Chemistry is the science of transformation. the literature of chemistry is constantly changing in many ways, such as the adoption of principles from physics into chemistry. Chemists publish most often in journals and in short bursts of information.
Encyclopedias or dictionaries in chemistry may be used to find general background information or definitions of terms. Chemistry dictionaries may overlap with chemistry handbooks in describing the properties of elements. The distinction made in this guide is that descriptions in chemistry dictionaries are briefer than in handbooks. Encyclopedia articles often provide a list of references for further research. Databases identify more current literature published in journals.
Revised: June 4, 2008