Internet Resource Guide for
Chemical Researchers
Michael Buchanan
Eng 202C Sec. 038
February 5, 2015
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Table of Contents
Preface…………………………………………..………3
Technical Database
SciFinder Scholar…………………………..……….4
Spectral Database for Organic Compounds……..….5
Web of Knowledge……………………….……....…7
NIST Chemical Workbook…………………….…....8
Government Resources
Catalog of U.S. Government Publications…….....…9
The Statistical Abstract of the United States…........10
Scholar Journal
Journal of the American Chemical Society..............11
Professional Organization
American Chemical Society.....................................12
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Preface
Content:
This guide is a collaboration of online resources for those who are undergraduates
or professionals working in chemical research. Undergraduate students and
professionals can use these websites as a way to access data for research purposes.
In certain classes for undergraduates and in background research of the work being
done in a lab by a chemist, use of resources is important to either receive a good
grade or write a proper paper. These sources included technical databases,
government resources, a scholar journal, and a professional organization.
Audience: This resource guide was designed to help undergraduates with resources that they
will need to know how to use for research but also for professional chemists that
need to find sources for a specific part of their research. Most undergraduates do not
know what to use for chemical research so these sources are a way to help guide
them to providing proper information. Chemists will know some of these databases
but usually only use them partially because it will satisfy what they need at the
time; this guide gives them all the information needed for each source provided.
Both audiences can use then take these sources and expand their view and
knowledge of chemical research.
Known:
This guide was created with the understanding that both audiences have some basic
knowledge of chemistry and its application. The audience will need to know how to
work a computer and be able to access the internet from that computer. For
undergraduates, they will need to connect to the Penn State network due to some of
the sources needing subscriptions to them. Professional chemists need to know to
access some of these sources will require a subscription causing them to have to pay
to gain access.
Organization:This guide provides information in eight different resources which are organized
into four different categories. These four categories are Technical Databases,
Government Resources, Scholar Journal, and Professional Organization. For each
sources there is the title of the website, the URL, the abstract that explains the
background of the source, the procedure on how to access and work the source,
and tips on how to work with the source in the best way. The technical databases,
government sources, and scholar journal can be used to find a retrieve specific
data needed. The professional organization is primarily used for submitting
research and also finds proper jobs to do research. These categories combined
cover a vast amount of information that the audience can use to properly support
whatever research they are conducting.
Tips:
The audience should use the Table of Contents to find the source that they are
looking for. Also to properly understand and work each of the websites; knowing
how to use Microsoft Office and Adobe Reader is strongly recommended.
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SciFinder Scholar
Technical Database
https://scifinder.cas.org/scifinder/login
Abstract: This technical database was created as a research tool for chemical professionals and
students that need to find supporting information for whatever research being done.
This database was created by the Chemical Abstract Service also known as the CAS.
The website itself describes its function as, “SciFinder is a research discovery
application that provides integrated access to the world’s most comprehensive and
authoritative source of references, substances and reactions in chemistry and related
sciences.” The benefit of this database is that not only can you search a subject and
find journal articles about it, but you can also search for chemical patents, chemical
structures, and chemical reactions. As a researcher, it is essential to have the option to
not only find articles about a topic but if researching a certain process or reaction,
data can be found to support the process that is being designed. Finally, when
researching a topic, depending on how descriptive the search is, the database will give
you articles directly connected to the search or articles that will have some amount of
data needed but not all.
Procedure: Go on to any computer or connect to the Wi-Fi on the Penn State campuses. Penn
State has an account with SciFinder Scholar and can access it at any point. Each
person has to register an account, once registered they have to enter their username
and password to enter the website. Each person will go through the SciFinder Scholar
Licensing Agreement page which they will have to accept and agree to what is on that
page. Once that is done, the researcher is now at the home page, to research a topic
they need to click “Explore” and type in their topic such as “reaction for hydrochloric
acid” then click enter. You will then have the option to decide on how relevant you
want the article to be according to the topic. Once that is done, SciFinder will list all
the articles available with that phrase in it. You will then click the article and then
click on “Get References” and it will take you to a page that will provide a search for
the patent, a link for the pdf file, or a HTML for the website that is at. Once you click
on the option it provides, the article should come up with the full text.
Tips:
Hundreds of thousands of articles exist within this database so be as specific as
possible when searching a topic.
To return to the home page, clicking the “back” button will help get out of whatever
search you are in.
If having trouble navigating through the database, there is a help tool that will provide
you with directions on how it works.
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Spectral Database for Organic Compounds
Technical Database
http://sdbs.db.aist.go.jp/sdbs/cgi-bin/cre_index.cgi
Abstract:
SDBS is primarily used to research the spectral data of known and unknown
organic compounds to compare to data collected. SDBS was organized by the
National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology in Japan. SDBS
gives a wide range of spectral data for given organic compounds such as Mass
Spec, C13 NMR, H1 NMR, IR, and more. The search can be made by searching the
chemical name, the chemical formula, the molecular weight or the CAS number.
