CHEM 1111 - Elements: Web Sites

How can you tell if a web site is trustworthy or not? It's not always easy, but there are things that you can look for that will help you decide.

• Authority  Is the author qualified to write about the subject?
• Reasonableness  Does the information presented agree with or contradict information provided by reliable sources?
• Accuracy  Is there any indication that care has been taken to present correct facts in a clear, easily understood fashion?  Is there a reputation for accuracy to uphold?
• Objectivity  Does the information presented favor a particular viewpoint?  Is the content opinionated?
• Currency  If recent information is important to your research, are there indications that the information presented is up to date?

Guide:

Finding & Evaluating Information on the Web

Government websites can often provide reliable information for chemistry. Here are a few:

www.usa.gov  (Portal for the U.S. federal government)

www.cdc.gov  (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

www.energy.gov  (Department of Energy)

www.epa.gov  (Environmental Protection Agency)

www.fda.gov  (Food and Drug Administration)

www.nih.gov  (National Institutes of Health)

webbook.nist.gov/chemistry (NIST Chemistry WebBook)

toxnet.nlm.nih.gov  (TOXNET)

Here are some additional websites to consider:

WebElements
www.webelements.com
A periodic table with basic information on the elements.

Chemicool Periodic Table
www.chemicool.com
Includes a Chemistry Dictionary, Chemistry Tools, Resources, and a discussion and help Forum.

Molecular Weight Calculator
www.chemie.fu-berlin.de/cgi-bin/molform
Calculates molecular weights from molecular formulas.

ChemSpider
www.chemspider.com
This astonishingly powerful, award-winning database from The Royal Society of Chemistry provides fast access to over 30 million chemical structures and properties, as well as nearly unlimited links and related information.