Mansfield Library Subject Guides
Chemistry Research and Information Guide
This guide provides both a listing of select resources for starting your Chemistry research as well as research-related resources.
For assistance: Barry Brown, Science Librarian
barry.brown@umontana.edu | 243-6811
Quick Links
Starting Your Research
Finding Books
Finding Articles
Finding Media
Handbooks, Tables and Data Sets
People, Research Centers and Professional Organizations
Web Resources
Research Opportunities and Resources at the University
Quick Links
Catalog | Find Articles | ILL | Library Hours | Ask A Librarian
Starting Your Research | top of page
Choosing a Topic | Writing a Thesis Statement | Designing a Research Strategy | Encyclopedias and Reference | Review Articles | Tables of Contents | Alerts and RSS
Choosing a Topic
Try brainstorming, browsing current journals and newspapers, searching the American Chemical Society or other credible Chemistry-specific websites, or selecting a topic you are curious about and that is manageable. The following section of Successful Research and Writing provides further support.
Writing a Thesis Statement
Your thesis should clearly explain the question your paper addresses in one or two sentences. The following section of Successful Research and Writing provides further support.
Designing a Research Strategy
A plan can save you time. The following section of Successful Research and Writing provides further support.
Encyclopedias and Reference
Encyclopedias often provide overview articles and a list of citations, making them a good starting point for exploring a topic. General Chemistry encyclopedias are located in the Reference area, at the beginning of the 540s section. There are chemical dictionaries and handbooks in this section that may be useful, too. You can find specific/specialized Chemical sub-discipline resources within other Reference call numbers. For example, 574 and 612 (biochemistry), 660 (chemical technology), 620 (materials science). Below is a sampling of titles:
Concise Encyclopedia Chemistry (540.3 A111 - Reference)
Dictionary of Chemical Names and Synonyms (660.03 H851 - Reference)
Dictionary of Organometallic Compounds (547.0503 D554 - Reference)
Dictionary of Steroids (574.1924303 D554 - Reference)
Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology (660.3 E56 - Level 5)
Encyclopedia of Computational Chemistry (542.85 E56 - Reference)
Encyclopedia of Inorganic Chemistry (546.03 E56 - Reference)
Encyclopedia of Physical Science and Technology (503 E56 - Level 5)
Encyclopedia of Reagents for Organic Synthesis (547.2 E56 - Reference)
Encyclopedia of Spectroscopy (543.0858 P447 - Reference)
Glossary of Chemical Terms (540.3 H229 - Reference)
Great Chemists (540 F219 - Level 5)
Macmillan Encyclopedia of Chemistry (540.3 M167 - Reference)
Women in Chemistry and Physics (540 W872 - Reference)
Review Articles
Review articles cover the primary research literature identified to be making key contributions to the field. You can find review articles for Chemistry online through Annual Reviews - Physical Sciences.
Tables of Contents
Browsing the Table of Contents of a journal is a good way to see what topics are being written about, as well as a good way to keep current on a topic. You can browse ToC in the Library, or within an online electronic database. In addition to browsing, you can sign up to automatically receive an email message with the Table of Contents of each new issue of a particular journal at the journal publisher's website (free service).
Alerts and RSS
Similar to email Table of Contents alerts, you can set up search alerts through online databases. You can save a search and be emailed each time the results to your search change, or periodically (i.e., once a month). You can also set up an RSS feed of a canned search to an aggregator, if you use one.
Finding Books | top of page
Search titles available at the Mansfield Library, as well as affiliated Montana Libraries through the Montana Public Access Catalog. Use the Basic Search to search for a particular author, title, or LC Subject (e.g., "Chemistry, Organic" or "Chemistry, Metallurgic" or "Environmental chemistry"). Use the Advanced Search if you don't know the LC Subject or for more complex searches with multiple keywords.
