CMU LibGuides: Chemistry: Chemistry Home

Library Catalog

From the CMU Library Homepage you can search for materials across the library system including books, music, dissertations, and journal articles.

You can search by keywords, title, author or call number using the Advanced Search feature of the library catalog.

The results page will list CMU holdings and will be sorted by relevance by default. You can sort by date, author, or title using the drop-down menu to the left of the search results.

If the library doesn't have what you're looking for, consider Interlibrary Loan for access to non-CMU holdings.

Quickly access journal articles

LibKey Nomad is a browser extension that facilitates access to the Libraries' full text resources as you find research on the web. LibKey Nomad provides one-click access to full text from websites like PubMed, Wikipedia and publisher pages. Install the plug-in for Chrome, Firefox, Microsoft Edge, or other browsers by going to this LibKey Nomad download page and choosing Carnegie Mellon University as your institution when prompted.

Chemical Literature Databases

Databases are searchable indexes of the research articles in journals. They do not house the articles themselves, but will usually link to where you can find the full text. Look for the blue "find it at CMU" button! Some of the most useful databases to get started with for chemistry are the following:

SciFinder-n
CAS SciFinder-n is the latest scientific information solution from CAS, a division of the American Chemical Society. In addition to the reference, substance, reaction and supplier content found in CAS SciFinder®, CAS SciFinder-n includes relevance-ranked results, step-by-step procedures and protocols, citation mapping, biosequence searching, retrosynthetic analysis, patent landscape mapping, touch screen enabled structure drawing and much more—all accessible in a simple, easy to-use interface. First time users must register.
Reaxys
A web access to comprehensive information of organic, inorganic, and organometallic compounds, their syntheses and properties that includes Crossfire Beilstein and Gmelin databases.
Web of Science
A multidisciplinary database, with searchable author abstracts, covering the literature of the sciences, social sciences and the arts & humanities providing indexes and links to cited references for each article.
PubMed
Biomedical literature from MEDLINE, life science journals, and online books. Citations may include links to full-text content from PubMed Central and publisher web sites.
Cambridge Structural Database
Provides access to the world's repository of small molecule crystal structures. It also gives comprehensive and retrospective coverage of the published literature.
Patai's Chemistry of Functional Groups - Online Book Series
An online book series in organic chemistry covering all volumes from 1964-1995.

Preprint Servers

ChemRxiv

If you need: the latest chemistry
ChemRxiv ("chem archive") is a preprint server in chemistry and related chemical sciences. ChemRxiv is co-owned by five of the largest chemistry academic societies - the American Chemical Society (ACS), Chinese Chemical Society, Chemical Society of Japan, German Chemical Society (GDCh), and the Royal Society of Chemistry. The manuscript published on ChemRxiv are not peer reviewed.

engrXiv

engrXiv ("engineering archive") is dedicated to the dissemination of engineering research. engrXiv was launched by University of Wisconsin-Stout, and in partnership with the Center for Open Science. The manuscript published on engrXiv are not peer reviewed.

arXiv

arXiv ("archive") is an open-access archive for 1,732,878 scholarly articles in the fields of physics, mathematics, computer science, quantitative biology, quantitative finance, statistics, electrical engineering and systems science, and economics. The manuscript published on arXiv are not peer reviewed.

Dictionaries

Hawley's Condensed Chemical Dictionary by Richard J. Lewis
ISBN: 9780471387350

Publication Date: 2001-09-24

Up-to-date chemical entries, definitions, and cross references - Web links to new, as well as established, manufacturers and associations
A Dictionary of Chemistry by Richard Rennie (Editor); Jonathan Law (Editor)
ISBN: 0198722826

Publication Date: 2016-03-21

The seventh edition boasts broader coverage in areas such as nuclear magnetic resonance, polymer chemistry,nanotechnology and graphene, and absolute configuration, increasing the dictionary's appeal to students in these fields. New diagrams have been added and existing diagrams updated to illustrate topics that wouldbenefit from a visual aid. There are also biographical entries on key figures, featured entries on major topics such as polymers and crystal defects, and a chronology charting the main discoveries in atomic theory, biochemistry, explosives, and plastics.

Handbooks

Handbook of Heterocyclic Chemistry by Alan R. Katritzky; Christopher A. Ramsden; John A. Joule; Viktor V. Zhdankin
ISBN: 9780080958439

Publication Date: 2010-08-24

Contains more than 1500 clearly drawn structures and reactions. The highly systematic coverage given to the subject makes this one of the most authoritative single-volume accounts of modern heterocyclic chemistry available and should be useful reference for those teaching a heterocyclic course.
CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics by John Rumble (Editor)
ISBN: 9780367417246

Publication Date: 2020-06-05

Every year older collections are updated with the latest values and new areas will be added as science progresses. All data are reviewed and evaluated by subject matter experts Chemical names and property units are standardized, and structures are provided for most substances Over 380 property tables included Contains important information on data-related subjects such as chemical and laboratory safety, and nomenclature
Lange's Handbook of Chemistry, Seventeenth Edition by James Speight
ISBN: 9781259586095

Publication Date: 2016-10-05

Completely Updated to Include Today's Essential Topics Lange's Handbook of Chemistry, Seventeenth Edition is written to provide a reliable one-stop source of factual information for today's working chemist.
CRC Handbook of Data on Organic Compounds by David R. Lide; G. W. A. Milne
Call Number: MELLON REF QD257.7.H23

ISBN: 9780849304453

Publication Date: 1993-12-30

The CRC Handbook of Data on Organic Compounds, Third Edition (HODOC III) is The master reference of more than 27,000 organic compounds, thoroughly indexed to locate specific compounds.
Organic Chemistry by Hans Beyer; Wolfgang Walter; Douglas Lloyd (Editor, Translator); H. Robert Beyer
ISBN: 9781898563372

Publication Date: 1997-02-28

This book deals with purification methods, chemical bonding theory and spectroscopic methods and is a reference book for chemists at any stage of their career. Rich in practical applications and historic vignettes, its lavish provision of knowledge reflects the authors deliberate strategy to place chemistry in the widest perspective, providing a sound understanding of this complex and important branch of science.