Getting started
This video (and transcript) will take you though all the resources on this page and give you tips on how to get the best out of them.
Databases
Reference/Encyclopedia Resources for background information
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Gale eBooksElectronic access to some of our most popular reference books including encyclopedias on chemistry and related scientific topics.
Some titles to explore on the Virtual Reference Shelf are:
- Chemical Composition of Everyday Products
- Chemistry (an encyclopedia)
- The Science of Everyday Things
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Encyclopedia BritannicaEncyclopedia source, for background use only, you will need to find a more in-depth source in addition to any article you find here.
Academic Resource for more in-depth information
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Science OnlineWith a San Francisco Public Library card and PIN you can access this excellent online resource.
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SFPL databasesSFPL subscribes to many databases, including Academic Search Complete which has the Journal of Materials Science. You can access the articles with an SFPL barcode and PIN. If you don't have an SFPL card, email us at library@sfuhs.org
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ProquestProquest offers access to full-text articles from many science and medical journals including Science News, Nature, and the Lancet.
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Gale DatabasesGale databases allow you to search several of their services at the same time. These databases provide a range of information from reference sources to popular periodicals. One of their databases, Expanded Academic ASAP, is similar to Proquest, offering full-text access to many science journals including those listed above and Science (from January 1984 to December 2004).
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PubChemThis extensive site is maintained by the National Center for Biotechnology Information and will be useful for searching on a specific compound or substance.
Custom search
Search for your topic in the Google search bar above and get results from five recommended chemistry or science related websites. You can access them individually by clicking the links below.
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Chemical & Engineering News: What's that stuff?From the American Chemical Society this section of Chemical & Engineering News provides explanations of chemistry and engineering in various products.
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Science History InstituteThis site has articles about the history and development of modern science.
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Compound InterestExplorations of everyday chemical compounds. This site has great infographics on many of your topics--worth a browse!
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How Stuff WorksEasy-to-understand explanations of everyday things and in relevant cases how chemistry fits in.
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LibreText Chemistry (formerly ChemWiki)This web site from UC Davis contains modules on organic chemistry, inorganic chemistry, biochemistry, physical chemistry, theoretical chemistry and analytical chemistry.
More web resources
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Chem 1 bookmarksThis is a running list of bookmarks that relate to elements of this project. Check back to see if more links are added and feel free to email the librarians with any links that could be added to this list.
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The Chemistry of ThingsThis site has several informative videos. They are in Portugese, however the subtitles are excellent. Good starting place for general information.
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ChemMatters ArchiveThis magazine archive from the American Chemical Society features articles that cover different aspects of chemistry topics.
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Chem Matters Full IndexYou can search this PDF for more articles on your topic.
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American Chemical SocietyNEW LINK - thanks to Kent for finding this!! The ACS has lots of resources for students including suggested experiments and activities.
Cite your work
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NoodletoolsUse MLA style for this class! Your Noodletools account will allow you to cite in MLA, walking you through citing as you have done with your history classes. If you enter your citations as you do your research creating the bibliography at the end will be a breeze.