Please contact a librarian for additional assistance.

Online Tools

Sax's Dangerous Properties of Industrial Materials
Comprehensive hazard information on substances encountered in the workplace.

Patty's Toxicology
Toxicological data on industrial chemicals that pose potential health hazards to workers.

NIST Chemistry Webbook
* Provides information for over 15,000 substances
* Information in the database includes: thermochemical data (enthalpy of formation, enthalpy of combustion, heat capacity, entropy, phase transition enthalpies and temperatures, vapor pressure), reaction thermochemistry data (enthalpy of reaction, free energy of reaction), IR spectra for over 7,500 compounds, mass spectra for over 10,000 compounds, UV/Vis spectra for over 400 compounds, electronic and vibrational spectra for over 3,000 compounds, constants of diatomoic molecules, ion energetics data for over 14,000 compounds (ionization energy, appearance energy, electron affinity, proton affinity), and thermophysical property data for 16 fluids.
* Database can be searched using a chemical name, molecular formula, Chemical Abstracts registry number, molecular weight, or selected ion energetics and spectral properties.
* The information provided is well indexed and provided by a reputable source.
* The site is free, easy to use, and readily accessible from any computer with Internet access.

The Merck Index
Where would I find this?
PRINT: Chemistry Library Reference Collection RS356 M47
Kline Science Library Reference Collection RS356 M4
Please see Orbis for additional holdings information.

Why would I use this?
* Provides information for over 10,000 substances
* Information in the handbook includes: boiling point, chemical name, derivatives, molecular formula, molecular weight, references to the primary literature, Chemical Abstracts registry number, spectral information (UV), structure, therapeutic effects
* Good source for information on human and veterinary drugs, biologicals, natural products, agricultural compounds, commercial and laboratory chemicals, and environmentally significant compounds.
* If you are looking for articles about a particular substance, this is a good place to find recommended references to the primary literature.
* Includes a section on named organic reactions.

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
The ATSDR ToxFAQs™ is a series of summaries about hazardous substances developed by the ATSDR Division of Toxicology. Information for this series is excerpted from the ATSDR Toxicological Profiles and Public Health Statements. Each fact sheet serves as a quick and easy to understand guide. Answers are provided to the most frequently asked questions (FAQs) about exposure to hazardous substances found around hazardous waste sites and the effects of exposure on human health.

Combined Chemical Dictionary
PRINT: The Combined Chemical Dictionary is a compilation of the information found in the following print resources: Dictionary of Organic Compounds, Dictionary of Inorganic Compounds, Dictionary of Organometallic Compounds, Dictionary of Natural Products, Dictionary of Pharmacological Agents, Dictionary of Analytical Reagents. You can find information on the location of these print tools in Orbis.
ONLINE: part of the Combined Chemical Dictionary

* Provides Information on over 300,000 substances
* Includes descriptive and numerical data on chemical, physical, and biological properties of compounds (boiling point, melting point, use, source/synthesis, solubility, pKa, hazard and toxicity information, references to spectral information); systematic and common names of compounds; literature references; and structure diagrams.
* Easy to access, search, and use.
* Searches can be performed by structure, chemical name or using numerical data.

Note: * A plugin is necessary to perform a structure search. The plugin is available from the Combined Chemical Dictionary Web site.
* When searching the online database, make sure to click on the "search" button on the upper left hand corner of the search screen. Clicking on the "browse" button beside the information box will take you to an index, but will not execute your search.

Dictionary of Substances and Their Effects
ONLINE: Part of the Knovel online book package.
Published by the Royal Society of Chemistry, the DOSE is a seven-volume collection of vital information covering 4,100 chemicals and their impact on the environment. Detailed information about toxicity, physical properties, and regulatory requirements is also presented. All information is completely referenced. A Knovel Interactive Table lists all chemicals and their physical properties, with links to images of chemical structures. Chemicals can be searched by their chemical names as well as synonyms, molecular formulas, CAS Registry and RTECS numbers.

