Part 2
Information Gathering, Information
Sources, Publishing, and Journals
Primary and Secondary Literature
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Chemical Information Sources
The Gathering of Information and Classification:
a. The experiment …. the calculation … the measurements …
 Discovery
by definition, a discovery represents original information, i.e., information
that has not previously been published.
b. The discovery is described by the discoverer
(supervisor/student at university; director/research personnel/technician
working with a company, etc.)
. by writing up as a manuscript and publishing as a journal paper
. by presenting at a conference and publishing as a conference paper
. if the discovery has commercial value, the discoverer may disclose
the discovery in a special written format termed a patent
. the student may describe the discovery in a dissertation or thesis
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Chemical Information Sources (cont.)
The details of the discovery (the original information) appear
in the journal, conference paper, patent, or dissertation
The information is in the Public Domain – the information is
‘public’ – it has been ‘published’!
Primary Literature
is any vehicle – journal, conference paper, patent, or
dissertation – which is used for publication of original
information (that is, is the first to disclose the details
of the discovery, calculation, measurement, etc.)
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Chemical Information Sources (cont.)
Secondary Literature
is any vehicle – review journal, monograph (book by a single
author), multigraph (book by multiple authors), treatise
(advanced treatment of a specialized topic), encyclopedia,
dictionary, textbook, handbook (of spectra, physical data,
etc.), bibliographies, indexing and abstracting services (e.g.
Chemical Abstracts) – for providing information which by
definition is not original.
• The objective of secondary literature is to repackage and reorganize
the original information reported by researchers in the primary literature
• Information in secondary literature is convenient to access, but may be
‘out of date’!
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PRIMARY LITERATURE
‘Full MS’ - Abstract, Introduction, Results and Discussion, and
Conclusion, full details of Experimental work, and References to
related work; MS may be very long – sometimes over 60 A4
typewritten pages!
Supervisor and you decide to publish the work as soon as
possible; write MS giving a preliminary account of the work:
‘Preliminary MS’ - abbreviated Abstract, Introduction,
Discussion, Conclusion, minimal details of Experimental work,
some References to related work (usually 3–5 A4 pages).
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Patents
What is a patent?
an arrangement between the inventor and the
state such that the inventor receives a limited-time monopoly to
exploit the invention.
Patents are the most important form of publication of industrial research.
In Chemistry
processes, new chemical substance, or known chemical substances
including a new use, may be patented
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Dissertations (or Thesis)
Research results written into M.Sc., M.Phil. or Ph.D. thesis
deposited in library
At HKUST, Ph.D. thesis forwarded to University Microfilms
International (UMI) for microfilming.
Access online through Dissertation for abstracts, citations
from theses in US, Canada, Europe, other pats of the world.
Dissertations are a major form of academic publications
contain information, especially experimental detail not
reported elsewhere, or published in a journal, much later.
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Technical Reports and Conference Papers
Technical Reports
• Usually from government or industry-funded research
• often contain information before it is published in a journal –
but not reviewed by referees (i.e. not ‘peer reviewed’).
• some agencies (NASA, DOE) may place reports on the web.
• Abstracted by Chemical Abstracts.
Conference Papers
•
•
•
•
Papers presented at a conference may be ‘published’ intact
usually no experimental details
usually not peer-reviewed
abstracted by Chemical Abstracts
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SECONDARY LITERATURE
Part of an article which includes similar or related areas
from other journal papers in a
• Review journal
• Monograph (book by a single author)
• Multigraph (book by multiple authors)
• Treatise (advanced treatment of a specialized topic)
• Encyclopedia
• And so on …
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Reviews
Valuable source of information
• Enhance knowledge of own area of research,
provides perspective, save time
• Acquire familiarity with a new area of research
Reviews in
- journals (‘review journals’)
- journals which also publish primary articles
- monographs, multigraphs
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Other Sources
Data Collections
• Secondary literature containing data on specific topics arranged
for easy access
• Data may be evaluated by editor before entry – ‘added value’
Examples
• Dictionaries and Handbooks: classical lists of definitions,
alphabetical list of compounds with data
• Encyclopedias: relevant topics in alphabetical order, may be
too elementary for expert
• Physical data collections: spectra, m.p., b.p., thermodynamic
parameters, etc.
