Chemistry

Find specific documents - "known items" - how to find a book or article, when all you have is a reference to it.

Chemistry specific research starting points 

Citing & referencing sources

CHEM371 playlist - all of the videos below (except how to set up Google Scholar) in one playlist on YouTube, created by previous Chemistry Librarian Jennifer Lee. 

UCalgary Library also has a "Building Blocks for Library Research" playlist - videos on how to search, in general. Topics include: deciphering journal volumes and issues; Boolean operators: AND, OR, NOT; Keywords and concept charts for building a database search; Peer review process

I am happy to meet to show you any of the things on this page, or to answer any questions about your coursework or assigments over email and Zoom. Please don't hesitate to reach out; the library is here to help! 

When you are researching, you will come across references to other articles or books that you want to read.

Research articles:

• Provide evidence for your research/term papers
• Can be referenced in your lab reports: they provide experimental values, procedures, and background

To find a specific research article (a "known item" that you know exists), search for its title on the library homepage. Click through until you get to the pdf or full-text. If necessary, use CAS Source Index (CASSI) Search Tool for deciphering journal abbreviations.

E.g. using the library homepage

• Z. Zhang, P.G. Kusalik, G.J. Guo, Bridging Solution Properties to Gas Hydrate Nucleation Through Guest Dynamics, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. 20, 24535-24538, 2018. (DOI: 10.1039/C8CP04466J)
• Zhang Z, Kusalik PG, Guo GJ. 2018. Bridging solution properties to gas hydrate nucleation through guest dynamics. Phys Chem Chem Phys. 20(38):24535-24538. doi:10.1039/C8CP04466J.
• Z. Zhang, P.G. Kusalik, G.J. Guo, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. 20, 24535-24538, 2018. (DOI: 10.1039/C8CP04466J)

E.g. using Google or Google Scholar

• Shuai Liang and P.G. Kusalik, Can. J. Chem. 93, 791-798 (2015).

E.g. using Google Scholar

• C-P.C. Kao and R.N. Miller, J. Chem. Eng. Data 2000, 45, 295-297.

This video shows you how to find "known items" for references to articles that have an article title, for those that don't, and for books.

Set up Google Scholar so that the FindIt@UCalgary links are available. The links will connect back to the library, then to full-text, if the University has a subscription.

Click the "hamburger menu" --> click "Settings" --> click "Library Links" --> search "Calgary" --> check the University of Calgary options.

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University of Calgary students, faculty and staff can request books, articles, and theses from another library, that the UCalgary library doesn't have. This service is offered at no cost to students, faculty and staff. Provide the library with the information and our staff will look for the item for you.

Follow these Interlibrary Loan instructions (opens in a new window)

Use dictionaries to obtain definitions, physical properties, or values

Use handbooks to obtain physical properties, values, or procedures, e.g. CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics, and Reaxys - see the brief how-to videos below

Use encyclopedias to get brief overviews of topics.

• CRC handbook of chemistry and physics [handbook] Print | Online
• Reaxys (online)
  Chemical structures, reactions and properties, references to the literature for organic and inorganic compounds from the Beilstein and Gmelin databases.
  Instructions on accessing Reaxys and access to help guides
• Knovel (online)
  • This collection of texts and handbooks is extensive and includes some of the most well known in chemistry: Lange's Handbook of Chemistry, Chemistry of the Elements, Hawley's Condensed Chemical Dictionary, etc. It is searchable by all text, title, author, and tables of contents. Knovel has also made many of its sources interactive with embedded analysis tools and the ability to export the data to the user's own files.
• Dictionary of organic compounds [handbook] (Print) Note: the 6th ed. does not replace the 5th ed.
• Dictionary of inorganic and organometallic compounds [handbook] (Print)
• Hawley's condensed chemical dictionary (Print and online)
• CRC handbook of thermophysical and thermochemical data (Print and online [available during 2022]. 1994)
• Dissociation energies and spectra of diatomic molecules (Print. 1968)
• Handbook of basic tables for chemical analysis (Print and online)
  • GC, HPLC, TLC, supercritical fluid extraction, chromatography, electrophoresis, electroanalytical methods, UV spectrophotometry, IR spectrophotometry, NMR spectroscopy, MS, atomic absorption spectrometry, qualitative tests, solution properties, tables for lab safety.
• Lange's handbook of chemistry (Print and online) 

• Encyclopedia of chemical physics and physical chemistry (Print. 2001)

An introduction to SciFinder and recommendations for one of its training videos to find chemical literature:

An introduction to Reaxys and recommendations for its training videos:

• The ACS style guide - print
  Basic Author guidelines from the American Chemical Society's Web page
• Research integrity defined at the University of Calgary
• Chemical Abstracts – Core Journals Covered in CA Plus - Online list with journal abbreviation (short title), complete journal title, CODEN, and publication frequency for the key/core journals covered in the CAplus file (Chemical Abstracts) on STN. It is sorted alphabetically by the full title of the publication. This is not the full list of publications covered by CAS!
  • CAS Source Index (CASSI) Search Tool for searching abbreviations