Any of these options will bring you to a page of information of possible compounds
and the data associated with each of them. Also the database has a unique option
not commonly seen on other databases. There are some points when a researcher
will know the atoms within the compound but not the formula, this database gives
the option of entering the number of each atom known, and it will give possible
molecular formulas for the compound. This is an essential database since many
researchers in organic labs that have found spectral data on a compound and are not
clear on what it is or how pure the product. They can use this source as a way to
verify their product on whether it is correct or not.
Procedure: First you will have to go to the website and agree to the disclaimer set forth by the
SDBS website. Once you click that you agree, you will be brought to a page where
you can search the compound name, molecular formula, molecular weight, CAS
number or SDBS Number. Also you can search the atoms within the compound to
possibly find the molecular formula. Another search aspect is checking the
spectrum that is desired and entering data of IR, C13 NMR, H1 NMR, and Mass
Spec that is known to find a product. Once the known data is entered, click “search”
and example is “hydrochloric acid” or “HCl”. Once searched, a large amount of
results will be given, once you find what you are looking for, click on the link for
the specific spectral data that is desired. This will take you to a page with data of
pure known organic compounds. This data will help with research or with verifying
a product.
Tips:
Not all spectral data is available within this database so do not expect to find every
compound with a reference to look at. (Specific reason to why they do not have it
like to volatile for IR.)
After clicking search, the compound desired may not always be the first one at the
top, refer to the chemical name and molecular formula to verify it.
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If you are searching a molecular formula and it is too general or too complex, the
data base many not give any results. Use the other known data to search for the
product that this point.
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Web of Knowledge
Technical Database
http://webofknowledge.com/
Abstract:
Web of Knowledge is a search engine for journal articles and other supporting
research papers. Web of Knowledge requires an account to be able to access the
articles, the best way to access this website is by using the Penn State network since
they already have an existing account with Web of Knowledge. This is another type
technical database that was also created as a research tool for people in the
chemistry field that need to find supporting information for research being done.
Web of Knowledge was created by the Thomson Reuters Company. Web of
Knowledge holds many different journal articles from many different fields of
science starting from 1864 to present day. The benefit of this database is the
extremely wide time frame of articles that are available but also having the ability
to specify the search to help find the article that is desired. As a researcher, we need
to make sure that data that is being found can either be supported both by successful
information or shown that the data is incorrect and that this process is wrong for the
experiment. Finally, when researching a topic, the database will give you many
articles in the time frame that you as a researcher put together.
Procedure: If looking for a specific article, you can search by title, author, editor, publisher
name or year. Also you can set the time frame from when you want your articles
from. Once you put all that in, you can put in your information and click “search”.
The database will give you articles with information about your subject. If there is
too many articles then you have the option to refine the search and make it easier to
locate the necessary article.
Tips:
If you are looking for a specific subject or author, definitely use the time frame to
narrow your search.
Most articles will have only some of the information that is needed. Use the refine
tool on the side to find the best article for the search.
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NIST Chemical Workbook
Technical Database
http://webbook.nist.gov/chemistry/
Abstract:
This technical database was created as a way to find data on chemical compounds
that are not normally found on other databases. NIST was created by the National
Institute of Standards and Technology. This database is primarily used to find more
in depth information about a chemical compound. When doing research about a
certain compound, it is necessary to know as much information about the compound
so when looking at data, good results or problems can be seen. Finally, when
researching a compound, NIST has the option for you to select data you need and
data that you can keep out of your results.
Procedure: If looking for a specific compound, you can search by the formula, name, CAS
number, etc. Once you have decided what you are searching by, you then click on
that option; it will then take you to a page to put in the known information. For
example, I would put in “Sodium Chloride” for the name. You can then check the
boxes of the information that you want in your final result page. Once you have
checked all the boxes that you want for the final results, click “search”. The final
page will give you the information that you wanted in an orderly fashion.
Tips:
Follow all directions on the website to properly submit a search. The website will
give you examples of what it wants as a chemical formula, name, etc.
The home page gives you a lot of information and could confuse you. You are using
the “Search Options” for finding the chemical compound that is desired.
Do not check off on all of the boxes; only get the data that is wanted. Too much
information could become confusing.
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Catalog of U.S. Government Publications
Government Resource
http://catalog.gpo.gov/F
Abstract:
The Catalog of U.S. Government Publications is a search engine for those looking
for information on federal government documents. Its database mainly holds
documents from the Environmental Protection Agency but also hold other
documents from other approved government agencies. When it comes to the field of
chemistry, most documents are on contamination or problems in areas that involve
some chemical issue. For example, if someone wanted to look up information that
the federal government has about residential soil contamination then they could use
the document from the EPA’s review of their findings in Review of hotline
complaint regarding soil contamination in Cherryvale, Kansas. To obtain the full
document from this catalog, all that would be needed to do is copy and paste the
URL.
