Background information sources

If you are not sure what your topic is all about, you can begin by looking it up in a dictionary or encyclopedia.

Dictionaries and encyclopedias

• Dictionary of chemistry (Oxford Reference Online)
• Encyclopedia of chemical physics and physical chemistry
• Encyclopedia of computational chemistry
• Encyclopedia of inorganic and bioinorganic chemistry
• Encyclopedia of physical organic chemistry
• Kirk-Othmer encyclopedia of chemical technology
• Ullmann's encyclopedia of industrial chemistry
• Van Nostrand's Encyclopedia of Chemistry

Handbooks (sources of chemical data)

• Bretherick's Handbook of Reactive Chemical Hazards
• CRC handbook of chemistry and physics
• Dictionary of substances and their effects
• Merck index
• Sax's Dangerous Properties of Industrial Materials