Organic Chemistry
Welcome to the Organic Chemistry Research Guide.
Click on a tab below to find books, videos, articles, and websites for use in Organic Chemistry classes.
Guides for other Physical Sciences, Mathematics, and Engineering are linked at Physical Sciences.
If you need additional help, stop by the Reference Desk or contact a reference librarian: Ask A Librarian.
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.
Click on the links below to access the online book/website or record/description of the print book.
- 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 - Compendium of Organic Synthetic Methods. v1, 1971 to v. 12, 2009.
Reference and General QD 262 .C53 - CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics. Annual. Check this in print and online.
- Dean's Handbook of Organic Chemistry
Reference QD 251.3 .G65 2004 - Dictionary of Organic Compounds. 9 vols.
Reference QD 246 .D5 1996 - Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology (Kirk-Othmer). 3rd, 4th & 5th editions.
Reference TP 9 .E685 - Handbook of Physical Properties of Organic Chemicals.
Reference QD 257.7 .H374 1997 - Hawley's Condensed Chemical Dictionary.Book and 2007 ed. Online.
Reference QD 5 .C5 2002 - Lange's Handbook of Chemistry. Reference TP 151 .H25 2005
- Merck Index.
Reference and Reserve for Organic Chemistry RS 51 .M4 - Organic Syntheses. Collective Volumes. v.1-10. Book and Online.
Reference QD 262 .O722? - Organic Syntheses. Reaction Guide.
Reference QD262 .O722 Reactions 1991 - Sax's Dangerous Properties of Industrial Materials. 3 vols. Book and Online.
Reference T 55.3.H3 S39 2012
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
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. - Academic OneFile
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. - 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.
- Chemical and Materials Engineering journals available online fulltext from databases.
Websites
- 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.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. - 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. - 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: only a search box to enter chemical formula. - 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
Authoritative, 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. - Organic Chemistry Resources Worldwide
Links to free and for-fee websites providing access to the literature of organic chemistry, tutorials, data on synthesis and reactions, and more. - TOXNET
The National Library of Medicine's database cluster that includes information on toxicological, carcinogenic, mutagenic, and reproductive effects of thousands of chemicals. A single metasearch engine checks nine databases for hazard/risk information and the same search page links to other helpful NLM websites. - 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. - Virtual Textbook of Organic Chemistry
Sophomore-level organic chemistry online textbook with explanations, illustrations, practice problems and links to additional resources. - 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 Organic Chemistry Links
Search for information by subject categories or by keyword.