Chemistry & Biochemistry Research Guide
College of Science & Math and School of Education Librarian
Jeanine Scaramozzino
Contact:
Robert E. Kennedy Library, Office 216H
Cal Poly State University
San Luis Obispo, CA 93407
Website
Cal Poly State University
San Luis Obispo, CA 93407
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About this Guide
The left side navigation of this webpage (i.e. guide) has a number of tabs that link to information about subject specific article databases, websites, e-books, etc. that can be accessed through the Library; links to international information resources; information that will allow you to review principles of research and how to find stuff (handouts, tutorials, videos, homework suggestions, specific database instruction); and the many ways to get help with research and assignments. Please be aware that many of these resources are only available to the Cal Poly community and require portal credentials for access.
Article Databases
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American Chemical Society (ACS) PublicationsThe American Chemical Society publishes peer-reviewed journals focused on all disciplines of chemistry; some journals also cover topics in physics and biology.
Please note: Chemical & Engineering News is not included in our subscription. -
ReaxysReaxys is a chemistry database consisting of more than: 150M substances, 60M reactions, 70M documents, 40M bioactivities, 2M patents, and 500M substance properties. Users are able to simultaneously search for substances, reactions and documents in Reaxys, PubChem, SigmaAldrich, Commercial Substances, and more. Reaxys search tools are intuitive and easy to use, including chemical structure drawing, a query builder, and synthesis planner. Learn more.
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SciFinder (Classic version)THIS DATABASE WILL BE RETIRED 1 JULY 2022. Additional information forthcoming. SciFinder is a research discovery tool that allows you to explore the CAS databases containing literature from many scientific disciplines including biomedical sciences, chemistry, engineering, materials science, and agricultural science.
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SciFinder-nSciFinder-n is the next generation platform derived from SciFinder Classic. It has an advanced search algorithm and new interface. In addition to the chemical reference, substance, reaction and supplier content found in SciFinder Classic, SciFinder-n includes relevance-ranked results, step-by-step procedures and protocols, citation mapping, biosequence searching, retrosynthetic analysis, patent landscape mapping, and touch-screen enabled structure drawing. SciFinder-n uses indexed terms plus title, abstract, keywords and more providing results that might have been previously missed in SciFinder Classic. SciFinder Classic and SciFinder-n include the same core databases BUT embedded in SF-n are PatentPak, MethodsNow Synthesis, and Retrosynthesis planning. Users must create an account before accessing SciFinder-n or SciFinder Classic (same credentials will work on both versions but searches and saved records do not migrate between the two). Create account and CAS account help. Learn more about using SciFinder-n.
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Web of Science (All Databases)Web of Science All Databases (1864-present) provides the most comprehensive results from +10 databases that primarily cover the sciences plus social sciences and humanities. A new interface was released Summer 2021. Reorientation to search navigation and new features are supported by pop-up guides and tips, and the WoS Help Page. Databases include:
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PubMedPubMed comprises more than 32 million citations for biomedical literature from MEDLINE, life science journals, and online books. Citations may include links to full text content from PubMed Central and publisher web sites. The PubMed interface has changed and new PubMed trainings include: “PubMed Online Training” (quick online database tours, tutorials, handouts and more); “The PubMed Trainer's Toolkit” (instructional materials for teaching PubMed); and “Learn About Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)”.
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Google ScholarGoogle Scholar provides a simple way to broadly search for scholarly literature. From one place, search across many disciplines and sources: peer-reviewed papers, theses, books, abstracts and articles. Search results may be from academic publishers, professional societies, preprint repositories, universities and other scholarly organizations. There is currently no way to only search for peer-reviewed materials. Get more specific resource results by using the Google Scholar Advanced search feature. And always access Google Scholar through the library database URL to gain access to materials the library has subscribed to.
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ChemRxivThese are preliminary reports and data on ongoing projects which have not been peer-reviewed. They should not be regarded as conclusive, guide clinical practice/health related behavior, or be reported in news media as established information.
Important Chemistry Resources & Tools
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CRC Handbook of Chemistry & Physics (online version)The CRC Handbook of Chemistry & Physics is one of the most important standard reference texts in science. The internet version provides an up-to-date dynamic and integrated data resource. The current internet version copyright date is 2021 and is aligned with the 102nd print edition. Sections include: Basic Constants, Units, and Conversion Factors; Symbols, Terminology, and Nomenclature; Physical Constants of Organic Compounds;
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NIST Chemistry WebBookThe National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Chemistry WebBook contains: thermochemical data for +7000 organic and small inorganic compounds; reaction thermochemistry data for +8000 reactions; IR spectra for +16,000 compounds; mass spectra for +33,000 compounds; UV/Vis spectra for +1600 compounds; gas chromatography data for +27,000 compounds; electronic and vibrational spectra for +5000 compounds; constants of diatomic molecules (spectroscopic data) for +600 compounds; ion energetics data for +16,000 compounds; and thermophysical property data for 74 fluids. Search for data on specific compounds based on name, chemical formula, CAS registry number, molecular weight, chemical structure, or selected ion energetics and spectral properties.
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NCBI PubChem Substance DatabaseThe National Center for Biotechnology Information PubChem Substance Database contains descriptions of samples, from a variety of sources, and links to biological screening results that are available in PubChem BioAssay. If the chemical contents of a sample are known, the description includes links to PubChem Compound.
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RSC ChemSpider Structure DatabaseRoyal Society of Chemistry’s ChemSpider is a free chemical structure database providing fast text and structure search access to more than 110M chemical structures and 275 data sources. Users can search by: chemical names (systematic names, synonyms, trade names, database identifiers); chemical structure (create, draw, and upload); and data (literature references, physical properties, interactive spectra, and chemical suppliers).
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Research Collaboratory for Structural Bioinformatics Protein Data BankThe RCSB PDB (Research Collaboratory for Structural Bioinformatics Protein Data Bank) operates the US data center for the global PDB archive. It contains >1 TB of downloadable archive data and access to 3D structure data for large biological molecules (proteins, DNA, and RNA).
Substance Safety Information & Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS)
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Agency for Toxic Substances & Disease Registry ToxFAQsToxFAQs is a series summaries about hazardous substances developed by the ATSDR Division of Toxicology. Information for this series is excerpted from the ATSDR Toxicological Profiles and Public Health Statements. Each free, downloadable fact sheet serves as a quick and easy to understand guide. Answers are provided to the most frequently asked questions (FAQs) about exposure to hazardous substances found around hazardous waste sites and the effects of exposure on human health.
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MSDSonlineMSDSOnline provides Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) for hazardous materials used on the Cal Poly SLO campus. Off campus users must first connect to Cal Poly VPN to access this resource.