Stanford University Libraries

Chemical Abstracts (Print)

Teaching Points

  • Comprehensive index to the chemical literature
    • 8,000 journals; 1,300 of which are now indexed cover to cover
    • patents from 28 nations and two international organizations
    • 1907 to present; updated weekly (CA Plus updated daily)
    • over 700,000 abstracts per year
    • over 18 million compounds indexed
    • CAS website contains updated statistics on CA coverage, size, composition
  • Sources Included
    • journals (from all countries and in all languages)
    • conference proceedings
    • review articles
    • patents
    • books, dissertations
  • Sections of printed CA
  • What is an abstract and how to read an entry in CA
    How to identify a review article, book, patent
  • Indexes
    Importance of the Index Guide
    • Frequency of indexes
      “volume” indexes; “collective” indexes
    • Types of indexes
      • Chemical Substance index
        • CAS nomenclature vs trivial name
        • inverted name format
          benzene, methyl-
        • Sources for CAS names
          • MF index
          • Index Guide
          • Merck Index
          • Dictionary of Organic Compounds
          Table of CAS name sources
        Lecture on Substance Index
      • Author index
        • Alphabetical by first and middle INITIALS.
        • CA vol. #, abstract no. only given under first-named author.
      • Formula index
        Use Hill Order
        Hill Order exercise
      • General Subject Index
        Classes of compounds indexed here (NOT in the substance index!)
        Key to subject index entries
      • Patent Index

Teaching Materials