Chemistry & Biochemistry Research Guide

The resources below are in-depth guides to the research literature:

How to find chemical information: a guide for practicing chemists, educators, and students
QD8.5 .M34 5th Floor Stacks

Using the biological literature: a practical guide
QH303.6 .D38 2002 5th Floor Stacks

Material Safety Data Sheets

MSDS Solutions
The largest collection of MSDS freely available on the web. Search 1.5 million MSDS by clicking on Free MSDS Search Engine.  Free registration is required.

Core chemistry reference titles and useful chemistry websites:

CRC Handbook of chemistry and physics
QD65 .H3 Current year in permanent reserve. Previous years in book stacks.

Lange's Handbook of chemistry
QD65 .L36 Reference

Dean's analytical chemistry handbook
QD78 .P37 2004 5th Floor Stacks

Organic reactions
QD251 .O7 5th Floor Stacks

Dictionary of inorganic compounds
QD148 D53 1992 Reference

Dictionary of organic compounds
QD246 D5 1982 5th Floor Oversize

Compendium of organic synthetic methods
Access online

Comprehensive heterocyclic chemistry: the structure, reactions, synthesis, and uses of heterocyclic compounds
QD400 .C65 1984 5th Floor Stacks

Comprehensive organometallic chemistry: the synthesis, reactions, and structures of organometallic compounds
 QD411 .C65 1982  5th Floor Stacks

Dictionary of organometallic compounds
QD 411 D53 1984 Reference

Dictionary of natural products
QD 415 A25 D53 1994 Reference

Treatise on geochemistry
QE515 .T69 2004 Reference

Magill's survey of science. Life science series 
QH307.2 .M34 1991 5th Floor Stacks
This huge reference work focuses on processes rather than organisms. Each entry has bibliography for further reading.

Encyclopedia of the biosphere
QH343.4 .B5613 2000 5th Floor Oversize

Encyclopedia of environmental microbiology
QR100 .B58 2002 5th Floor Oversize

The Merck index: an encyclopedia of chemicals, drugs, and biologicals
RS51 .M4 2006 5th Floor Stacks

Hazardous chemicals desk reference
T55.3.H3 L49 1997 5th Floor Stacks

Kirk-Othmer Encyclopedia of chemical technology
TP9 .E685 Reference

Chem sources U.S.A. 
TP12 .C443 Reference

Encyclopedia of bioethics 
Access online

World of microbiology and immunology
Access online

Encyclopedia of Life Sciences
Access online 

Chemical Entities of Biological Interest (ChEBI)
"A freely available dictionary of ‘small molecular entities’. The term ‘molecular entity’ encompasses any constitutionally or isotopically distinct atom, molecule, ion, ion pair, radical, radical ion, complex, conformer, etc., identifiable as a separately distinguishable entity. The molecular entities in question are either products of nature or synthetic products used to intervene in the processes of living organisms."

Chemical Information Sources
From Indiana University, a comprehensive portal of chemistry resources.

Chemical & Drug Information
via National Library of Medicine

PubChem
PubChem provides information on the biological activities of small molecules. It is a component of NIH'sMolecular Libraries Roadmap Initiative.

NIST Chemistry WebBook
Contains: thermochemical data for over 7000 organic and small inorganic compounds, reaction thermochemistry data for over 8000 reactions, IR spectra for over 16,000 compounds, mass spectra for over 15,000 compounds UV/Vis spectra for over 1600 compounds, electronic and vibrational spectra for over 4500 compounds, constants of diatomic molecules (spectroscopic data) for over 600 compounds Ion energetics data for over 16,000 compounds, and thermophysical property data for 34 fluids.

ChemIDplus
Chemical records and structures, produced by National Library of Medicine's Specialized Information Service.

TOXNET
Databases in toxicology and environmental health.

Haz-Map
Database on hazardous chemicals and occupational diseases.

NCI-3D
A database of 213,628 Substances with 2D and 3D information compiled from the National Cancer Institute, and augmented by MDL.

Physical Reference Data
Database holding information on fundamental physical constants, atomic spectra, molecular spectroscopic data, ionization data, X-Ray and Gamma-Ray data, radiation dosimetry data, nuclear physics data, and condensed matter physics data.

Organic Compounds Database
Search this database by melting and boiling points; by index of refraction; molecular weight; formula; mass spectral peaks; etc.

Books will give you background information and an overview on what you are researching. You need this information in order to provide context.

Books at CSU San Marcos

Library Catalog
Search our local collection of 250,000 books (both hard copies and eBooks)

Other Options

CIRCUIT (2-5 day delivery)
Search the collections of other San Diego area libraries and gain access to approximately 3,000,000 titles. Find and request books directly online; pick them up at our Library in 1-3 days.

WorldCat (5-10 day delivery)
Search the collections of libraries world-wide. Find a book in WorldCat and fill out an Interlibrary Loan delivery request. Pick up materials at our Library.

What is ACS style?

ACS stands for the American Chemical Society. It is the citation style most commonly used in the field of chemistry.

Helpful Online Guides

• Quick Guide: ACS Citation Style (Pennsylvania State University Libraries) 

  Guide with examples to the most commonly cited items in ACS style.

• CiteSource ACS (Trinity College) 

  Examples accompanied by helpful screenshots and pictures showing you how to locate the information you need to include in your citation.

• ACS Style Guide (Williams College Libraries) 

  Examples to the most commonly cited items in ACS style.

• ACS Style Guidelines (University of Wisconsin-Madison Chemistry Library) 

  Examples to the most commonly cited items in ACS style. Select the item you are trying to cite from the left-hand menu.

 Official ACS Style Guide

The most current version (3rd edition) of The ACS Style Guide: Effective Communication of Scientific Information was published in 2006.

• Online access to the ACS Style Guide 

  The online version of the ACS Style Guide can be found through the ACS Publications portal. Click on the tab for "ACS Style Guide" in the menu at the top of the page.

• Library copies (QD8.5 .A25 2006) 

  The CSUSM Library owns several copies of the official ACS style guide that you can consult in person. 

• ACS Quick Guide by CSUSM Librarians [PDF]
  A concise ACS style guide with examples, based directly on the official ACS manual.