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Finding Background Information in Inorganic Chemistry
Encyclopedias and handbooks are a good way to get a broad overview and context for a subject and helpful for deciphering research articles. References at the ends of articles lead you to further relevant information.
Other helpful sources of background information are review articles and trade magazines. You can find those using databases like SciFinder-n, Scopus, and Web of Science and limiting by Document Type or Treatment Type.
- Encyclopedia of Inorganic and Bioinorganic ChemistryFind information on basic inorganic chemistry principles as well as the latest developments and applications in materials, energy, bioscience, nanoscience and catalysis.
- KnovelOnline access to books, databases, and conference proceedings from a number of publishers that cover all areas of engineering and includes content relevant to related sciences (e.g., chemistry and earth sciences). It includes interactive graphs and tables.
Finding Reaction & Property Information for Inorganic 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.
- CHEMnetBASEEncompasses several databases of chemical facts, properties, literature references, & structures, including the Combined Chemical Dictionary, which contains all compounds included in the Dictionaries of Organic Compounds, Natural Products, Inorganic and Organometallic Compounds, Drugs, and Analytical Reagents
- 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.
- Inorganic SynthesesDetailed procedures for the preparation of important inorganic compounds with reviews of materials, methods and techniques. Covers areas of inorganic chemistry including organometallic chemistry, main group chemistry and ligands, co-ordination chemistry and applications in material science.
- 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 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.
- SciFinderSciFinder is one of the best databases 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.
- 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.
Resources for Writing Lab Reports
- Assignment Calculator: Lab ReportThis Assignment Calculator breaks down lab reports into manageable steps based on your due dates. Each step includes hints and "how-to" links.
- 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.
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