Procedure: Once on the website, it explains at the top what the website is and for. To search the
subject that is desired, put in the necessary information in the search bar. Once you
click search, then many different government documents will come up. After you
select the document you want, all the information from the document will be
presented to you. To find the full document either click on the hyperlink or copy
and paste the given URL.
Tips:
Make sure the search is specific about what is desired. There are many different
agencies putting out documents about different aspects of each subject.
The specific page may be hard to understand and confusing. Read it carefully to
properly find the full text.
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The Statistical Abstract of the United States
Government Resource
http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/
Abstract:
The Statistical Abstract of the United States, published since 1878, is the
authoritative and comprehensive summary of statistics on the social, political, and
economic organization of the United States. This means that it is a statistical
database of the census information of the United States. As an undergraduate
student or a researcher looking for a new job, this website could be used to search
the change in science and technology; more specifically employment, Research &
Design, etc. Though proper research technique is necessary for research being done
in a lab, it is also important to do research on the job market and finding possible
prospects within the field of chemistry.
Procedure:
If you are looking for the employment rate and how it has changed for someone in
the science field. First you would look to the tabs on the left side of the home page
to “Science & Technology” you would then click on “Employment”. It will then
present many different hyperlinks on the collecting of data for either a specific time
or a time period.
Tips:
If looking for insight on job opportunities, the data on this website is not fully up to
date so it can only be somewhat useful.
All data is presented in either an Excel file or a PDF, having the programs
necessary to run each type of files is important.
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Journal of the American Chemical Society
Scholar Journal
http://pubs.acs.org/journal/jacsat
Abstract:
This journal is the most used and cited journal in the Chemistry industry and is used
in many different countries around the world. The Journal of the American
Chemical Society is produced by the American Chemical Society and is an
extremely important journal for the chemistry field. This journal covers a large
array of chemistry fields such as organic, chemical engineering, physical, etc. At
the top of the page you can move from the JACS website to other websites
supported by ACS. This website was designed to find journal articles and any
supporting information that is needed for research is being done. This journal
database can be used to search any topic, citation, or DOI through either the Journal
of American Chemical Society or through any other publication/website. This is a
great website to find articles that have a legitimate source on how to design a
process or information from articles on how a process was done. This is important
as a researcher to check for any data on a procedure to see whether doing further
research is needed.
Procedure: When searching through the Journal of the American Chemical Society, first go to
the website. When at the website, it will show you articles that have just recently
been published which is interesting to find but most importantly, there is a search
bar for data on the top right of the screen. There you will search the topic that you
want. For example, “reaction of hydrochloric acid” would be your topic. Now you
have many options, you could search for a topic, citation, or DOI. Also you can
search this topic through the J. Am. Chem. Soc. or through all other publications.
Once decided, click search and the website will take you to all the articles that it has
produced by the J. Am. Chem. Soc. either through research or just news about the
specific topic. Once you have chosen an article you can view the abstract of the
journal article. If it is the article that is desired, you can then click the pdf for the
whole paper. Researching through JACS, you will need an account to see all of the
articles so using the Penn State Wi-Fi or network will give you full access. Once
you click on the pdf, the whole article will come up and you can use it for the
research that is needed.
Tips:
Make sure you are connected to a network will full access to JACS or sign up and
pay for an account to receive full access.
If having trouble understanding how to use the website, there is a “Help” tab at the
top right of the page to help all researchers navigate properly through the website
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American Chemical Society
Chemical Organization
http://www.acs.org/content/acs/en.html
Abstract:
The American Chemical Society is one of the most known and leading organization
of chemist in the world. This organization has a membership base of over 100,000
people and runs the Chemical Abstract Service. This organization is also known for
publishing 35 scholarly journals and weekly newsmagazine. The American
Chemical Society’s website offers many different aspects for their members but
also helps with students interested in chemistry and information in the chemistry
field. Members can acquire journal discounts, updated with any chemical news,
have the opportunity to apply for scholarships, and have the option to submit papers
to the ACS for the papers to be presented in their upcoming conferences or
newsletters. A main aspect of this website is having the opportunity to search jobs
and submit resumes to those jobs posted. This would be extremely useful for all
those in the chemistry field searching for a career in chemistry.
Procedure: On the ACS website you can join the ACS which would be a sequence of pages for
paying the membership fee but after the initial joining process, you would be able to
just sign in. Once you sign in you will want to click on “Careers” and go to your
profile. Once there, you can edit your profile and submit your resume. Once this is
all done, you can search for specific jobs or areas of chemistry and find what is
available.
Tips:
The membership is a bit costly so be prepared. Though it may be expensive, it is
definitely worth it.
When searching for a job, you would want to be specific or you will find jobs that
are not desired.
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