Browse shelves on the 5th floor of the Library by the following chemistry call numbers:
540 - general
541 - physical
542 - experimental
543 - analytical
544 - qualitative analysis
545 - quantitative analysis
546 - inorganic
547 - organic
548 - crystallography
549 - mineralogy
Search WorldCat, a catalog of materials in libraries worldwide, to locate books and other materials not owned by Mansfield or other affiliated libraries.
If you find a book you want through WorldCat or another book search (e.g., Amazon) that the Mansfield Library does not own, you can request to borrow the item through Interlibrary Loan - this service is free to University faculty, staff, and students. Note that you don't need to know where the book is available to make your request.
Finding Articles: Online Databases and Indexes | top of page
Remote access to over 100 academic online databases is available through the Mansfield Library's homepage at http://www.lib.umt.edu. Click on "Find Articles" then "Chemistry." To access these resources away from campus, you must know your Remote Access information.
If you find an article you want that the Mansfield Library does not have electronic access or a paper copy of, you can request the article through Interlibrary Loan - this service is free to University faculty, staff, and students. Note that you don't need to know where the article is available.
American Chemical Society Publications (Dates Vary). Full-text peer-reviewed eJournals and magazines published by the Publications Division of the ACS.
Materials Science (SAGE Full-Text). (Dates Vary). Full text collection includes 15 titles (5,300 articles and growing) that cover the following subjects: high performance polymers, molecular modeling characterization and evaluation of polymers, polymeric drugs and drug design, polymeric functionalization, natural polymer modification, enzyme modeling by polymers, membranes for biological use, liposome stabilization and cell modeling.
NTIS (National Technical Information Service) (1964-Present). The "preeminent" resource for locating U.S. Government-sponsored research in scientific, technical, engineering, and business-related areas, produced by the National Technical Information Service. Locate unclassified and publicly available information from research reports, journal articles, data files, computer programs, and audiovisual products.
Science Citation Index Expanded (Web of Knowledge / Web of Science) (1995-Present). Science Citation Index Expanded fully indexes 5,900 major journals from 150 scientific disciplines; 70% of citations include author abstracts. General, Advanced, and Cited References Searches.
---Paper copies of Science Citation Index from 1978-1997 (v. 1-23) are available in the Library, Q Oversize Area, call number 500 X S4162, on the 5th floor.
Science Direct (1995-Present). Full-text access to over 1,800 Elsevier eJournal science, technology, and medicine titles, from 1995-present. Alerting and RSS services available.
SciFinder Scholar (1907 - Present). Chemical Abstracts Plus, a comprehensive index to the Chemistry Literature and patent documents from 1907 to the present, is searchable via SciFinder. Database results provide cited-reference tracking. Click on the SciFinder Scholar desktop-icon from a Mansfield Library computer to access this resource, or follow the downloading instructions for your university computer on the following page. Access is for two simultaneous users - if you can't get in at a given time, try again.
---Paper copies of Chemical Abstracts from January 1907-August 2001 (v. 1 no. 1-v. 134 no. 2) are available in the Library, call number 540.5 C5171, on the 5th floor.
Toxline (1994-Present). Index of toxicology literature: Over 3 million records cover the biochemical, pharmacological, physiological, and toxicological effects of drugs and other chemicals.
Finding Media | top of page
Search titles available at the Mansfield Library, as well as affiliated Montana Libraries through the Montana Public Access Catalog. Use the "Set Limits" button on the right side of the page to limit your search to media items. Choose the media type you are looking for within the "Format Limits" box: Video and DVD, Audio (tape and CD), Microform, Slide, Film, Software - then select the "Set Limits" button again to return to the catalog search page where you can enter your search terms and perform the search.
Search WorldCat, a catalog of materials in libraries worldwide, to locate computer programs, films and slides, sound recordings, videotapes, and other media materials not owned by Mansfield or other affiliated libraries.
