CHEM 101: Concepts of Chemistry: Finding Articles

Concepts of Chemistry: Sarah Goh, Amy Gehring, Jenna MacIntire, B Thuronyi

Finding Articles

When looking for original, chemical research, you will need to find journal articles.  Use the suggested databases on the Chemistry Subject page to find information related to your topic.  Use the links below to review the differences between scholarly and popular articles, to see how scholarly articles are organized, and to review the process of peer-review.  

Keyword searching

Search KEYWORDS such as:

  • Cobalt complexes
  • Werner complexes
  • Cobalt and coordination
  • Cobalt ammine
  • Cobalt amine
  • Cobalt compounds
  • Werner compounds

Narrow your search results using words such as:

  • Undergraduate
  • experiment
  • research
  • synthesis
  • laboratory
  • specta
  • octahedral
  • color
  • ligand

Places to Start

These databases are great places to start for researching your compounds. Check out the keyword searching tips on the left for ideas on how to search in them. Stuck? Ask a librarian!

Search by Chemical Name

  1. Access SciFinder Scholar
  2. Click Accept
  3. Click Explore Substances
  4. Click Substance Identifier
  5. Enter chemical name in the search box and click Search

Searching by chemical name ties all the information, in the database that is related to the chemical, together.

For example, searching by name for benzene shows the structure as well as:

  • phenyl hydride (alternative name)
  • C6H6 (molecular formula)
  • 71-43-2 (registry number)
  • ~130549 References (associated citations)

Select your substance and then click the GET REFERENCES box to start your search of all references in SciFinder Scholar that are associated with your compound. From there, you can REFINE by topic, document type, language, etc.

HINT:  Different scientists will often refer to the same chemical compound using different names.  Your compounds are easiest searched when using the following chemical names:

-hexammine cobalt chloride [CAS# 10534-89-1]

-cobalt(3+) [CAS# 22541-63-5]

-chloropentaamminecobalt chloride [CAS# 13859-51-3]

How to Read and Comprehend Scientific Research Articles

 

Research Tip: Find Text Button

The Find Text Button

Many of our databases have this SFX Find Text Button button, which searches for the full-text of the article in our collections. If we don't have it electronically, look for the "Request article scan" link in the "Get It" section.

screenshot of Get It section with link

Evaluating Journals