Parsing Abstract Files.

[chixor1]

I have been charged with Parsing the data from many Abstract files, and then inputing this information into a SQL Database.
The file format is rather unusual and certainly not delimited in any reasonable fashion.
I was wondering if anyone would be able to assist or provide an idea of how I may go about parsing this data for insertion.

The plan is to write a small application in VB that will allow me to run through each text file, and then later search the database based on criteria selected.

Below is an example of the file that we are required to parse and store:

Title       : Photochemistry of Charge Transfer Excited States
Type        : Award
NSF Org     : CHE 
Latest
Amendment
Date        : February 26,  1992  
File        : a9123000
 
Award Number: 9123000
Award Instr.: Standard Grant                               
Prgm Manager:                                         
          CHE  DIVISION OF CHEMISTRY                   
          MPS  DIRECT FOR MATHEMATICAL & PHYSICAL SCIEN
Start Date  : April 1,  1992      
Expires     : March 31,  1995      (Estimated)
Expected
Total Amt.  : $143300             (Estimated)
Investigator: Kirk S. Schanze [e-mail]  (Principal Investigator current)
Sponsor     : University of Florida
          219 Grinter Hall
          Gainesville, FL  32611    352/392-1582
 
NSF Program : 1966      SYNTHETIC INORGANIC
Fld Applictn: 0306000   Energy Research & Resources             
              12        Chemistry                               
Program Ref : 
Abstract    :
              This award, from the Inorganic, Bioinorganic and Organo-                       
              metallic Chemistry Program, is for the support of studies of                   
              the photochemistry of excited states of two types of rhenium                   
              complexes in which the rhenium atom has six d-electrons.  In                   
              the first case the complex will contain a bidentate diimine                    
              ligand that serves as an electron acceptor in the excited state                
              and a monodentate ligand that serves as an electron donor in                   
              the excited state, and which is reactive in its electron                       
              deficient form.  Photochemical excitation of these molecules                   
              will generate a ligand-ligand charge transfer (LLCT) excited                   
              state.  Objectives of this phase of the investigation include:                 
              1) delineation of the photochemical reactions that occur                       
              andidentification of reactive intermediates produced via LLCT                  
              excitation, 2) determination of the kinetics of rearrangements                 
              and bond fragmentations of the reactive groups, and 3)                         
              utilization of the rate constants obtained in 2) to determine                  
              the effects of structural and energetic factors on the lifetime                
              of the LLCT excited state.  In the second case, sigma-to-pi                    
              antibonding excitation processes in rhenium(I) complexes that                  
              contain bidentate diimine and alkyl ligands will be examined.                  
              Here the results of bond scission in the excited state will                    
              produce metal- and carbon-based radicals.  A primary objective                 
              of this work is to relate rhenium-carbon bond strength to the                  
              rate of excited state bond fragmentation.                                      
              %%%                                                                            
              Charge transfer in photochemically generated excited states is                 
              a fundamental aspect of biological light energy harvesting                     
              systems.  How charge transfer states are sufficiently                          
              stabilized in biological systems so that productive reactions                  
              occur faster than charge recombination is a mystery that                       
              continues to stimulate exciting research.  Successful emulation                
              of biological systems could mean more efficient utilization of                 
              solar energy for technological purposes; determination of the                  
              reactivity of the excited state in systems such as those to be                 
              examined here may be useful in this regard.  The chemical                      
              systems under study may also be useful as photochemically                      
              activated catalysts for polymerization reactions.

[azimmer]

The format very much resembles to that of a Lotus Notes text export. If it indeed is, I recommend that you try Goedeke's Notes converter (I like it a lot): http://www.goedeke.net/nte_conv_eng.html