1. Chemistry 111: Exercise 1
INTRODUCTION TO THE SCIENTIFIC LITERATURE
• Read each section of the assignment and
the questions. Then use the guide to help
find the answers.
• 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
2. 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 (beginning with the most recent).”
Finding Books and Government Documents Using LibCat
3. Finding Books and Government Documents Using LibCat
1. Go to the Libraries’ homepage:
library.tamu.edu
Then click the LibCat link.
4. Finding Books and Government Documents Using LibCat
2. Enter your search terms. Use the truncation
symbol ? to include words that start with “pollut”,
such as pollution, polluting, pollutant, etc.
3. Click Search
5. Finding Books and Government Documents Using LibCat
4. Change “Sort By” from “Rank” to
“Publish Date (beginning with the most recent)”
5. Click on the title of the
item to see the record.
6. Finding Books and Government Documents Using LibCat
LibCat 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
7. 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 LibCat
LibCat Record for an Individual Item
8. Searching the Professional Journal Literature
For this exercise, you will be using one of the major databases often used
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.
Authors separated by semicolons, Article Title, Journal Name in Italics,
Year in Bold, Volume in Italics, and Page Numbers.
Example: E. J. Mawk; M. Hyman; M. W. Rowe. Re-examination of Ancient
DNA in Texas Rock Paintings. Journal of Archaeological Science
2002, 29, 301-306.
9. 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
Searching the Professional Journal Literature
10. 4. If off-campus, you may be asked to authenticate
using your NetID and password.
Searching the Professional Journal Literature
11. 5. Click on the name or
“View Online” to access
the database
Searching the Professional Journal Literature
12. 6. Enter your search terms(s) using an “and” between terms and
an “*” as a truncation symbol where appropriate. Using pollut*
will retrieve pollutant, polluted, etc. If your pollutant is
composed of two or more words, place them in quotes.
7. Limit by publication date range
8. Limit the search to just the
Science Citation Index. This
will help focus the search to
science journal articles
9. Click Search
Searching the Professional Journal Literature
13. 10. Limit “Document Types” to Article and click Refine
Searching the Professional Journal Literature
10. Check “Article” under Document Types and click Refine.
14. 10. Limit “Document Types” to Article and click Refine
Searching the Professional Journal Literature
11. 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.
15. 12. Full record showing the citation information for the article.
Searching the Professional Journal Literature
16. 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
and obtain the call number.
Searching the Professional Journal Literature
17. 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 number
of databases can be searched using the CASRN, which is very useful since many
chemical substances have numerous common and systematic names.
18. 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
19. 4. Click on the name or
“View Online” to access
the database
Governmental Information Sources: ChemIDplus
20. 5. Enter your pollutant as the search
term. Then click Search.
Governmental Information Sources: ChemIDplus
21. 7. Click the Names & Synonyms tab to see
alternatives names for your pollutant.
8. Click the Toxicity tab to see the toxicity table.
NOTE: Not all elements or compounds listed in
ChemIDplus have a toxicity table.
Governmental Information Sources: ChemIDplus
6. Note the molecular formula. This
formula could also be written as: CH3Br
22. 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
23. 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.
If you do not find what you need in the Combined Chemical Dictionary, try
the Kirk-Othmer Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology or the Knovel Database.
25. 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.
Finding Information in Chemical Handbooks
26. 7. Click on Details icon
Finding Information in Chemical Handbooks
27. 8. This pages contains information on sources,
uses, and physical properties for methyl bromide.
Finding Information in Chemical Handbooks
28. 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.
29. 2. Select your assigned county.
1. Go to the following URL:
http://www.tceq.state.tx.us/remediation/superfund/sites/county/index.html
Locating Superfund Sites in Texas by County
30. 3. Select your assigned site.
Locating Superfund Sites in Texas by County
31. 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 requiring
reading through the text on the webpage to find
the information.
Locating Superfund Sites in Texas by County