ToxNet
A portion of the larger Environmental Sciences and Pollution Management Database Collection, TOXNET (TOXicology Data NETwork) is a cluster of databases covering toxicology, hazardous chemicals, environmental health and related areas. It is managed by the Toxicology and Environmental Health Information Program (TEHIP) in the Division of Specialized Information Services (SIS) of the National Library of Medicine (NLM). See the list of databases.

ChemFinder.com
* Provides information for over 75,000 substances and links to over 300 chemistry related sites.
* Entries include boiling point, chemical name, melting point, molecular formula, molecular weight, physical description, Chemical Abstracts registry number, RTECS reference, solubility, and links to other web sites.
* Database can be searched using a chemical name, molecular formula, molecular weight, Chemical Abstracts registry number, or chemical structure.
* Freely available on the web (more than three consecutive searches requires a free registration).
* Good to use for a quick lookup of basic property information for common. substances

Beilstein/Gmelin
Where would I find this?
ONLINE: DiscoveryGate description page.

Why would I use this?
* Provides information for over 7 million organic substances (Beilstein) and over 1 million inorganic and organometallic substances (Gmelin)
* Entries include boiling point, chemical name, density, derivatives, melting point, molecular formula, molecular weight, reactivity, Beilstein registry number, Chemical Abstracts registry number, spectral information (13C NMR, 1H NMR, Fluorescence, IR, Mass Spec, Raman, UV), solubility, sterochemical description, structure
* Covers a large number of substances and provides indepth property information for the substances. Information is derived from the primary literature and references to the source of the information are provided.
* Searches can be executed using chemical data, chemical structures, or chemical reactions.
* Greater number of search options, especially for structure and substructure searching, than other databases.
* CrossFire may contain data that you have been unable to find in other handbooks and databases.
* This resources is NOT recommended for a "quick lookup", but if you want a more comprehensive look at the properties and reactivity of a substance then it is well worth your time to learn how to use this resource.

SciFinder Scholar
Where would I find this?
Print: SciFinder Scholar is the electronic equivalent of Chemical Abstracts. A print collection of Chemical Abstracts can be found in the Index and Abstract section fo the Kline Science Library
Online: SciFinder Scholar can be found on all of the workstations in the Chemistry Library, on Workstations 1 and 2 in the Kline Science Library, and on selected workstations in the Engineering and Applied Science Library. For more information on SciFinder Scholar, please see the SciFinder Scholar description page.

Paper Tools

Sax's Dangerous Properties of Industrial Materials
COVERAGE: covers over 20,000 toxic, carcinogenic, mutagenic, highly flammable, or potentially explosive substances. Included are health-related and physical property data. There are over 730 pages of synonyms in seven languages to assist in using the work. It is also indexed by CAS Registry Number.
AVAILABILITY: PRINT -- Kline Science Library Reference Collection T55 +S28 1992

Bretherick's Handbook of Reactive Chemical Hazards
COVERAGE: 5,000 elements and compounds. Volume 1 is devoted to specific information on the stability of the compounds or the reactivity of mixtures of two or more of them under various conditions. In volume 2 are found groups of chemical substances arranged on the basis of similarities in structure or reactivity. Stability data on single specific compounds, data on possible violent interaction between two or more compounds, general data on a class or group of compounds (or information on the identity of individual compounds in a known hazardous group), structures associated with explosive instability, and fire-related data are all included in the work.
AVAILABILITY: PRINT -- Sterling Chemistry Library T55.3 H3 B73 1995

The National Library of Medicine's TOXNET
COVERAGE: TOXNET is system of databases on toxicology, hazardous chemicals, and related areas.
AVAILABILITY: WWW -- http://toxnet.nlm.nih.gov/servlets/simple-search

Aldrich catalog/handbook of fine chemicals
COVERAGE: Catalog of Chemicals sold by the Aldrich Chemical Company. Chemicals are arranged in alphabetical order, a molecular formula and CAS Registry Number Index is included. Entries include physical property information as well as common hazardous properties, Merck Index reference, and references to the Aldrich Library of Spectra.
AVAILABILITY: WWW -- http://www.sigma-aldrich.com (must set up a profile and login) PRINT -- Sterling Chemistry Library Reference Carrel; Kline Science Library Reference Collection QD 39.2 A53