Scrawled Shortcuts through the Research Maze
In addition to the basic facts about each chemical element, there's a Au* mine of chemical information in these books:
The Merck Index, 14th edition
Where does neatsfoot oil come from? “The feet of neat (bovine) cattle,” of course (p. 1112)! (Think about bovine Felix Ungers. Then look up neat cattle: Oxford English Dictionary link on the Research Resource page.) Reference RS51 .M4 2006
CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics
Quick! What is the density of water at 90 degrees Celsius? No problem for you if this book is handy.
Reference QD65 .H3 2010-2011
Encyclopedia of Inorganic Chemistry
What is buckminsterfullerene? Is the Heidi complex a psychological problem? What's a prosthetic group? These and more are in this 10 volume compendium of information.
Reference QD148 .E53 2005
Encyclopedia of the Elements
The blowpipe, depicted as a goldsmith's tool in ancient Egyptian paintings, was an instrument for mineral analysis during the 1600s. What instrument, still in use today, replaced it in the 1800s?
Reference QD466 .E56 2004
Van Nostrand’s Encyclopedia of Chemistry
Wax poetic about yesterday’s lunch using the Flavors and Essences table. Whether you are praising a “citrusy, marshmallowy” pie or panning a “sweat socklike, cowy” cheese, appropriate descriptive words are probably on the list. Reference QD4. V36 2005
CredoReference
What element makes a ruby red? Search for ruby, then limit to science books. http://www.credoreference.com.ezproxy.drew.edu/home.do
*Au is the chemical symbol for gold.