Chemical and Materials
Engineering 200
How can I find basic
information quickly?
(otherwise know as):
“Quick and Dirty Research 101”
07 September 2010
Randy Reichardt – Science and Technology Library
randy.reichardt@ualberta.ca
http://www.ualberta.ca/~science3/cme200-10.pdf
Outline of Presentation
• Cameron Science and Technology Library
• Chemical and Materials Eng library resources
– examples from chemical/materials encyclopedias
– locating information basic information on chemical and
materials engineering and industries
– locating chemical info: properties, data, uses, etc
– locating industrial safety and hygiene information, toxicity data
• Using the web in your research
– evaluating web sites: why you need to use caution
– Web Site Examples: The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly
• Ways to Contact me
– e-mail, Facebook
Science and Technology Library
(Cameron - floors 1-4)
• Houses print journals and books on chemical
and materials engineering (third floor).
– First floor of Cameron now includes a satellite
branch of Edmonton Public Library and a
Starbucks Coffee Shop
• Use your ONECard to borrow material
• U of A Libraries are part of the NEOS Libraries
Consortium
– 49 libraries in 17 library systems in and near
Edmonton
Library Resources for
Chemical and Materials Engineering
• Many different sources and formats
– Journals, conference publications, databases,
monographs, encyclopedias, handbooks,
government and technical reports, manuals,
product directories, web sites, patents,
standards…
• Online resource guides for chem and
materials engineering on the library web
site:
Online chat
service (when I’m
available) –
otherwise I can be
reached via
Facebook or email
List of suggested
databases
Kirk-Othmer and Ullmann’s are the two most
important encyclopedias in chemical engineering
You can
browse by title
or topic
To search by Keyword within
Ullmann’s, choose
“Advanced Product Search”
Ullmann’s: One of many
good sources to use to find information
on chemical production, uses,
properties, etc
Entries often
available in
HTML or PDF
format
Flow sheets
available
Flow sheet for
malt production
of beer
References, figures and
charts are linked:
Complete citation information provided: author
and title of article, journal or publications title,
volume, year, and pages on which the article appears
The important encyclopedias in materials engineering are
on the Materials Science & Engineering guide
Chemicals
Where to Find Properties, Uses,
Health and Safety, Toxicity?
• The chemical engineering resource guide
include lists of resources to help you find
chemical and materials properties, uses,
toxicity data, and more
• These include handbooks and manuals in
print and available online.
• Knovel Library – excellent starting point!
The Knovel Library
is an example
of a full-text
handbook db
Knovel Library has a
large section
on safety and
industrial hygiene
Three excellent resources to use
to search for
toxicity information on chemicals
are:
Patty’s, Sax’s, and Sittig’s.
Entry for Boron from
Sax's Dangerous
Properties of
Industrial Materials
(11th Edition)
1.4 Toxic Effects
There have been no reports of toxicity in humans. Since the element is very
insoluble, the dust should be treated as such, with a respirable dust limit applied.
1.4.1 Experimental Studies 1.4.1.1 Acute Toxicity The mouse oral LD50 for
presumably amorphous boron was reported to be 2000 mg/kg by Stokinger
(193), who recommended that it should be controlled at the “nuisance” dust level
of 10 mg/m3.
1.4.1.2 Chronic and Subchronic Toxicity Elemental boron inhalation studies in the
mouse were done by Stokinger (193). No effects were seen at air concentrations
of 72.8 mg/m3 over a 30-day period of 7 h/day, 5 days/week. However, boron
concentrations in the lung were 792 mg/g; in the kidney, 252 mg/g; in the liver,
106 mg/g; and in the GI tract, 73 mg/g. The elemental boron studies in humans
by Keil and Miller (192) and the inhalation study in the mouse emphasize the
ability of the respiratory tract to absorb highly insoluble substances; solubility of
elemental boron is 0.72 mg/mL in water and 1.3 mg/mL in plasma.
1.4.1.3 Pharmacokinetics, Metabolism, and Mechanisms It is assumed that once
elemental boron goes into solution, the boron will be in the form B(OH)3 and thus
will be absorbed, distributed, and excreted as boric acid. See toxicity information
about boric acid above.
Entry for Boron in Patty’s Toxicology
Is The Internet Useless For Finding
Relevant or Reliable Information?
• Of course not!
• It is a good place to start for finding
background info and for exploring
new ideas…
• BUT ALWAYS USE CAUTION!
• What to watch for when browsing and evaluating
web sites?
–Accuracy, bias, authority, scope, currency,
purpose, plagiarism, usability.
What are Volatile Organic Compounds?
Source: Yu, Ming-Ho. 2000. “Volatile organic compounds.” In:
Environmental Toxicology: Biological and Health Effects of
Pollutants, Chapter 11. 2d ed.
How found: a search on CRCnetBASE, a full-text handbook
db on UA Libraries’ web site.
Not available via a Google search.
What are Volatile Organic Compounds?
Source: US Environmental Protection Agency. Air. Indoor Air Quality.
“An introduction to indoor air quality. Volatile organic compounds
(VOCs).” http://www.epa.gov/iaq/voc.html <accessed 27 August 2010>
How found: Search on Google for
“volatile organic compounds”
World Trade Center study:
freely available on the
web. Is it credible?
Agencies, associations,
etc, responsible for this
report are listed
on the cover
Authors of
each chapter
are given
Authors’ credentials,
affliliations listed
“SoCal city falls victim to Internet hoax,
considers banning items made with water”
ALISO VIEJO, Calif. Sun, Mar. 14, 2004
- City officials were so concerned about the potentially dangerous properties of
dihydrogen monoxide that they considered banning foam cups after they learned the
chemical was used in their production. Then they learned that dihydrogen monoxide H2O for short - is the scientific term for water.
"It's embarrassing," said City Manager David J. Norman. "We had a paralegal who did
bad research.“ The paralegal apparently fell victim to one of the many official looking
Web sites that have been put up by pranksters to describe dihydrogen monoxide as "an
odorless, tasteless chemical" that can be deadly if accidentally inhaled.
As a result, the City Council of this Orange County suburb had been scheduled to vote
next week on a proposed law that would have banned the use of foam containers at
city-sponsored events. Among the reasons given for the ban were that they were
made with a substance that could "threaten human health and safety.“
Excerpt from entry by Amy Fry, Association of
College & Research Libraries blog, 11 Sept 2008
From Washington Post
article by Frank Aherns,
Tuesday 09 Sept 2009
UA iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad App
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Contact Info
• Randy Reichardt, Chemical and
Materials Engineering Librarian
– Office phone: 780-492-7911
– Email: randy.reichardt@ualberta.ca
– you can also reach me via Facebook – just
be sure you send the message to the
correct “Randy Reichardt”!
– in ECERF 7-029 from 13:00-15:00 every
Tuesday beginning 14 Sept 2010
• http://www.ualberta.ca/~science3/cme200-10.pdf