Finding Chemical & Materials Properties
Provides information on how to search for property data
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- Chemical & Physical
- Thermodynamics
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Librarians are happy to help with any research questions, or to have a consultation in-person or virtually.
Best Places to Start
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NIST Chemistry WebBookChemical, physical & spectroscopic data of many chemical substances. Includes IR, NMR, MS, UV, thermochemical data for substances & reactions, etc. Searchable by structure, formula, and property values. Compiled by NIST under the Standard Reference Data Program.
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Reaxys (Web Access to Beilstein, Gmelin and Patent Chemistry Database)Combined web access to Beilstein, Gmelin and Patent Chemistry Database, searchable by chemical structures or reactions.
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SDBS - Spectral Database for Organic Compounds (IR, M, NMR, R)Free database of chemical spectra. IR, MS, NMR spectra. Organized by the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Japan.
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SciFinderCombined access to Chemical Abstracts CAPlus, Registry, CASREACT, CHEMLIST, CHEMCAT databases and Medline. Search by chemical structure or substructure, reaction, name, formula, etc., or by natural language query.
>>>Check out this tutorial video (30mins) on how to search for property data using SciFinder. -
SpringerMaterialsContains resource for physical and chemical data in materials science; see the Landolt-Bornstein collection (located on the left side of the page after you have clicked the link).
Other Sources
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Finding Spectral DataA research guide created by the U-M Library on where to find specific spectral data for Infrared (IR), Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR), Mass, Ultraviolet and Visible (UV/VIS), and Raman Spectra.
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AccessEngineeringComplete online access to McGraw-Hill's Engineering Handbooks.
Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) Spectra:
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Aldrich Library of 13C and 1H FT-NMR Spectra by Charles Pouchert
ISBN: 0941633349Publication Date: 1993Try this first to locate an NMR spectrum. Contains over 8800 spectra of selected compounds available from Aldrich, arranged by compound type. Indexes by molecular formula, chemical name, CAS Registry and Aldrich Catalog numbers at back of vol.2. Previous editions under title Aldrich Library of NMR spectra QD 96 .N8 P87.
Infrared (IR) and Raman Spectra:
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Handbook of Infrared and Raman Spectra of Inorganic Compounds and Organic Salts by Richard A. Nyquist; Ronald O. Kagel; Curtis L. Putzig; M. Anne Leugers
ISBN: 0125234449Publication Date: 1996Alphabetical indexes only, includes some spectral interpretations and tables of characteristic frequencies. See the related 1971 Infrared spectra of inorganic compounds (3800-45cm-1). QC 457 .N98. for additional IR spectra of salts, oxides, and some coordination compounds.
Mass Spectra:
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Wiley/NBS Registry of Mass Spectral Data by Fred W. McLafferty (Editor); Douglas B. Stauffer (Editor)
ISBN: 9780471628866Publication Date: 1989Indexes by chemical name, molecular formula and CAS Registry number in vol. 7.
Ultraviolet and Visible (UV/VIS) Spectra:
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Absorption spectra in the ultra-violet and visible region by László Láng (Editor)Each volume has its own chemical name, molecular formula, and author indexes; cumulative indexes available for vols. 1-5, 6-10,11-15, 16-20.
Last Updated: Nov 25, 2025 2:08 PM
Subjects: Engineering, Science
Tags: biomedical, chemistry, engineering, science