• Reactions and syntheses guides
• Analytical methods
• Comprehensive treatises on specialist topics
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Chemical Abstracts: http://www.cas.org/
Represents the most effective means of accessing and organizing
data – by providing abstracts of primary and secondary literature
papers – world’s largest collection of chemical information!
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EXAMPLES (FYI only; not to be taught in the class)
Dictionaries, Catalogues, Encyclopedias, and Handbooks
i.
Compendium of Chemical Terminology 1997
IUPAC recommended definitions and names
ii.
Hawley's Condensed Chemical Dictionary 1997
properties, containment, properties (incl. hazards), uses of inorganic, organic compounds
iii.
Concise Chemical and Technical Dictionary 1986
properties of compounds
iv.
Combined Chemical Dictionary (CD ROM)
over 456,000 compounds covering all areas of chemistry
v.
Merck Index 1998 (2 vols)
primarily organic compounds, mainly drugs
vi.
Kirk-Othmer Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology 1990
chemical processes; industrially-important chemicals
vii. Ullmann’s Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry Index 1995
English ed.; comprehensive information on industrial chemicals, safety, processes, etc.
viii. Encyclopedia of Analytical Science 1995 (10 vols)
all aspects of analytical chemistry
ix.
Encyclopedia of Polymer Science and Engineering 1990
Polymer Encyclopedia 1990: CD version of ix 1990
preparation, properties of polymers and applications
x.
‘Landolt-Bornstein’: Numerical Data and Functional
Relationships in Science and Technology 1987
physicochemical data in nuclear, atomic physics, crystal and solid state physics
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Handbook: tabulated data and property sets
i.
ii.
iii.
iv.
v.
vi.
CRC Handbook of Physical Properties of Organic Chemicals 1997
physical properties
CRC Handbook of Chemical Synonyms and Trade Names
CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics
tables of physical and chemical data
CRC Handbook of Laboratory Safety
CRC Handbook of Laser Science and Technology
data on optical properties of materials, laser properties
CRC Handbook of Organic Analytical Reagents
chemical tests, analysis and reagents
…and many others in Library!
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Comprehensive Chemistry Series
Pergamon (now Elsevier): multivolume series
i.
Comprehensive Coordination Chemistry
the synthesis, reactions, properties and applications of coordination compounds
ii.
Comprehensive Heterocyclic Chemistry
the structure, reactions, synthesis, and uses of heterocyclic compounds
iii. Comprehensive Medicinal Chemistry
rational design, mechanistic study, and therapeutic applications of chemical
compounds
iv. Comprehensive Organic Chemistry
synthesis and reactions of organic compounds
v.
Comprehensive Organic Synthesis
selectivity, strategy and efficiency in organic chemistry
vi. Comprehensive Organometallic Chemistry
synthesis, reactions, and structures of organometallic compounds
vii. Comprehensive Polymer Science
the synthesis, characterization, reactions and applications of polymers
Rodd's Chemistry of Carbon Compounds: a Modern Comprehensive Treatise
reviews of classes of organic compounds; good on reactions and biochemicals
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Reactions and Syntheses Guides
i.
Organic Reactions
annual publication with comprehensive critical reviews on
important synthetic methods; includes actual experimental
examples
ii. Organic Synthesis and Inorganic Syntheses
annual publication with independently tested procedures
(two laboratories) for synthesis of organic, organometallic,
and inorganic compounds
iii. Fieser and Fiesers’ Reagents for Organic Synthesis
alphabetical presentation of reagents
iv. Compendium of Organic Synthetic Methods
organic functional group transformations; synthetic
methods in form of reactions
Journal: Methods in Organic Synthesis
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