College of DuPage Library

Finding Books

Use the COD Library catalog to find books & videos. Click on the "keyword" tab to search using multiple search terms and limit your results by material type (book, video), date, or language. You'll need a current College of DuPage Library card to check out books.

Reference Works

Reference works, such as dictionaries and encyclopedias are useful for learning about background information on a topic
Please note that print reference books may be used while in the library only. Online reference books may be accessed from any on or off-campus computer. You'll need a College of DuPage Library card to access online books and articles from off-campus.

Looking for a general book that explains how to conduct chemistry research? Check out Chemical Information for Chemists: A Primer. We have two copies, one in reference, and one in general, and the book covers patent searching, physical data, reaction searching, and many other topics of interest for chemistry research.

You can also look through the recommended dictionaries and encyclopedias below:

• The 100 Most Important Chemical Compounds: a Reference Guide.
  Reference TP9 .M94 2007 and Online via ABC-CLIO
• 1001 Chemicals in Everyday Products.
  Reference TP200 .L49 1999
• Aldrich Handbook of Fine Chemicals. Annual.
  Reference TP 202 .A38
• Aldrich Handbook of FT-IR Spectra . 3 vols.
  Reference QD 96 .I5 P66 1989
• The Aldrich Library of 1³C and 1H FT NMR Spectra. 3 vols.
  Reference QC 462.85 .A44 1993
• Chemical Composition of Everyday Products.
  Reference QD 75.22 .T64 2005
• Chemical Compounds. 2 vols.Reference QD 471 .C44 2006 and Online via GALE.
• Chemical Properties Handbook.
  Reference TP 200 .Y35 1999
• Chemistry: Foundations and Applications . 4 vols.
  Reference QD 4 .C48 2004
• CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics. Annual. Check this in print and online.
• CRC Handbook of Laboratory Safety.
  Reference QD 51 .C73 2000
• The Elements. 3rd. ed.
  Reference QD 466 .E48 1998
• Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology (Kirk-Othmer). 3rd, 4th & 5th editions.
  Reference TP 9 .E685
• Encyclopedia of Chemistry.
  Reference QD 4 .R57 2005
• The Facts on File Dictionary of Chemistry.
  Reference QD 5 .F33 2005
• Facts on File Dictionary of Inorganic Chemistry.
  Reference QD 5 .F34 2004
• Handbook of Inorganic Chemicals.
  Reference QD 155.5 .P37 2003
• Hawley's Condensed Chemical Dictionary.Book and 2007 ed. Online.
  Reference QD 5 .C5 2002
• Laboratory Health and Safety Dictionary.
  Reference QD 63.5 .G67 2001
• Lange's Handbook of Chemistry. Reference TP 151 .H25 2005
• Macmillan Encyclopedia of Chemistry. 4 vols.
  Reference QD 4 .M33 1997
• Penguin Dictionary of Chemistry.
  Reference QD 5 .M522 2003
• Sax's Dangerous Properties of Industrial Materials. 3 vols.
  Reference T 55.3.H3 S39 2012. This can also be found Online
• Van Nostrand's Encyclopedia of Chemistry.
  Reference QD4 .V36 2005
• World of Chemistry.
  Reference QD 33 .W873 2000

Videos

The Library owns many Chemistry films in DVD, VHS and streaming formats plus manipulative molecular models for visualizing chemical structures. Check the list of titles.

Models

Check out our chemistry models.

The Library subscribes to many databases that provide access to thousands of popular and credible, scholarly journals. Many databases provide access to full-text articles, while some provide information about the article only (citation). Request (for free!) through Interlibrary Loan copies of articles to which the Library doesn't have full-text access.
Access the article databases listed below.

Best Bet links: Databases and Journal Holdings

• Academic Search Complete
  Multidisciplinary database covering a wide range of academic areas.
• HAZMAT Zone.
  Online full text access to MSDS Data Sheets, tutorials working with chemical hazards in the workplace and a MSDS glossary. One user limit at a time. User Name: codlib Password: library
• Knovel Library
  This database is a cross-searchable collection of electronic books covering many subjects in technology, engineering, applied technology, science, chemistry and physics and much more.
• Science Direct
  Full-text of hundreds of scientific journals from the publisher Elsevier. Be sure to select "Subscribed Journals" from the Source drop-down menu.
• SciFinder has lots of great info about chemical compounds, etc., Search by name, formula, or structure. Be sure to read the instructions on the page about creating a username and password.
• Science Online.
  The full text of Science from 1997-Present. Science is available from 1880-1996 in the JSTOR database.
• Scientific American Archives Online
  Indexing of every issue of Scientific American. PDFs of every article from 1993 to present.
• Health Research Databases
• Chemistry journals available online fulltext from databases.

