Stanford University Libraries

Beilstein Handbook

Why Teach?

  • The most comprehensive reference on organic compounds
  • Not everything is in Chemical Abstracts — Beilstein coverage begins 1779
  • All information on a compound is gathered in one place

Teaching Points:

  • The 4th edition of the Beilstein's Handbuch der Organischen Chemie published in 1918 consists of a Main Work and 5 Supplementary Series of updates.
    Series Abbreviation Literature Coverage
    Main Work H up to 1909
    1st Supplement E1 1910–1919
    2nd Supplement E2 1920–1929
    3rd Supplement E3 1930–1939
    4th Supplement E4 1950–1959
    5th Supplement E5 1960–1979
  • Whatever new information on a compound published during a time period appears in that supplement.
  • Only the 5th Supplement is in English; earlier in German.
  • Organized by functional group according to a hierarchy. Three divisions: acyclic, isocyclic, and heterocyclic are used and 17 functional groups are considered as registry compounds.
  • Each functional group always appears in the same volume.
  • Teach students to use chart which assigns Beilstein volume to particular functional group.
  • Printed indexes:
    • subject = Sachregister
    • formula = Formelregister
    • Comprehensive H – E4
    • Comprehensive H – E2 as part of 2nd Supplement
    • Volume Indexes: E3 and E4; if compound found in appropriate volume, references back to earlier Supplements and Main Work are given.
  • Compounds with functional groups other than 17 are derivatives. Teach students how to hydrolyze these other functional groups to get registry compounds.
  • Compounds are found only in volume for functional group which appears latest in hierarchy.
  • Online database contains all compounds from 1779.
  • Online database may be searched by name, formula, structure, ranges of property values.

Available:

  • Print: Beilstein Information Systems
  • Online: STN, Dialog (File 390). On dialog, Beilstein is available in the CIP plan.
  • Crossfire: Inhouse database: university consortia?

Teaching Materials:

  • Luckenback, Reiner. “Der Beilstein,” ChemTech, 1979, October 1979, 612–621.
  • SANDRA — a PC program that locates references to correct printed volume for compounds. Available from Beilstein Information Systems.
Up: Beilstein Handbook of Organic Chemistry