If you find a media item you want through WorldCat or another media search (see websites below) that the Mansfield Library does not own, you can request to borrow the item through Interlibrary Loan - this service is free to University faculty, staff, and students. Note that you don't need to know where the media is available.
Altavista Image Search. Search for photos, graphics, color, or black and white images. Altavista also offers both a MP3/Audio and a Video search.
Google Image Search. Search for images - the Advanced Search allows you to limit by size, filetype, coloration, and domain type. Google also offers a beta Video search.
Blinkx. Search for audio, video, podcast, vlog and television content.
Handbooks, Tables and Data Sets | top of page
Handbooks | Tables | Data/Property Sets
Handbooks
The Aldrich Library of 13C and 1H FT NMR Spectra (547.30877 A365 - Reference)
Beilsteins Handbuch der Organischen Chemie (47 B42h - Level 5)
Chemical Engineer's Handbook (660.28 P465 - Reference)
The Chemist's Ready Reference Handbook (543 S562 - Reference)
NIST Chemistry WebBook, National Institute of Standards and Technology
CRC Handbook of Data on Organic Compounds (547 C111 - Level 5)
CRC Handbook of Pesticides (615.902 C111 - Reference)
Handbook of Chemistry and Physics (541.9 H236 - Level 5)
Handbook of Data on Common Organic Compounds (547.00212 H236 - Reference)
Handbook of Spectroscopy (535.84 C111 - Reference)
Lange's Handbook of Chemistry (540 H236 - Reference)
Polymer Handbook (547.7 P783 - Reference)
Stereoselective Synthesis: Methods of Organic Chemistry (541.223 S8382 - Level 5)
Tables
The Elements (546 E559 - Reference)
Periodical Table - WebElements
Tables of Isotopes (541.388 L473 - Level 5)
Visual Interpretation of the Table of Elements
Data/Property Sets
The Chemical Database, Department of Chemistry, University of Akron
Comprehensive Biological Catalysis (572.7 C737 - Reference)
Comprehensive Natural Products Chemistry (547.7 C73784 - Reference)
Comprehensive Organometallic Chemistry II (547.05 C737 - Level 5)
Organic Compounds Database, compiled by Harold M. Bell at Virginia Tech, Department of Chemistry, Colby College
Physical Reference Data, Physics Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology
Properties of Aqueous Solutions of Electrolytes (541.372 P965 - Reference)
Quantities, Units, and Symbols in Physical Chemistry (541.3014 Q1 - Reference)
SOLV-DB (Solvents Database), National Center for Manufacturing Sciences
People, Research Centers and Professional Organizations | top of page
American Chemical Society
American Geophysical Union
Center for Advanced Supramolecular and Nano Systems (in development), Montana Tech and The University of Montana-Missoula
The Center for Environmental Health Sciences, University of Montana-Missoula
Center for Geophysical Investigation of the Shallow Subsurface, Boise State University
Center for Hazardous Waste Remediation Research, University of Idaho
Chemistry Department, University of Montana-Missoula
Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR), University of Montana-Missoula and the National Science Foundation
Green Chemistry, University of Oregon
Institute of Biological Chemistry, Washington State University
Montana Biotechnology Center, University of Montana-Missoula
NIH-COBRE Center for Structural and Functional Neuroscience, University of Montana-Missoula
National Science Teachers Association
Nuclear Radiation Center, Washington State University
Royal Society of Chemistry
Shafizadeh Rocky Mountain Center for Wood and Carbohydrate Chemistry
Web Resources | top of page
Chemical Education | Organic Chemistry | Inorganic Chemistry | Environmental Chemistry | Physical Chemistry | Biological Chemistry | Analytical Chemistry | Medicinal Chemistry | General Chemistry | Chemistry History
Chemistry Education
ChemCollective, National Science Digital Library
Chemistry, MITOpenCourseware, Department of Chemistry at MIT
Chemistry Education: Research and Practice, Royal Society of Chemistry
Her Lab in Your Life, Chemical Heritage Foundation
Index to Chemical Education Resources, published annually as a special issue of Journal of Chemical Education, American Chemical Society
Journal of Chemical Education, Division of Chemical Education, American Chemical Society
LearnNet, part of the Royal Society of Chemistry's online chemical science network
National Association for Research in Science Teaching
Resources for Chemistry Teaching, developed by Norman Herr, Professor of Science and Computer Education, California State University-Northridge
Organic Chemistry
General, Organic and Biochemistry, developed by James K. Hardy, University of Akron
IUPAC Nomenclature of Organic Chemistry, Advanced Chemistry Development, Inc.
