CHEMI 2551: Physical Properties of Organic Compounds

Use the CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics to look up important chemical information about your compounds/sources. 

1. Start by clicking the link above.  If you are off campus. you'll want to log in with your COD Network ID (the same username and password you use to access Blackboard.)
2. Next, head to the flask image in the upper right hand corner.
   
3. Draw your molecule in the box, and make sure you have Exact rather than Substructure selected above the search box.  
4. Once you have a list of results, look to the right and scroll until you see the link that says "Section 3, Physical Constants of Organic Compounds" to find the full information about your molecule/compound. 
5. Be sure to consult full table information to get explanations for column names and abbreviations.  If the dark gray menu blocks the information to the left, click on the hamburger menu (the three parallel lines) in the blue menu next to CRC Handbook in the title to see the full screen of text. 

Recommended Citation 

CAS Number, "Table." in Book, edition (Format), editor, Publisher, Location. 

Example citing cyclohexanone (my sample compound from class):  

108.94.1."Physical Constants of Organic Compounds," in CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics, 105th Edition (Internet Version 2023), John R. Rumble, ed., CRC Press/Taylor & Francis, Boca Raton, FL.

*** If you are citing more than one compound, list multiple CAS numbers separated by commas.***

Searching Knovel

You will want to use the Chrome browser when you're searching Knovel.  If you are using an adblocker in your browser, you'll need to make sure that is turned off as well.

Start by using the search box to find the "Basic Physical Properties of Chemical Compounds" table.  (Make sure you pick the option that is labeled "Knovel Critical Tables," not the sample.)

Once you've opened that, input your compound information, using the CAS-RN to find your data.   

If you have issues seeing any popup responses from your table (such as synonyms) from your table, make sure any ad blocker you have is turned off.  If this still isn't helpful, try changing your browser up.  Contact me with any questions. 

Having issues accessing this database?  Look at the notes under the video.

Recommended Citation: 

CAS Number, "Table." in Book [Format], ed.; Publisher, year,  URL. 

Example citing my compound: 

79-20-9. "Basic Physical Properties of Chemical Compounds." In Knovel Critical Tables [Online], 2nd ed.; Knovel Corporation, 2008. https://app.knovel.com/hotlink/itble/rcid:kpKCTE000X/id:kt002VLXT1/knovel-critical-tables/basic-physical-properties 

Having trouble accessing and using Knovel? 

If you are using Knovel off-campus for the first time, you may see a screen with a message in a red bar at the top that asks you to complete your profile to access Knovel.  In that case, follow the following steps: 

• Click the box in front of "Please accept terms and conditions"
• Hit save.  Do not fill in your first or last name, or @dupage.edu email on the form, as you will get an error message.
• Once you have done this once, you should not need to do it again.  Please reach out to Laura with any issues or errors you experience.

Confused?  Click here to see a screenshot of where to focus on the popup screen. 

Citing:

Click on the "Cite link on the right side of the screen to get a citation. 

Find physical data on your compound by searching by CAS-RN or by structure.  (Note: In this database, the CAS-RN is only referred to as RN.)

When searching ChemSpider, you will want to be certain to use experimental data rather than predicted data.  Be sure to look for the word "experimental" in your results. 

Recommended Citation: 

Royal Society of Chemistry (2025). ChemSpider Compound Summary for CAS # Fill in here. Retrieved January 29, 2025 from https://www.chemspider.com/Chemical-Structure.236.html 

Make sure that you update the highlighted fields to include the date (2024), the right CAS #, and the date you accessed ChemSpider.

There are citation examples in each box above.  Please contact the library if you have any questions.  (You can also find more APA style citation information at the link below.)