Chem 7950

From SubjectGuides

[edit] Chemical Literature – Overview

Search Strategy -- Questions to ask

• What information do I need?
• Why do I need it?
• Will I know when to stop?

=> Can I recognize when I have enough information?

=> Am I convinced there is nothing in the literature?

Publication Cycle

The better you understand the relationship between different parts of the publication cycle, the better you can use the chemical literature. See the Publication Cycle handout for graphic summary of the publication process. The two most important things to remember is that

• Preliminary results such as those in a conference proceedings are often followed up a year or two later with a communication or full paper that has more experimental details.
• There is a time lag between the publication of an article, its initial short record in SciFinder Scholar (and other databases), and the fully indexed record in SciFinder Scholar (with CAS Registry numbers, index terms, supplementary terms, and the references cited in the article).

Anatomy of a record in SciFinder Scholar

What exactly does a keyword search in SciFinder Scholar search? It doesn't search the full-text of an article! Instead, it searches the record in Chemical Abstracts that represents an article. The importance of understanding this can not be emphasized too much -- it will limit your ability to effectively use SciFinder Scholar.

SciFinder Scholar searches in ...

1. Title of the article
2. Abstract – all words in the abstract are searched.
3. Index Terms and their modifiers (except for Role)
4. CAS Registry Numbers and their modifiers
5. Supplementary Terms

But not in ...

1. Bibliographic information (other than the article title, i.e., author or year or journal title)
2. CA Section
3. Role
4. The full text of the article

For a more about what SciFinder Scholar searches, take a look at Anatomy of a record in SciFinder Scholar

Cited Reference Searching -- Science Citation Index (Web of Science)

Cited reference searching is a powerful tool. It relies on the citation behavior of scientists to index the literature -- index terms and keywords are replaced by cited references. Searching for publications that have cited a particular article is a conceptually different way to search the literature than is a keyword search.

Cited Reference Searching ... making the most of a key reference

Science Citation Index -- Search Tips

Cited Reference Searching -- SciFinder Scholar

Since 1997, cited references lists have been added to Chemical Abstracts records. This has made it possible to perform cited reference searching in SciFinder Scholar ... at least for articles published after 1997 that cite the article in which you are interested.

1. Select one, or more, references in SciFinder Scholar.
2. Click the "Get Related" button at the bottom of the page.
3. Choose "Citing References" ... Get references that cite the selected do document(s).

Patent Literature and Chemistry

The patent literature is fundamentally different than the journal literature. The goal of a patent is to claim the exclusive right to practice an invention in return for disclosing what the invention is and how to practice the invention. (Actually, a patent provides the right to exclude others from practicing an invention, a subtle difference that encourages the leasing of patent rights to those for whom it has value.) Watch out for verb tenses -- if the past tense is used, then the experiment was done ... but if the only the present tense is used, then the experiment was probably not done.

Patent Literature and Chemistry

[edit] SciFinder Scholar -- Keyword and Structures

• Get started using SciFinder Scholar by downloading the software from the SciFinder Scholar page.

• The Chem 7950 Keyword Searching in SciFinder Scholar discusses keyword searching in detail.

• Handouts will be distributed in class.

[edit] SciFinder Scholar -- Substructures and Reactions

• Handouts will be distributed in class.

Substances in SciFinder -- Examples

SciFinder -- Substance & Reaction Searching

[edit] Beilstein and Gmelin -- via Crossfire

• Get started using Beilstein or Gmelin by downloading the software for MDL CrossFire Commander from the Beilstein or Gmelin page. You can access both the Beilstein and Gmelin databases with MDL CrossFire Commander.

• The University of Wisconsin - Madison has some useful web pages, handouts, and podcasts for anyone who is new to the online version of Beilstein and Gmelin.

[edit] Other Resources

Why doesn't the library have the journal I need?

We do our best to subscribe to the journals that Auburn University researchers need. The reason we do not have any particular journal comes down to money. The cost of journals has outstripped inflation for a couple of decades, almost four-fold. See the graph on Monograph and Serial Costs in ARL Libraries, 1986-2004 for details.

Do not hesitate to use Interlibrary Loan to get articles, books, and conference proceedings that Auburn University does not own or to which we do not have online access.

Interlibrary Loan => Borrow an article, book, or dissertation from another library or provider

AUBIExpress => Request electronic delivery of an article owned by Auburn University Libraries. Use AUBIExpress when we have the journal in print but not online.

Use of the chemical literature

Photochemist Nicholas Turro discusses his research philosophy, including use of the chemical literature beginning in "Perspective on how to skate on the edge of the paradigm ... and keep from falling off".

The Spectrum (2004), 17(1) 4-9, 34.

New chemistry-related books at the library

Every month, a new list of chemistry-related books purchased by Auburn University Libraries is posted.

Created by Bob Buchanan © 2009

Librarian for Veterinary Medicine and Chemistry

Auburn University Libraries