chem111 fall 2014 rev10192014

Chemistry 111: INTRODUCTION TO THE SCIENTIFIC LITERATURE

• Read each section of the assignment and the questions. Then use this guide to assist with searching the University Libraries’ resources.

• If you have problems please ask at the Evans Library Ask Us Desk, Chat with us at http://guides.library.tamu.edu/askus or call 979-845-5741

Use the University Libraries’ online catalog, LibCat, to find a book or government document on your assigned pollutant.

Example keyword search: Methyl bromide AND pollut?

The question mark after the word “pollut” is a truncation symbol. Using a truncation symbol will broaden the search and retrieve related terms. For example, using pollut? will retrieve results that include the pollution, polluting, pollutant, etc.

LibCat search results are initially ranked according to relevancy. To see the most recent items, use the pull-down menu to change from “Rank” to “Publish Date (newest first).”

Finding Books and Government Documents Using LibCat


1. Go to the Libraries’ homepage: library.tamu.edu Then click the LibCat link.


2. Enter the search terms provided in your assignment: Pollutant Name and Keywords

In this example, a truncation symbol “?” was used to include words that start with “pollut”, such as pollution, polluting, pollutant, etc.

3. Click Search


4. Change “Sort By” from “Rank” to “Publish Date (newest first)”

5. Click on the title of the item to see the record for additional information like the location.

NOTE: In the tutorial using benzene, you are looking for a book or government document. DO NOT select an item with “thesis” in the call number since those are not books or government documents

NOTE: Your assigned pollutant and keyword(s) provided will only result in one item.

Finding Books and Government Documents Using LibCatLibCat Record for an Individual Item

NOTE: This government document is only available online. See next slide for an example of a government document available in microfiche with location information.

6. Note Location and Call Number

NOTE: This government document is available in microfiche. Print books and government documents also indicate the location, link to a floorplan/map, and indicate its status (i.e., whether it’s checked out or not).

8. Note Location, Call Number, and Status

7. Click the link to see the floor/location in the library

Finding Books and Government Documents Using LibCatLibCat Record for an Individual Item

Searching the Professional Journal Literature

For this exercise, you will be using Web of Science to search the professional journal literature. Using a database is more efficient and faster than searching individual journals for a given topic.

When communicating with other professionals, you need to provide all the information they need so others can find the article for themselves. Below is the proper citation format for a journal article using the ACS Style Guide (a bibliographic style).

Authors separated by semicolons, Article Title, Journal Name in Italics, Year in Bold, Volume in Italics, and Page Numbers.

Example: Mawk, E. J.; Hyman, M.; Rowe, M. W. Re-examination of Ancient DNA in Texas Rock Paintings. J. Archaeol. Sci. 2002, 29, 301-306.

1. Go to the Libraries’ homepage: library.tamu.edu Then click the Databases tab.

2. Enter the name of the database you want to search

3. Click Search


4. If off-campus, you may be asked to authenticate using your NetID and password.


5. Click on the name or “View Online” to access the database


6. Enter the search terms provided in your assignment. In this example, the search terms below were searched and the publication years limited to the last five years.

NOTE: In the benzene tutorial, you may need to look through several pages of results to find the article needed.

7. If needed, limit by publication date range 8. Click Search


9. If needed, limit “Document Types” to Article and click Refine



10. Review the results to find the article listed in your assignment. To see the details, click on the article title to open the full record.

NOTE: Your article may not be on the first page of results.

11. Full record showing the citation information for the article.


12. Click the “Find Text @TAMU” button to determine if the University Libraries subscribes or has online access to the article.

13. This article is available online. Click the link to access the article

14. If the article is not available online, click the LibCat link to see if we have it in print.


Governmental Information Sources

In this section, use ChemIDplus to locate the CASRN*, synonyms, molecular formula, and toxicity data for your pollutant. Use any source, including EPA sites (http://www.epa.gov/OCEPAterms/lterms.html) to find brief definitions for the following terms used in toxicity studies and regulations: LD, LD50, LC, LC50, and LOAEL.

* A Chemical Abstracts Service Registry Number (CASRN) is a unique numerical identifier assigned to each substance reported in the chemical literature. A numberof databases can be searched using the CASRN, which is very useful since many chemical substances have numerous common and systematic names.

1. Go to the Libraries’ homepage: library.tamu.edu Then click the Databases tab.

2. Enter the name of the database you want to search

3. Click Search

Governmental Information Sources: ChemIDplus

4. Click on the name or “View Online” to access the database


5. Enter your pollutant as the search term. Then click Search.


7. Click the Names & Synonyms tab to see alternatives names for your pollutant including systematic/IUPAC names.

8. Click the Toxicity tab to see the toxicity table.

NOTE: Not all elements or compounds listed in ChemIDplus have a toxicity table.


7. Molecular formula. This formula could be written as: CH3Br or even better as CH3Br

6. CAS RN

9. Definitions for various terms used in toxicity studies and regulations can be found in many of the glossaries at EPA websites. For example:

http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/glossary/index.html

http://www.epa.gov/ttn/atw/hlthef/hapglossaryrev.html

Governmental Information Sources: Definitions

Finding Information in Chemical Handbooks

Use the Combined Chemical Dictionary, part of an online collection of eBooks within the CHEMnetBASE database, to find information on sources, uses, melting point, and boiling point for your pollutant.

6. Enter the name of the pollutant. Then click Search.

NOTE: Try searching by CASRN (instead of chemical name) if the chemical name search yields no results.


7. Click on Details icon. Methyl Bromide is also called Bromomethane


8. This pages contains information on sources, uses, and physical properties for methyl bromide.


Locating Superfund Sites in Texas by County

Using the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) website, http://www.tceq.state.tx.us/remediation/superfund/sites/county/index.html,

locate the requested information about your assigned Superfund site. The list is organized by both counties and alphabetically by site.

2. Select your assigned county.

1. Go to the following URL: http://www.tceq.state.tx.us/remediation/superfund/sites/county/index.html


3. Select your assigned site.


4. After clicking on the link to your assigned site, obtain the information you need from the website.

NOTE: Not all TCEQ webpages will have the information in a tabular form. Some will require reading through the text on the webpage to find the information.
