How to Find Physical Properties of Substances
Tutorials
- How to find physical and thermodynamic properties
(without narration) - How to find physical and thermodynamic properties (with narration)
Indexes to physical, chemical and thermodynamic data
You may search for a property. The index will indicate a print or electronic source where this data may be found. These indexes are provided by:
Primary sources of physical property data
- Chemicalland21.com - a database of safety and physical property data for over 200,000 products
- Chemfinder Web Server - for finding basic physical property data on substances
- ChemIDPlus - is a free, web-based search system that provides access to structure and nomenclature authority files used for the identification of chemical substances cited in National Library of Medicine (NLM) databases. The database contains over 368,000 chemical records, of which over 206,000 include chemical structures, and is searchable by Name, Synonym, CAS Registry Number, Molecular Formula, Classification Code, Locator Code, and Structure.
- ChemIDplus Lite is a version of the above which is available for Name and RN searching without the need for plugins or applets.
- Dielectric Constants - provided by ASI Inc.
- Environmental Fate Databases - developed by Syracuse Research Corporation under the sponsorship of the EPA. Includes physical properties, environmental degradation and transport processes, monitoring data, microbial toxicity and biodegradation data
- Infotherm - provides property data for 6,600 pure compounds and 24,000 mixtures. Produced by FIZ CHEMIE Berlin
- International Critical Tables of Numerical Data, Physics, Chemistry and Technology - This classic and well-known reference was originally published for the National Research Council in 7 volumes. It contains an enormous amount of critical data on inorganic and organic compounds, and pure substances. The original 1000-page index is hyperlinked to each entry's appropriate page.
- IUPAC-NIST Solubility Data Series Database
- Knovel Critical Tables - This important, interactive knovel reference contains tables of physical, solvent, and thermodynamic properties. The physical property tables alone include over 13,000 inorganic and organic compounds, and pure substances. The solvent property tables have 385 solvents, and the thermodynamic property tables have 500 compounds.
- Material Safety Data Sheets - where to find them on the web
- MatWeb - The online materials information resource covering over 7500 materials
- NIST online databases - a list with links and annotations to all databases provided by NIST
- NIST Webbook- for finding thermodynamic data
- Periodic Table of the Elements Online
- PubChem - NIH's Small Molecule Repository which is a component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Roadmap Molecular Libraries initiative for the creation of an NIH small molecule library and screening centers.
- Sigma Aldrich Database - search for physical properties and spectral data of substances sold by this company
- Solubility Data Series Database (IUPAC-NIST)
- TOXNET - Contains information relating to toxicity and hazards of chemicals
- U.S. E.P.A. Substance Registry System SRS - provides information on chemical substances and how they are represented in EPA regulations and data systems
Secondary sources of physical property data
- Cambridge Crystallographic Data Center - A database containing comprehensive data for organic and metal-organic compounds studied by X-ray and neutron diffraction
- Carcinogenic Potency Database - data on the carcinogenicity of 1485 compounds. Compiled by Bruce Ames and co-workers
- Ceramics Webbook (from NIST) - provides physical properties of ceramic materials
- ChemBlink - a database of substances that includes some physical property data
- ChemExper Chemical Directory - displays information about chemical products (physical and chemical characteristics, structure, MSDS etc.) on the Internet in order to create a worldwide database
- Chemical Dictionary File - provided by the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Includes information on over 28,000 chemicals and over 45,000 synonyms
- Chemical Health and Safety Data - provided by the National Toxicology Program. Includes physical property and toxicology data.
- Chemspider - a database of over 10 million chemical structures with physical property data. richest single source of structure-based chemistry information.
- Chemquik - A service providing first aid information and other vital safety information for most commonly used chemicals. The information is compiled from Materials Safety Data Sheets provided by manufacturers.
- Critical Properties of Gases - provided by Flexware
- Crystallography Database
- Data and Property Calculation Websites - compiled by the Thermodynamics Research Laboratory of the University of Illinois at Chicago
- Design Institute for Physical Properties (DIPPR) Database - covers 48 physical, thermodynamic and transport properties for 100 pure compounds
- Enzyme Database - this link provides access to BRENDA, a comprehensive enzyme information system which is free to the academic community
- Fluid Phase Equilibria Page - by Quest Consultants Inc.
- Handbook of Basic Atomic Spectroscopy Data - published by NIST
- Hazardous Substances Data Bank - a review of environmental and health aspects of over 4,500 chemicals
- Household Products Database (National Library of Medicine) - links over 4,000 consumer brands to health effects from Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) provided by the manufacturers and allows scientists and consumers to research products based on chemical ingredients.
- Human Metalbolome Database - provides chemical, clinical and molecular biology/biochemical data on 2500 small molecule metabolites
- International Centre for Diffraction Data
- International Chemical Safety Cards - summarize essential health and safety information on chemicals. Includes some physical property data. Provided by the International Occupational Safety and Health Information Centre.
- International Spectroscopic Databank - an electronic database and archive for spectroscopic and associated data
- Journal of Physical and Chemical Reference Data - search by keyword, property or substance for information found in this journal
- List of Chemistry Databases - Compiled by Rolf Claessen
- MSDS Solutions - a database of materials safety data sheets (you must register)
- NIOSH Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards - includes physical property and toxicity data
- NIST home page (National Institute of Standards and Technology)
- NTP Chemical Health & Safety Data
- Organic Compound Database - compiled by Harold Bell of Virginia Tech
- PGM Database - This database comprises the most comprehensive collection of physical, mechanical and chemical data for the platinum group metals (platinum, palladium, rhodium, iridium, osmium and ruthenium) and their alloys.
- Physical Reference Data from the Physics Laboratory of NIST
- Physprop - physical property data for over 25,500 substances provided by Syracuse Research Corporation
- SBDS - Integrated Spectral Database System for organic compounds (Provides NMR, MS IR, Raman, and ESR spectra)
- Smithsonian Physical Tables - Originally published by Smithsonian Institution Press, this classic reference source comprises 901 tables of general interest to scientists and engineers, and of particular interest to those involved with physics in its larger sense. All entries in the index are hyperlinked to their page numbers.
- Spectra Wizard
- Spectroscopy Now - a guide to websites covering infrared, ultraviolet, X-ray, NMR, Raman and mass spectroscopy
- Thermodynamic Data and Property Calculation Sites on the Web
- University of Minnesota Biocatalysis/Biodegradation Database
- U.S. E.P.A. Integrated Risk Information System IRIS - Toxicity of Chemical Substances
- Vapor Presssure and Vapor Liquid Equilibrium Data - compiled by Shuzo Ohe of Science University of Tokyo
- Zeolite Structure Database
Created and updated by Bruce Slutsky
Last updated August 2008
