Skip to Main Content

Chemistry & Biochemistry Research Guide

Selected Reference Sources

CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics
Physical and chemical data, with some references.

Merck Index
Physical data, preparation references, toxicity and uses

CAS Common Chemistry open access
"Nearly 500,000 chemical substances from CAS REGISTRY® cover areas of community interest, including common and frequently regulated chemicals, and those relevant to high school and undergraduate chemistry classes. This chemical information, curated by our expert scientists, is provided in alignment with our mission as a division of the American Chemical Society."

NIST Chemistry WebBook
Chemical and physical property data.
   Introduction and Citation Guide

ChemSpider
Chemical substances database giving name, synonyms, experimental and predicted properties data. and links to references from PubMed, spectra from various sources etc.

PubChem Compound (U.S. National Library of Medicine)
Contains validated chemical depiction information provided to describe substances in PubChem Substance.
Structures stored within PubChem Compounds are pre-clustered and cross-referenced by identity and similarity groups.
Records include physical and chemical properties, safety and handling, links to articles in PubMed and other biochemical information from other NLM databases.

Catalogs (with Safety Data Sheets)

Fisher Scientific
Browse all Products
Use the search box at the top left of the screen to search by name or RN
Usually has physical properties, safety & handling notes, and Materials Safety Data Sheet

Aldrich's Handbook of Fine Chemicals and Laboratory Equipment
Sigma-Aldrich website
Includes basic physical properties and links to Materials Safety Data Sheets for many compounds.

Spectra

Encyclopedia of Spectroscopy and Spectrometry
1st floor, Reference  QC 450.3 .E53 2000

Spectral Database for Organic Compounds SDBS

Aldrich Library of NMR Spectra
Lower Level f QC 762 .P69 (volumes 1-11)

More Chemical Data Sources

Chemical Data Sources from UCSB Library's Chemistry Guide
Websites with free collections of chemical data.

Organic Chemist's Desk Reference, 2nd ed.
1st floor, Reference  QD 257.7 .R46 2011
"Companion to the Dictionary of Organic Compounds"

Organic mechanisms: reactions, stereochemistry and synthesis. 2010
Also in the Library: Lower Level QD262 .B6913 2010

Comprehensive Organic Name Reactions and Reagents
Lower Level. QD 77 .W36 2009 (3 volumes)

Named Organic Reactions
Reference QD 291 .L3513 2000

Name Reactions: A Collection of Detailed Mechanisms and Synthetic Applications. 2009
Also in the Library. Lower Level QD 291 .L5 2009

Encyclopedia of Reagents for Organic Synthesis. 4ed
Reference QD 77 .E53 1995 (8 volumes)

Organic syntheses based on name reactions a practical guide to over 750 transformations. 2012

RCSB Protein Data Bank
The Protein Data Bank (PDB) archive is the single worldwide repository of information about the 3D structures of large biological molecules, including proteins and nucleic acids.
    PDB-101 Training and Outreach Portal, includes Molecule of the Month

ENZYME: Enzyme Nomenclature Database.
Based on recommendations of the Nomenclature Committee of the IUBMB, describes each type of characterized enzyme.