chem111 summer 2014_07212014_final

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

http://guides.library.tamu.edu/askus

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


1. Go to the Libraries’ homepage:

library.tamu.edu

Then click the LibCat link.


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


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.


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

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


LibCat Record for an Individual Item

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.


library.tamu.edu

Then click the Databases tab.

2. Enter the name of the

database you want to search

3. Click

Search


4. If off-campus, you may be asked to authenticate

using your NetID and password.


5. Click on the name or

“View Online” to access

the database


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


10. Limit “Document Types” to Article and click Refine


10. Check “Article” under Document Types and click Refine.

10. Limit “Document Types” to Article and click Refine


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.

12. Full record showing the citation information for the article.


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.


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.

http://www.epa.gov/OCEPAterms/lterms.html


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

4. Click on the name or

“View Online” to access

the database


5. Enter your pollutant as the search

term. Then click Search.


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.


6. Note the molecular formula. This

formula could also be written as: CH3Br

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

http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/glossary/index.html

http://www.epa.gov/ttn/atw/hlthef/hapglossaryrev.html

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.

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.


7. Click on Details icon


8. This pages contains information on sources,

uses, and physical properties for methyl bromide.


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.

http://www.tceq.state.tx.us/remediation/superfund/sites/county/index.html

2. Select your assigned county.

1. Go to the following URL:





3. Select your assigned site.


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.