Organic Chemistry OnLine, created by Paul R. Young, Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois-Chicago
Poon-Mundy Computer Demonstrations, developed by Professor Thomas Poon, Claremont-McKenna College, and Professor Emeritus Bradford Mundy, Colby College
Virtual Textbook of Organic Chemistry, developed by William Reusch, Michigan State University
Inorganic Chemistry
Inorganic Chemistry, Robert John Lancashire, Department of Chemistry, University of the West Indies
Structures of Simple Inorganic Solids, Dr. S.J. Heyes, Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford
Environmental Chemistry
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registration, US Department of Health and Human Services
Databases and Software, US Environmental Protection Agency
EXTOXNET - Extension TOXicology NETwork, University of California-Davis, Oregon State University, Michigan State University, Cornell University and the University of Idaho
Fire Chemistry, Missoula Fire Sciences Lab, US Forest Service
Minerals Information, US Geological Survey
NIOSH Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards, National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health
Soil and Water Chemistry Research, Agricultural Research Service, US Department of Agriculture
TOXNET, US National Library of Medicine
Physical Chemistry
Center for Research in Computational Thermochemistry, CRCT, École Polytechnique de Montréal
Gibbs Models, Department of Chemical Engineering, Iowa State University
Thermophysical and Thermochemical, NIST Scientific and Technical Databases
Biological Chemistry
Metabolic Pathways of Biochemistry, Karl J. Miller, The George Washington University
NetBioChem, James Baggott, MCP Hahnemann School of Medicine and Sharon E. Dennis, Eccles Health Sciences Library
Protein Data Bank, Research Collaboratory for Structural Bioinformatics
Protein Information Resource, Georgetown University Medical Center
PROWL, ProteoMetrics and Rockefeller University
PubMed, National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health
Analytical Chemistry
Analytical Chemistry Cross-Index, initiated by Brian M. Tissue, Department of Chemistry, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Analytical Sciences Digital Library, National Science Digital Library
NIOSH Manual of Analytical Methods, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
SpectroscopyNOW, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Medicinal Chemistry
Discipline of Medicinal Chemistry, Department of Medicinal Chemistry, University of Minnesota
HerbMed, Alternative Medicine Foundation, Inc.
Native American Ethnobotany, University of Michigan-Dearborn
General Chemistry
CHEMINFO - Chemical Information Sources, Indiana University
Chemistry Resources on the Internet, Charles F. Huber, Davidson Library, University of California-Santa Barbara
Links for Chemists, The University of Liverpool
Virtual Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford
"Virtual" Chemistry Center, Jim Martindale
Chemistry History
Chemical Heritage Foundation
Chemsoc Timeline, Royal Society of Chemistry
From Alchemy to Chemistry: Five Hundred Years of Rare and Interesting Books, Rare Book and Special Collections Library, University of Illinois
National Historic Chemical Landmarks, American Chemical Society
Selected Classic Papers from the History of Chemistry, Le Moyne College
Research Opportunities and Resources at the University | top of page
Environmental Chemistry Summer Research Program
Graduate Student and Faculty Research Conference
Guidelines for Preparing Your Dissertation, Thesis, or Professional Paper
Research and Development Office
Research Planner
Successful Researching and Writing
Undergraduate Research Web
Compiled by Kate Zoellner
May 2006