Quick reference tools

Increasingly, online databases and Internet sites are becoming useful reference sources, but you must be careful in evaluating the quality of the information you find on the Internet in particular. For instance, Wikipedia should not be used as an authoritative source for academic work, though it can sometimes be useful in giving links to resources that can be.

General chemistry dictionaries and data books

• Chemistry dictionaries and data books can be found in the Chemistry Library at the classmark XR, and include:
  • CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics (recent edition is best, see below for online version),
  • Kaye & Laby, Tables of Physical and Chemical Constants (see below for online version)
  • Bennett, Concise Chemical and Technical Dictionary
  • Merck Index (esp. good for drugs and biologicals)
  • Concise Encyclopedia Chemistry
  • Lange's Handbook of Chemistry

• CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics online <http://www.hbcpnetbase.com/> - a searchable online version of the popular databook. Access is by network (IP) address authentication, so if you are off campus you will need to investigate off-site (off-campus) access. There is some advice on using the online CRC Handbook.
• Tables of Physical and Chemical Constants <http://www.kayelaby.npl.co.uk/> - by Kaye & Laby
• ChemSpider <http://www.chemspider.com/> - ChemSpider is a free-to-access collection of chemical compound data from across the web, provided by the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). It aggregates chemical structures and their associated information into a single searchable repository, providing free text and structure search access to millions of chemical structures.
• Reaxys <http://www.reaxys.com> - includes the Beilstein and Gmelin handbooks of organic and inorganic compounds and chemistry patents information. More information is available.
• See also the Data sources and chemical catalogues section of the chemistry Internet links page.

Subject-specific encyclopedias, dictionaries and handbooks

Resource	Location
Encyclopedia of Analytical Science - for analytical techniques and applications	Chemistry Library at T(03)R ENC
Encyclopedia of Global Change: environmental change and human society	Chemistry Library at R(03)R ENC
Treatise on Geochemistry	in the Wills Library at QE515 TRE
Encyclopedia of Inorganic Chemistry	Chemistry Library at I(03)R ENC
Comprehensive Organometallic Chemistry I, II, & III	Chemistry Library at N(03)R COM
Comprehensive Coordination Chemistry I & II	Chemistry Library at I6(03)R COM
Comprehensive Supramolecular Chemistry	Chemistry Library at O55(03)R COM
Comprehensive Organic Synthesis	Chemistry Library at O2(03)R COM
Encyclopedia of Reagents for Organic Synthesis (EROS)	Chemistry Library at O2(03)R ENC
Encyclopedia of Polymer Science and Technology	in the Physics Library at G1 ENC
Comprehensive Polymer Science	Chemistry Library at F6(03)R COM
Encyclopedia of Surface and Colloid Science	Chemistry Library at F31(03)R ENC
Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry (Ullmann's) - very useful for applied / industrial chemistry	Chemistry Library at X(M2)R ULL
Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology (Kirk-Othmer) - an older alternative to Ullmann's	Chemistry Library at X(M2)R KIR
Encyclopedia of Materials Science and Technology	in the Queen's Library at Ref. TA402 ENC
Encyclopedia of Advanced Materials	in the Queen's Library at Ref. TA402 ENC

Subject-specific data books and handbooks

Resource	Location
Comprehensive Handbook of Chemical Bond Energies	Chemistry Library at X(E414)R LUO
Dictionary of Organic Compounds	Chemistry Library at X(O)R DIC
Dictionary of Organometallic Compounds	Chemistry Library at X(N)R DIC
International Tables for Crystallography	Chemistry Library at X(H)R INT
Landolt-Boernstein - a high-quality chemistry, physics and technology data collection	Some of the early volumes are available in print in the Chemistry and Physics Libraries (check the catalogue). You can check for new and old content at the Landolt-Börnstein website and you may be able to buy individual extracts
JANAF Thermochemical Tables	Chemistry Library at X(E414)R JAN
Polymer Handbook	Chemistry Library at X(F6)R POL

Spectra

Various sets of spectra - in the Chemistry Library at F5.. or X(F5..) including

• Aldrich library of IR spectra (X(F54)R POU)
• Aldrich library of NMR spectra (X(F561)R POU)
• Aldrich library of 13C and 1H FT NMR spectra (X(F561)R POU)
• Herzberg, Molecular Spectra & Molecular Structure (4 vols kept at the Library Desk)
• Nakamoto, Infrared & Raman Spectra of Inorganic & Coordination Compounds (2 vols kept at the Library Desk)

Syntheses

As well as using databases to find synthetic methods published in journal articles, patents, etc, we have a wide variety of print resources that can help:

• Organic Syntheses - over 80 volumes of this journal type publication are at Shelf 92 in the Chemistry Library.  Also available online at http://www.orgsyn.org/
• Organic synthesis books can be found at classmark O2 in the Chemistry Library
• March's Advanced Organic Chemistry, a valuable one volume text covering organic syntheses can be found at classmark O1 in the Chemistry Library (ask for the latest edition at the Desk)
• various volumes in the Patai series on the chemistry of functional groups are shelved at O(03) CHE
• Organic reactions books, including name(d) reactions, can be found at classmark O9 in the Chemistry Library
• Inorganic Syntheses - over 30 volumes of this journal type publication are at Shelf 28 in the Chemistry Library
• Inorganic synthesis books can be found at classmark I2 in the Chemistry Library, and organometallic syntheses at N2

Safety data

• Safety data in print - in the Chemistry Library at X(A7)R
• Safety data online - it is probably best to access up-to-date safety information on the Internet. Links are available on the School of Chemistry's Safety Manual

Chemical catalogues

• Chemical catalogues - in the Chemistry Library at X(M9)R

Directories

• for up-to-date company or university details - try chemistry Internet links or the Internet searching pages.

Back to top