Find Data - STEM - General Research Guide - LibGuides at University of California San Diego

Chemical and Physical Properties

Finding data will depend on the discipline and type of data you need. You may be looking for physical properties, crystallographic data, safety information, material or chemical costs, or something else. Data can be found in print and/or online sources, in primary sources like the journal articles, secondary sources like handbooks and encyclopedias, and even tertiary sources like catalogs and databases.

Here are some starting places for data. We also have guides on Chemical Prices and Company/Industry Information, Crystallography, or Properties of Chemicals and Materials.

Knovel
You can search by properties to find compounds within the handbooks and databases. Includes the Yaws Handbooks, DIPPR Project 801, Knovel Critical Tables, ASM Handbooks, MatWeb Material Data Sheets, Knovel Solvents, and other sources.
- From the Material Property Search, select from the more than 100 properties, including mechanical, electrical, optical, thermal, transport, and hazard. Drop and drag the selected properties, then specify a value, a range, or just that data exists.
- From the Chemical Materials Search (the NIST database of pure compounds), select from the Filter by Properties option to narrow your results.
SciFinder-n
You can locate property data for your compound through a substance search in the 204-million compound CAS Registry. Experimental and predicted data can be found in the substance record, with literature references for the experimental data. You can also search SciFinder by research topic, which can be helpful if you're searching for a broad group of properties and/or group of compounds, like enthalpy of halogenated benzenes or mechanical properties of carbonitrides. SciFinder requires a one-time registration.
Compendex + Inspec on Engineering Village
Single platform for cross searching Compendex and Inspec for finding journal articles, conference papers, and other documents. Covers all aspects of engineering, including electrical, computer, structural, mechanical, aerospace, chemical, ocean, biomedical, and environmental engineering, as well as physics and related disciplines. Duplicate references between the two databases can be removed.
Inorganic Crystal Structure Database
Database of +193,000 inorganic crystal structures, with crystallographic data and journal citations. Jmol embedded for visualizing structures, which can also be downloaded (.cif).

STEM - General Research Guide: Find Data

Chemical and Physical Properties