About ThermoDex
ContentThermoDex contains annotated bibliographic records that describe compilations of thermodynamic and physical property data for chemical compounds and other substances. Most are printed books; a few are freely available Web-based databases. ThermoDex is a "finding aid" designed to save you time in searching through numerous handbooks you might have in your library or lab. It enables you to enter both a type of compound and a property, and it returns a list of handbooks that might contain these data. The actual data are not reproduced in ThermoDex. All such data are copyrighted by the original publishers. Most of the books indexed are in the reference collection in the Mallet Chemistry Library at the University of Texas.Both well-known and obscure sources are included, and they represent a wide selection of property and compound-type information. There is certainly overlap among sources; some thermodynamic data are relatively common and easy to find, while other properties are much more difficult. In any case, ThermoDex should not be your last resort in your quest for hard-to-find data. A more general overview of locating thermodynamic information, with links to a variety of free and licensed databases, can be found in the library's guide to FindingThermodynamic Information. At present ThermoDex does not index:
Thermodynamic TerminologyIndexing terms selected for ThermoDex are based on terms used in the individual resources. This terminology is not always consistent across resources and over time. In some cases ThermoDex imposes consistency. For example, the commonly used term "enthalpy of xxx" has always been translated to "heat of xxx". Sometimes synonyms are used concurrently, such as pK for Dissociation Constant. We welcome input from users who point out errors in this area, and we will correct them where possible.
SearchingThe search page has two sections for your query. The first offers choices of Properties, and the second contains names and classes of Compounds. The check-boxes represent the most commonly sought data points, and you can check one or more of these. In addition, you can select one or multiple entries from the scroll-box. To select more than one item from the list, hold down the the Ctrl key (or the Apple key on a Macintosh) when clicking the mouse button. All terms you select within each section will be searched with a Boolean OR. You do not have to select terms from both sections if one is all you need.IMPORTANT TIP: When selecting terms, particularly in the Compounds section, it's a good idea not to be too narrow. For instance, if you're looking for data on alcohols or common hydrocarbons, you should select those terms, and you should also select the more general term "Organic" from the list. Some sources indexed as containing data on a variety of organics will by definition also contain data for alcohols and hydrocarbons. Only those sources that focus primarily on alcohols or hydrocarbons, or have specific sections dedicated to such compounds, receive the narrower terms. Another example: if you're looking for data on argon, select both "argon" and the broader term "noble gases". To see an alphabetical list of all handbooks included in ThermoDex, there is a link on the main search page. Bibliographic InformationThe records for individual handbooks in ThermoDex contain the following data:
ThermoDex is an ongoing project of the University of Texas Libraries. Content is managed by the Mallet Chemistry Library. Web design and technical development are by the Digital Library Services Division. While we make every effort to ensure the accuracy of this information, we welcome comments, suggestions, and error reports from users. Please send all comments to "Ask a Librarian".
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