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Finding Reaction & Property Information for Organic Compounds
- Tutorial: How to Find Chemical and Physical Property InformationFinding chemical and physical property data is not always easy because there is no one place where all types of data for all substances is located, and it is not always clear where to look or whether you have looked in the right places. This tutorial will show you how and where to search.
- Merck Index: An Encyclopedia of Chemicals, Drugs, and BiologicalsClassic reference source for chemists with over 10,000 entries on drugs and pharmaceuticals, common organic chemicals and laboratory reagents. The entries include data such as chemical names, molecular formula, chemical structure, physical data, and literature references.
- Properties of Organic CompoundsSubstructure-searchable database (with plug-in) that includes physical & spectral data and structures for more than 29,000 commonly-used organic compounds.
- SDBS (Spectral Database for Organic Compounds)Free online searchable database with spectral data for ~34,000 organic molecules for electron impact Mass spectrum (EI-MS), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), 1H and 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), laser Raman, and electron spin resonance (ESR)) spectra. Hosted by the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science & Technology in Japan
- Organic SynthesesOnline access to classic reference work giving detailed synthetic methods. Procedures are independently checked & safety warnings given if warranted. More recent entries tend to describe preparation of compound classes. Structure searchable
- Science of SynthesisScience of Synthesis is an electronic version of the reference work by the same name; it also provides access to Houben-Weyl (Methods of Organic Chemistry) which includes references back to 1835. Science of Synthesis covers both organic and organometallic synthetic methods. The methods are evaluated and include full experimental details.
- Property Data for Chemicals and MaterialsFind additional sources of chemical and physical property data, spectra, and thermodynamic properties as well as safety information.
Finding Research Articles in Organic Chemistry
Articles are the primary way scientists communicate research results. Use an article index or database to find articles on your topic; the citation includes article information like article title, author, journal name, issue, year, and the abstract.
When you are starting to delve into a new subject, review articles are your best friends. Most article databases will allow you to limit your search just to this type of publication or document. The long reference lists in review articles are also a good way to identify key articles.
- Tutorial: Using citations to find journal articles and booksLearn how to use citations in journal articles to identify other relevant articles and books and use Libraries Search to find them.
- ReaxysProvides access to chemical structure, reaction, and property information on organic, inorganic, and organometallic compounds; its contents are derived from Beilstein (organic compounds) and Gmelin (inorganic and organometallic compounds), which date to the 18th and 19th centuries, as well as selected English-language chemical patents.
- SciFinder-nSciFinder-n is the updated version of SciFinder and is the best database for topics related to chemistry and adjacent fields. It includes journal articles, book chapters, dissertations, and patents. Find substance and reaction information as well as suppliers and chemical regulatory data.
- Web of ScienceA comprehensive interdisciplinary collection of journal article citations. Subjects generally covered are within science and technology, arts and humanities, and social sciences. View this tutorial to learn how to go from a general idea to a very precise set of results of journal articles and scholarly materials.
Web of Science is particularly useful for finding references that cite older literature as it goes back to 1900.
- Tutorial: How to read and comprehend scientific research articlesLearn tips on how to read a scientific article, how to find the main points of the article, and how to take effective notes.
Creating References & Bibliographies
- ACS Style Quick GuideExamples for some of the most common source type citations in ACS Style
- CAS Source Index Search ToolUse this tool to quickly identify or confirm journal titles and abbreviations for publications indexed by CAS since 1907. Use the journal title abbreviations specified in CASSI for ACS Style citations.
- Zotero (Citation tool)Free, web-based software that is useful for organizing your research sources, creating bibliographies and sharing sources with others.
Importing to Zotero from SciFinder-n:
- Select reference(s) of interest by checking numbered box(es)
- Select Download Results (down arrow icon) at the top right of results list.
- Under File Type, select Citation (.ris).
- Change the File Name to something you'll recognize.
- Select Download.
- You can choose to Open the file with Zotero (it will import). Otherwise, save the file, open Zotero, select File then Import, locate the RIS file and select it, and it will be added to your Zotero library.
ACS Style is not a default style in Zotero. Go to the Zotero Style Repository to download the ACS .csl file at
https://www.zotero.org/styles?q=American%20Chemical%20Society. Find instructions on installing new styles at https://www.zotero.org/support/styles.
- Help Using ZoteroFind resources for support using Zotero
Off-Campus Access to Library Journals & Databases
In addition to going through links on the library website, we have 2 other ways to access resources from off-campus.
- Proxy Bookmarklet for off-campus accessAdd this button to your browser toolbar and click on it to reload a page and authenticate as a U of M user.
- Virtual Private Network (VPN)Download and log in to VPN before accessing resources
Last Updated: Oct 2, 2024 5:09 PM
URL: https://libguides.umn.edu/CHEM/2312H