LibGuides: Chemistry Research Guide: Articles and Databases

Chemistry Articles and Databases

On this page, you can learn when articles are most useful for research and how to borrow articles from other libraries with Interlibrary Loan.

We’ve also curated the most relevant Chemistry databases for general, inorganic, organic, and special topics in chemistry. If these selections don’t fit what you’re looking for, check our full list of Chemistry databases for more options.

Please note that you'll need to log in with your UML credentials before you can view article or database content.

Best Bets

These are top resources we recommend for getting started with your research:

CHEMnetBASE This link opens in a new window
CHEMnetBASE collects several key Chemistry databases and dictionaries in one place to provide information on chemical/physical properties, reactions, and equations. Users can search for material from individual resources or browse all of them at once. CHEMnetBASE allows searching by chemical name, synonym or brand name, molecular formula, CAS registry number, InChI (International Chemical Identifier), and SMILES (Simplified Molecular Input Line Entry System) structure. Click More to see individual titles.
American Chemical Society (ACS) Journals This link opens in a new window
A collection of top academic journals focused on chemistry, published by the American Chemical Society, one of the leading societies and publishers in chemistry and related disciplines. Also includes access to the ACS weekly newsmagazine.

Publication dates: 1879 - current
SciFinder-n Login This link opens in a new window
Registration is required before using SciFinder-n, and popups must be enabled in your browser. SciFinder-n offers access to the complete Medline and Chemical Abstracts Service databases. You can also view experimental spectra for compounds (in CAS’ Registry database); browse IR, MS and NMR spectra (in Wiley and Japanese SDBS databases); find experimental 13C and 1H NMR spectra (in BioRad-Sadtler), and search predicted proton and 13C NMR spectra (in ACD Labs).

Deep Dives

These materials are recommended for more intensive research:

Biological Science Collection This link opens in a new window
This database includes the renowned Biological Sciences, MEDLINE, and TOXLINE databases and provides full-text titles from around the world, including scholarly journals, trade and industry journals, magazines, technical reports, conference proceedings, and government publications. The database includes specialized, editorially-curated Abstracting & Indexing resources providing access to the extensive variety of biology’s cutting edge research, with applications to medicine, technology and the environment.

Exploring More

Try these options to expand your research:

Royal Society of Chemistry Gold Collection (RSC) This link opens in a new window
The Royal Society of Chemistry is the UK's professional society dedicated to the study of chemistry and the dissemination of knowledge and research. The Gold Collection includes access to all 37 RSC journals including the full backfile archive dating to 1841. It also includes two magazines (Chemistry World and Education in Chemistry) and five Literature Updating Service databases, plus 41 ebook titles in the "Issues in Environmental Science & Technology" Series. In addition, the subscription includes credits in the form of Voucher Codes that cover publishing fees for UML researchers who wish to publish in an RSC open-access journal or other type of OA publication.
The Royal Society of Chemistry is the UK's professional society dedicated to the study of chemistry and the dessemination of knowledge and research. The Gold Collection includes access to all 37 RSC journals including the full backfile archive dating to 1841. It also includes two magazines (Chemistry World and Education in Chemistry) and five Literature Updating Service databases, plus 41 ebook titles in the "Issues in Environmental Science & Technology" Series. In addition, the subscription includes credits in the form of Voucher Codes that cover publishing fees for UML researchers who wish to publish in an RSC open-access journal or other type of OA publication.

About Articles

What are Articles?

Articles are essays or reports published within a larger container like a journal, newspaper, or magazine. That larger container is called a "periodical" because it is published periodically, or on a regular basis. Different types of periodicals are made for different audiences (popular, scholarly, or trade) and you can learn more about those distinctions with our Types of Sources guide.

Articles are good for...

Current, up-to-date information
- Periodicals are generally quicker to publish than books or long-form films.
Literature reviews and other reviews of a topic
- These elements are often placed at the start of an article to set the stage.
A deep dive into a specific research question, experiment, or study
- Articles often focus on a narrower topic than books.
Peer-reviewed information
- Newspaper articles go through at least some fact-checking, while academic articles are typically reviewed by other scholars and dedicated editors.

To learn more about searching for articles, visit the Library’s Guide to Article Quick Search.

About Interlibrary Loan (ILL)

What is Interlibrary Loan?

Interlibrary Loan (ILL) is a free service that allows UML Library patrons to access items we don’t own by borrowing from partner libraries.

How do I use Interlibrary Loan?

Create an account
- Visit our ILL Login Page and click "First Time Users."
- On the new page, scroll down and click "Continue to new user registration."
- Fill out the form and click "Submit Information."
Place your request
- Once you’ve created your account, visit our Guide to Interlibrary Loan to learn how to submit an ILL request through our Library’s catalog and databases.

Can I get Interlibrary Loan items quickly?

Depending on how rare the item is or which libraries own a copy, it might take longer to process your ILL request. Be sure to allow enough time for your item to arrive.
- Physical books, CDs, and DVDs usually arrive within 2-14 business days
- Articles and book chapters often arrive in 1-2 business days, sent by email as a PDF

If you have questions about your ILL request or account, please send an email to ILLSOUTH@uml.edu.