An Introduction to Computer Searching of
Chemical Abstracts
STN International Version
Appendix A: Other Types of Information and Sources of Information
Complete lists of databases are available from each online service. Selected examples of databases
of interest to chemists are listed below.
Substance Information
- DICTIONARY OF ORGANIC COMPOUNDS and DICTIONARY OR ORGANOMETALLIC COMPOUNDS (Heilbron File)
- Covers the most frequently used organic and organometallic compounds. Provides data and
major literature references for preparation; physical and chemical properties; other
properties, such as toxicity.
- MERCK INDEX
- Covers chemicals, drugs, and substances of biological importance. Provides data and
important literature references for: preparaton; physical, chemical, and biological
properties; pharmacological actions; and use.
- BEILSTEIN HANDBOOK OF ORGANIC CHEMISTRY
- A comprehensive reference database of organic compounds. Provides evaluated data,
linked to literature references, for preparaton, structure, properties, and reactions
since the late 19th century.
- CRC HANDBOOK OF DATA ON ORGANIC COUMPOUNDS (HODOC)
- Covers the most frequently used physical and chemical data, including spectral data,
for over 25,000 compounds.
- GMELIN HANDBOOK OF INORGANIC AND ORGANOMETALLIC CHEMISTRY
- A comprehensive reference database of inorganic and, to some extent, organometallic
compounds. Provides evaluated data, linked to literature references, for preparation,
structure, properties, and reactions since 1817.
Data Sources
- JANAF
- Thermochemical property data for more than 1,000 inorganic or organic substances (with
only one or two carbon atoms). Produced by the National Institute of Standards and
Technology, U.S. Department of Commerce.
- NISTFLUIDS
- Provides critically evaluated thermophysical and transport properties for 12 important
industrial fluids. Produced by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, U.S.
Department of Commerce.
- NISTCERAM
- Provides thermal and mechanical property for many structural ceramics, including
high-temperature applications. Produced by the National Institute of Standards and Technology.
- DIPPR
- Contains property constants and temperature-dependent properties for approximately
1,116 commercially important chemical substances. Produced by the American Institute
of Chemical Engineers.
- MSDS-CCOHS
- Includes Materials Safety Data Sheets from the Occupational Canadian Centre for Health
and Safety. Contains safety-related and toxicity data for over 65,000 compounds.
- POLYMAT
- This polymer material database contains data properties and characteristics for over
7,000 plastic products. Produced by the Deutsches Kunststoff Institut. Information is
in English.
Reaction database
- CASREACT
- Contains information on reactions of organic substances, including organometallics and
biomolecules, reported in publications indexed in the Organic sections of Chemical
Abstracts since 1985. Includes over 1 million reactions, with over 100,000 added annually.
- ChemInformRX
- Contains chemical reaction information also published in Chemischer Informationsdienst.
Full Text of articles in journals and encyclopedias
- CJACS
- Provides the complete text of all articles that appear in all primary research journals
published by the American Chemical Society.
- CJRSC
- Provides the complete text of research papers and other technical papers in the 10
research level journals published by the Royal Society of Chemistry.
- CJWILEY
- Provides the full text of papers in 5 Wiley polymer journals.
- KIRK-OTHMER ENCYCLOPEDIA OF CHEMICAL TECHNOLOGY
- Provides the complete text of the articles, including index entries and literature
references, contained in the multi-volume work.
- ENCYCLOPEDIA OF POLYMER SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
- Provides the complete text of the articles, including index entries and literature
references, contained in this multi-volume work.
Patents
- CHEMICAL ABSTRACTS
- Covers chemical and related patents from over 28 countries.
- U.S. PATENTS
- Covers U.S. patents in many fields of science and technology, including chemistry,
chemical engineering, and nuclear science.
- WORLD PATENTS (Derwent Files)
- Covers all international patentable technology in the chemical, mechanical, electrical,
and general categories from over 29 countries.
Related subject areas
- BIOLOGICAL ABSTRACTS
- Offers comprehensive, international coverage of journal articles, research reports,
conference papers, and other sources in biology, medicine, and interdisciplinary life sciences.
- INDEX MEDICUS
- A comprehensive index to the world’s medical literature. Indexes journals in the medical
and health sciences and representative journals in related fields, such as chemistry,
physics, and zoology.
- TOXLINE
- Covers the adverse effects of chemicals, drugs, and physical agents on living systems.
Produced by the U.S. National Library of Medicine.
- ENGINEERING INDEX
- Covers the world’s significant literature of engineering and technology that is published
in approximately 4500 journals and selected books and reports. Covers topics of interest
to chemists, such as superconductors, environmental and chemical engineering, water and
air pollution.
- PHYSICS ABSTRACTS
- A guide to published research in all areas of physics. Includes information of interest to
chemists, such as crystal growth, chemical physics, electron states, optics, and spectroscopy.
(Physics Abstracts is a selection of Inspec, a comprehensive electronic database).
Directories
- AMERICAN MEN AND WOMEN OF SCIENCE
- Offers biographic information about eminent living American and Canadian scientists. Includes
over 121,000 entries. Provides biographic data, positions held, honors and research specialties.
- THOMAS REGISTER ONLINE
- Lists over 148,000 U.S. and Canadian companies. Provides address, phone and fax numbers, and
products and services.
Citation Searching
- SCIENCE CITATION INDEX
- A multidisciplinary index to the literature of science and technology. Offers searching by
authors and words in the journal article title. Also, allows retrieval of newly published
articles through the subject relationships established by an author’s reference to prior
articles (i.e., by articles cited in an author’s paper).