Websites

• About.com Chemistry
  Articles on everyday chemistry and interesting topics in the field, homework help, worked problems with explanations, a chemical structures archive, and more. Both free and for-fee content.
• ChemCollective
  Interactive activities to help students learn chemistry via virtual labs, tutorials, scenarios, simulations and concept tests. Organized by organized by a group of faculty and staff at Carnegie Mellon University.
• Chemdex
  The Sheffield Chemdex: the directory of chemistry on the WWW since 1993. Portal to hundreds of useful chemistry links.
• Chemical Industry Home Page
  Links to chemical suppliers and other websites for patent information, careers, journals, etc.
• Chemistry Information on the Internet
  From the Department of Chemistry at the University of Oxford, pointers to large chemistry link collections and additional links to sites of special interest. Text-heavy but current. Some sites linked are for-fee or require library subscription.
• Chemistry.org: the Website of the American Chemical Society
  Although much content is available only to ACS members, open availability of the "molecule of the week" (with archive), News & Research, career resources and many features for students under the Education tab make this a valuable website for chemistry students.
• ChemSpider
  28 million chemical structures covered with information and links to literature, physical properties, spectra, and suppliers. Search by official name, trade name, CAS number and more.
• Explore Chemical History from the Chemical Heritage Foundation
  Time lines, faces, and further resources for such areas of chemistry as matter and molecules, polymers, and the chemistry of life.
• General Chemistry Online
  Tutorials, exam survival guide, simulations, FAQs, and more from the Department of Chemistry at Frostburg State University. Last maintained in 2010 but still useful.
• HERO Database from the EPA
  Link to scientific references and data used by the Environmental Protection Agency to determine environmental risks of chemicals. Primarily citation and abstract, not fulltext. Check Library databases for full article or use Interlibrary Loan.
• It's Elemental: the Periodic Table
  Chemical & Engineering News 80th anniversary issue on the building blocks of chemistry. Includes 89 essays on individual and groups of elements.
• KnowledgeDoor
  A multitude of data on the elements of the periodic table, including abundances in the human body, the earth, the universe and much more.
• Martindale's The Calculators and Chemistry Center
  Organized by broad topic, a gateway to chemistry sites on the web for everything from journals to periodic tables to tutorials to safety plus many online calculators.
• Material Safety Data Sheets and Where to Find them on the Internet
  Provides an up-to-date list of Internet sites from government agencies, chemical manufacturers and suppliers, and many other searchable sites.
• Molecule of the Month
  History, physical data, use and importance of numerous molecules, most of them organic, contributed each month since 1996. Note additional links to molecule descriptions at the end.
• Molecular Weight Calculation
  Type in a molecule's formula, get the molecular weight and other physical data. No frills website.
• NIOSH Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards
  Authoritative guide to industrial hygiene information for several hundred chemicals with links to RTECS (Registry of Toxicological Effects of Chemical Substances) and other toxicological data sites.
• NIST Chemistry WebBook
  Authoritiative, critically evaluated information from the National Institute of Standards and Technology on structure, formula, and much additional data, seachable by chemical name, CAS number, formula, etc.
• The Orbitron: A Gallery of Orbitals on the WWW
  By energy level, colorful images representing atomic orbitals and molecular orbitals, plus animated plots of wave functions and electron density and more.
• United States Patent and Trademark Office: Google Advanced Search for Patents
  Get the text (image or full-text) of United States patents issued since 1790 by keyword in title or text, patent number or inventor. Since August 2012, European patent documents are accessible as well.
• WebElements Periodic Table
  Clickable elements on the periodic table provide more data on physical properties, history, uses and more for each element.
• Wired Chemist
  Developed by Professor Claude Yoder of Franklin & Marshall College, a site providing an introduction to chemistry, modules on important topics in chemistry, demonstrations of laboratory techniques, NMR spectral data and problems, animations, and laboratory tutorials.
• Links for Chemists: The WWW Virtual Library for Chemists
  Maintained by the University of Liverpool Department of Chemistry, this provides an extensive list of links to valuable websites in many areas of chemistry.
• Yahoo's Index of Chemistry Links
  Search for information by chemistry subject categories or by keyword.