Chemistry 

Materials which are usually consulted for specific quick-fact information rather than read cover-to-cover.  Reference resources include things like:

• Background or overview synopses (encyclopedia)
• Definitions (dictionary)
• Synonyms (thesaurus)
• Statistics
• Biographical Details
• Maps (atlas)

Links/Resources to the right are specific to this discipline.  General sources can be found at the libraries Reference Sources page.

Most reference resources are organized in a logical order that aids searching (alphabetically, chronologically, etc).  In paper, most also include an index in the back which points users to the appropriate pages.  Searching reference resources electronically is unusually equal with paper techniques.  Try the following:

1. Decide on your search terms
2. Try searching with them
3. If not satisfied with the results, try searching a synonym or related idea

Things to watch out for:

• Is the computer searching only the title/header of the entries or the full-text of the information?  You will get more results, but more of them will be irrelabent if you are searching the full-text.
• Are you searching for a proper noun (name, place,...)?  Make sure that the spelling is correct and try variations if it originated in a foreign language.
• Searching for something by date?  This is trickier than it sounds.  If possible, search for an event name or topic rather than a date, e.g. civil rights movement or hippies or flower children rather than 1960s.

• A Comprehensive treatise on inorganic and theoretical chemistry.
  Mellor. 22 vols. (D 31.M52) pub. 1963. with supplements
• Concise encyclopedia of chemistry. Ref QD 4.A2313 1994.
  Translation from the German ABC Chemie
• Desk reference for organic chemists
  Ref QD 257.7 .E28 1995 - a handbook of data and useful information
• Dictionary of Organic Compounds
  Ref QD 246 .D5 1982
• Encyclopedia of the chemical elements
  Ref QD 466.H295
• Kirk-Othmer encyclopedia of chemical technology
  Ref TP 9.E685 (we have 2nd ed. - 3rd ed. at Clarkson and online)
• Lange's handbook of chemistry
  Ref QD 65.L36 1992 14th ed.
• Reagents for organic synthesis
  Ref QD 262.F5. by Fieser and Fieser. 17 vols.