded version of the renowned Beilstein organic chemistry collection.

With research dating back to 1771, the Beilstein collection is the world’s oldest, most recognized and most respected authority for research and analysis in the field of organic chemistry. Researchers and professionals working in such industries as chemistry, pharmacology, biotechnology and energy, as well as law firms, government regulatory agencies and numerous others, use Dialog to search and retrieve Beilstein content.

Dialog said it is now offering the Beilstein collection in three separate files that may be searched simultaneously or individually:

• Beilstein Facts (File 390), with research back to 1771, provides chemical structures and comprehensive details on the properties of organic chemicals, including melting points, density, spectral data and much more. Additional types of information – including pharmacological, ecological and toxicological data, which add to the understanding of a specific compound’s impact on organisms and the environment – now have been added. There is no charge for searching in File 390 and Dialog recently lowered record output fees for records from File 390 by approximately 8 percent.

• Beilstein Reactions (File 391) contains data for more than 9 million chemical reactions and preparations. Data retrieved through File 391 now is linked to the properties in File 390 and the abstracts in File 393 (see below), allowing for follow-up research. Searching is free in File 391, with nominal charges for records outputted.

• Beilstein Abstracts (File 393) includes citations from literature and patents published from 1771 through 1979, along with citations with abstracts of articles published since 1980 and drawn from approximately 175 key journals. References may be supplemented with data retrieved from Dialog’s extensive portfolio of scientific literature and worldwide patents. File 393 has now been enhanced with Alerts, enabling users to be notified automatically via e-mail when relevant new data is added.

"The Beilstein collection is a tremendous resource used by a wide range of professionals in the pharmaceutical, chemical and related industries we serve around the world," said Viji Krishnan, Dialog vice president of publisher management. "Our reorganization and enhancements to the collection are designed to make it available at simple, predictable and the most competitive pricing, and to integrate tools that make it easier to search and manage results."

The Beilstein collection dates to pioneering research and publishing by Friedrich Beilstein, a 19th Century German chemist who compiled his first handbook of organic chemistry in 1881. The first edition contained research on some 1,500 compounds. By 1998, when the last edition of the handbook was published in print form, the research had grown to cover more than 7 million compounds.

Today, the Beilstein collection covers more than nine million chemical substances and 9.5 million chemical reactions extracted and indexed from 1.9 million references. The data encompasses chemical, physical, pharmacological and ecological properties.

The Beilstein collection has been available on the Dialog service since 1989.

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About Dialog and The Thomson Corporation
Dialog, a pioneer in developing the technology behind electronic information retrieval, is the world leader in providing online-based information services to organizations seeking competitive advantages in such fields as government, business, science, engineering, finance and law.

The online services provided by Dialog — offered through the Dialog®, Dialog Profound®, Dialog DataStar™, Dialog NewsEdge® and Dialog Intelliscope^SM brands — give users the ability to precisely retrieve data from more than 1.4 billion unique records, accessible via the Internet or through delivery to enterprise intranets. Searchable content includes articles and reports from thousands of real-time news feeds, newspapers, broadcast transcripts and trade publications, plus research reports and analyst notes providing support for financial decision-making, as well as in-depth repositories of scientific and technical data, patents, trademarks and other intellectual property data. Information professionals and end-users at business, professional and government organizations in more than 100 countries prize Dialog services for their depth and breadth of content, precision searching and speed.

Based in Cary, N.C., USA, Dialog has operations 27 countries. Dialog (www.dialog.com) is a business of The Thomson Corporation (NYSE: TOC; TSX: TOC). With 2003 revenues of US$7.6 billion, Thomson (www.thomson.com) is a global leader in providing integrated information solutions to business and professional customers.

About MDL
The Beilstein Database is exclusively licensed to MDL Information Systems GmbH (MDL) by the Beilstein Institut zur Förderung der Chemischen Wissenschaft (Beilstein Institute for the Advancement of Chemical Science), the owner of the data. MDL offers the Beilstein Database via DiscoveryGate and CrossFire Commander, and entered into an agreement for Dialog to offer the Beilstein data in 1989. MDL provides an update of the database each quarter to Dialog.

Beilstein Data: Copyright (c) 1988-2004, Beilstein Institut zur Förderung der Chemischen Wissenschaften licensed to Beilstein GmbH and MDL Information Systems GmbH. All rights reserved.

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All designated trademarks used herein are the property of The Dialog Corporation or its subsidiaries. Registered marks are registered by The Dialog Corporation or its subsidiaries with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. All other marks are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.

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