The University of Adelaide Library

Chemical dictionaries and encyclopaedias

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Chemistry
For help contact:
Jane Wannan, Chemistry Librarian.

This guide covers Web and printed dictionaries and encyclopaedias concerned with all fields of chemistry. Those in specific fields (such as organic chemistry) are listed under their subjects: see Chemistry contents.

Two of the most useful encyclopaedias with basic data on common or industrially and environmentally important substances are the multi-volume encyclopaedias:

Encyclopedia of chemical technology (Kirk-Othmer).
3rd ed.1978-84. 24 vols and supplements. Reference collection 660.03 E56
and incomplete 4th ed. Reference collection 660.03 E56.4
Includes much chemistry as well as chemical technology. Useful for common, industrial or environmental substances and topics. Often includes data, reactions, methods, environmental aspects, uses, safety. Has substantial bibliographies after articles often including reports and patents.
Index covers substance names, properties, topics but the indexing of substances can be erratic. The 3rd edition has an index for all volumes at the end of the set. The 4th edition has indexes for every 4 volumes.

Ullmann's encyclopedia of industrial chemistry. 5th ed. 1984- English edition
Reference collection 660.03 U41.5
Coverage similar to Kirk-Othmer. Section A covers chemicals, processes etc. Section B covers basic principles. Has an index to all volumes at the end of the set.


An encyclopaedia for overviews of chemical topics is:

Macmillan encyclopedia of chemistry. Ed. J.J. Lagowski. Macmillan, 1997. 4 vols.
Reference collection 540.3 L177m
Contains long articles on chemical concepts, biography, functional groups, types of reaction and compounds, with bibliographies at the end of articles. Volume 4 has an index.

Chemical dictionaries are useful for definitions of terms covering concepts, reactions, processes and for synonyms, molecular formulae and structures of common substances:

Chemical dictionaries and encyclopedia, Links for Chemists, Liverpool
A full collection of links to chemical dictionaries.

General chemistry glossary, Frostburg State University
Also links to other chemical dictionaries.

IUPAC compendium of chemical terminology, 2nd ed, 1997, A.D. McNaught.
IUPAC approved definitions for about 7000 chemical terms.

Chemical acronyms database, BioTech, Indiana University
Gives the full form for chemical acronyms.

Hawley's condensed chemical dictionary. 12th ed. 1993.
Reference collection 540.3 C74.12

Grant and Hackh's chemical dictionary. 5th ed. 1987.
Reference collection 540.3 H121c

Concise chemical and technical dictionary. 4th ed. 1986.
Reference collection 540.3 B47.4

Miall's dictionary of chemistry. 5th ed. 1981.
Reference collection 540.3 M618

Comprehensive dictionary of physical chemistry. Ed. L. Ulicky. 1992.
Reference collection 541.303 U39c

Concepts in physical chemistry..P.W. Atkins. Oxford University Press, 1995.
Reference collection 541.303 A874c

A dictionary of named effects and laws in chemistry, physics and mathematics.4th ed. 1980.
Reference collection 503 B191d.4

Australian chemicals guide. 5th ed. 1985.
Reference collection 660.0294 A938Ia

Australian inventory of chemical substances.1992.
Reference collection 540 A938a

Chemical synonyms and trade names. 8th ed. 1978.
Reference collection 660.03 G228c

Pesticide index: an index of chemical, common and trade names of pesticides and related crop-protection products. 1988.
Reference collection 668.65 K46p

Pesticides: synonyms and chemical names. 8th ed. 1987.
Reference collection 668.6503 A938p.8

Van Nostrand Reinhold encyclopedia of chemistry. 4th ed. 1984.
Reference collection 540.3 V261.4


Language dictionaries are available for translation of chemical terms:

Dictionary of chemistry and chemical technology: English-German. 1984.
Reference collection 660.03 G878d

Patterson's German-English dictionary for chemists. 4th ed. 1991.
Reference collection 540.3 G653l
French-English dictionary for chemists. 2nd ed. 1954.
Reference collection 540.3 P31

Elsevier's dictionary of chemistry including terms from biochemistry. 1983.
English, French, Spanish, Italian, German. Reference collection 540.3 D696e

Chemical dictionary. 2nd ed. 1961.
English, French, German. Reference collection 540.3 F763

Russian-English chemical and polytechnical dictionary. 3rd ed. 1975.
Reference collection 540.3 C15.3

Longman English-Chinese illustrated dictionary of chemistry. 1992.
Reference collection 540.3 G653l


Last update: 7 May 2001, Jane Wannan