Corel Explodes Onto the Science Scene with Corel(R) ChemLab New Interactive Laboratory Set to Entice Budding Chemists.

OTTAWA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 17, 1996--COREL CORPORATION(TSE: COS NASDAQ: COSFF) Corel Corporation has begun shipping Corel(R) ChemLab, a new interactive laboratory on CD-ROM geared towards high-school students or anyone else wishing to uncover the mysteries of this scientific discipline. Developed in-house, this fun and inexpensive way to learn about chemistry is much more than just a reference tool.

Budding chemists can discover the secrets of evaporation, acids, bases, buffers, kinetics and radioactivity in a safe lab environment by using a host of realistic scientific instruments and equipment. How safe it can be compared to a real lab is obvious when the aftermath of an explosion can be cleaned up with a simple mouse click. Users can also perform fully-documented experiments, or conduct their own, with over 30 chemicals and 25 dynamic objects. Corel ChemLab carries a suggested list price of $79 US.

"Teachers and students alike will really enjoy this realistic, 3D lab complete with a fully-functioning Gas Lab, periodic table and 3D molecule viewer - all with the added bonus of amazing visual and sound effects," said Dr. Michael Cowpland, president and chief executive officer of Corel Corporation. "With Corel ChemLab, learning chemistry is fun, educational and safe at the same time."

Corel ChemLab offers over 25 fully-documented experiments that enable users to learn about such standards as dilution, titration, pH indicators and heat transfer. It also includes a variety of chemicals, refillable beakers, a pH meter, a Geiger counter, and a graph component to allow for the observing, recording and printing of titration results. Users can take advantage of a fully indexed, on-line textbook that is linked directly to the experiments, as well as over 10 minutes of video clips depicting real-world lab experiments and chemical reactions. This intuitive program also provides for easy on-screen navigation between experiments and the ability to conduct and record original experiments.

In the GasLab, users will learn about the properties of ideal gases and ideal gas mixtures through five documented experiments, with many more original experiments possible. They can work with the gases by varying pressure, volume, amount of gas, temperature and the composition of the gas mixture, as well as work a pump to evacuate the main gas cylinder.

Users can discover the 3D structure of molecules with the 3D molecule viewer. A collection of over 100 molecules, which are fully rotatable in three dimensions, allows users to examine bond lengths, bond type and bond angles. The name, formula and other information are provided with each molecule, and new molecules can be easily added to the file. Users can set a slideshow up to automatically cycle through the molecule list, view them at full screen, or play a game to learn the names of all the 3D structures shown.

The periodic table is color coded by classifications, such as alkali, alkaline earths, transitions metals, metalloids, nonmetals, halogens noble gases, lanthanides and actinide, and offers 'hints' to help users name each group of elements. Detailed information on isotopic abundance is provided for all naturally occurring elements. Users can refer to the table to find historical and chemical information about each element and can find the molecular weight of a molecule or ion quickly and easily using the Molecular Weight Calculator. This calculator includes a database of over 750 common compounds and molecules with their isomers and molecular weight. This section also allows users to play a game to learn the name, atomic symbol and position of each element on the periodic table.

For added interest, users can choose between four different lab environments, including a contemporary classroom setting, a dark and gloomy dungeon, a futuristic space station or a tropical paradise. Windows(R) 95 users also have the option to set the appropriate atmosphere by selecting original music to play as a background to each one of these scenes.

System Requirements

Minimum system requirements include Windows(R) 3.1x, a 486 33, 8 MB of RAM (12 MB recommended), SVGA video card and monitor at 640x480 (800x600 recommended), 256 color graphics display (16-bit recommended), 8-bit audio capabilities, and a double-speed CD-ROM drive. Corel Corporation

Incorporated in 1985, Corel Corporation is recognized internationally as an award-winning developer and marketer of productivity applications, graphics and multimedia software. Corel's product line includes CorelDRAW(TM), Corel(R) WordPerfect(R) Suite, Corel(R) Office Professional, CorelVIDEO(TM), CorelCAD(TM) and over 30 multimedia software titles. Corel's products run on most operating systems, including: Windows, Macintosh, UNIX, MS-DOS, OpenVMS and OS/2 and are consistently rated among the strongest in the industry.

The company ships its products in over 17 languages through a network of more than 160 distributors in 70 countries worldwide. Corel is traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange (symbol - COS) and the NASDAQ-National Market System (symbol - COSFF). For more information visit Corel's home page on the Internet at http://www.corel.com.

Corel and WordPerfect are registered trademarks and CorelDRAW, CorelVIDEO and CorelCAD are trademarks of Corel Corporation or Corel Corporation Limited. All products mentioned are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.

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