Typical questions

• • I need to research Hess's Law.

• • I want descriptions of the Group 7 elements of the periodic table.

Starting points

• • The study of chemistry involves the usage of specialised terms, periodic tables and formulae. New students may need basic reference sources explaining these.

• • Library staff without scientific backgrounds may struggle to understand the concepts involved. However, a good starting point is to try the websites of the Key organisations – scholarly societies as these often highlight accredited resources and may have educational sections. It is also useful to try to identify the specific sub-field of chemistry, e.g. physical, organic and inorganic.

• • Chemistry often relies upon mathematical calculations and formulae so the Mathematics chapter may also be helpful.

Recommended resources

Key organisations – scholarly societies

American Chemical Society

www.acs.org

Founded in 1876. The world's largest scientific society. The website is a rich source of information on news, events and ongoing research. It also has a large educational section with resources for teachers and lecturers.

Royal Society of Chemistry

www.rsc.org

Established in 1848, this membership organisation supports teaching, learning and research in all aspects of chemistry. Its website has professional development resources including events listings, as well as an educational section with an interactive periodic table. It also includes information on its journal and book publications and a database of historical literature. Non-members are able to search some of these free of charge.

Study guides

Invigorate [Basic]

invigorate.royalsociety.org/resources.aspx

Royal Society's website containing curriculum-linked science teaching resources for secondary level students. Covers all areas of science. Includes examples of quizzes and practical experiments as well as biographies of current and historical Royal Society scientists.

Learn Chemistry [Basic]

www.rsc.org/learn-chemistry

Great educational resources site maintained by the Royal Society of Chemistry. Free access to hundreds of materials to support teachers at secondary and higher education levels. Includes an interactive periodic table and examples of practical experiments.

Merck Index (Subscription) [Specialist]

www.rsc.org/Merck-Index

Specialist encyclopedia of chemicals, drugs and biologicals published online by the Royal Society of Chemistry. Search by chemical reaction, structure or keyword. It includes reference tables such as common abbreviations and chemical structures.