Chemical Abstracts
From WolfWikis
Chemical Abstracts is the printed index of chemistry literature published by the Chemical Abstracts Service, or CAS. It is now accessible online via the SciFinder Scholar database.
The NCSU Libraries ceased subscription to the printed version of Chemical Abstracts in 2005. Few chemical literature searches should be done nowadays using the printed volumes.
Reasons to use the printed Chemical Abstracts, from the University of Texas Chemical Abstracts Guide:
- Retrospective chemical indexing of the online CAPLUS database for the 1907-66 period is not as thorough as in the post-1967 segment, meaning that the print version is still a good alternative for searching chemical names and formulas.
- Chemical structure graphics that appeared within the printed abstracts are not duplicated in SciFinder.
- The highly structured organization of the Chemical Substance Indexes is easier to browse than trying a hit-or-miss chemical structure, name or formula search in SciFinder, especially when searching for salts, esters, and other derivatives of parent compounds, as well as multicomponent substances such as copolymers, alloys, tabular inorganics, and mixtures. In these cases, be sure to start with the Index Guide and/or Ring Systems Handbook to find the proper name entry in the CSI.
- Pre-1967 print CA is easier to navigate than the post-1967 volumes, mainly due to its smaller size, but beware of changes in chemical nomenclature when using the collective Subject Indexes.
- When you need to look up a pre-1967 CA abstract number (e.g. CA 53:2185a), you must use the print version; these numbers are not searchable or displayed in SciFinder.
The printed Chemical Abstracts volumes are shelved in the DH Hill Library, 6th floor, call number QD1 .C4.