Organic chemistry of polymers CHEM 327

If you have a polymer trade name or trade-mark, acronym, or abbreviation, you may need to translate it into a chemical name, common name, CAS RN, or specific trade name formulation before starting your search. Consult Section 2 and/or Section 3 to find this information.

SciFinder is the most comprehensive resource for finding articles in chemistry. You will need a username and password to access this database. Please read instructions carefully when accessing the database information page.

Here are three strategies for finding polymer information in SciFinder for specific polymer names:

• For polymers: Click on the Explore tab, and then Substance Identifier. Type in the name of your polymer (eg. Teflon OR polytetrafluoroethylene), and then click on the "References" link (the icon that looks like a small piece of paper) for that compound. Specify that you want references dealing with Preparation or Process.
  
  OR
  
  
• For monomers: Click on the Explore tab, and then Substance Identifier. Type in the name of your monomer (eg. tetrafluoroethylene), and then click on the "References" link (the icon that looks like a small piece of paper) for that compound. Specify that you want references dealing with Process or Reactant or Reagent.
  
  OR
  
  
• Click on the Explore tab, and then Research Topic. In the search box, type, for example, "synthesis of" your polymer name or "polymerization of" your monomer name. Repeat the search using different terms and different variants of the chemical name, including CAS RN.
  
  

Once you've retrieved references on your topic, if necessary, use the Analyze/Refine tab to the left of the results to limit the results' topic, date, language, document type, etc.

For more search tips see the SciFinder handout.

The following sources give information on chemical names, synonyms, trade marks, suppliers, CAS-RN, and brief descriptions of polymers:

• Polymer science dictionary (online): Explanations of polymer science terminology and names of major polymers and class of polymers (trade name and common name entries) with descriptions of their use.
• Encyclopedic dictionary of polymers : Online dictionary containing definitions of polymer science terminology and names of major polymers and class of polymers (trade name and common name entries) with descriptions of their use. Use the search box on the left of the screen to search for a specific term.
• Gardner's Chemical Synonyms and Trade Names and Gardner's Commercially Important Chemicals: Gives synonyms, chemical names, trade names, trivial names, CAS RN, property information and commercial suppliers. Includes chemical names, synonyms, and CAS RN indexes. Supplier information may be dated
• MSDS: Database of Material Safety Data Sheets. MSDS give company information, chemical composition, CAS-RN and use, when available.
  

  How to read MSDS: A Material Safety Data Sheet is written by the company that creates a chemical. MSDS do not have a standard format. The new suggested ANSI format has 16 sections that are described at this Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety webpage.

• Polymer handbook: Section VIII lists IUPAC names of polymers, CAS-RN and commonly used abbreviations or acronyms of polymers.
• Handbook of plastic compounds, elastomers and resins: An older reference book (1992) located at the Webster library, contains descriptions of over 15,000 chemical trademarks, with synonyms, use, commercial suppliers. Organized by polymer family, includes a synonyms index with CAS RN. Supplier information may be dated

Some encyclopedias and handbooks mentioned in Section 5 give trademark and company information. Some supplier information may be dated. Consult trademark databases for latest owner of a trademark:

• Gardner's Chemical Synonyms and Trade Names and Gardner's Commercially Important Chemicals: Gives synonyms, chemical names, trade names, trivial names, CAS RN, property information and websites of commercial suppliers. Supplier information may be dated.
• Handbook of plastic compounds, elastomers and resins: An older reference book (1992) located at the Webster library, contains descriptions of over 15,000 chemical trademarks, with synonyms, use, and commercial suppliers. Supplier information may be dated
• Canadian Trade-marks Database: Search the Trade-marks Office to find trademarks registered in Canada.
• United States Patent and Trademark Office: Search the Trademark Office to find trademarks registered in the USA. In the search results, look in the "owner" field to see who is the last listed owner of the trademark.

The following sources give information on the IUPAC naming convention:

• Generic source-based nomenclature for polymers (IUPAC Recommendations 2001): The document proposes a generic source-based nomenclature that solves the problems of ambiguous source-based names of linear copolymers and nonlinear polymers.
• Polymer Handbook: The introduction describes how to name polymers using IUPAC conventions.
• Polymeric Materials Encyclopedia: Appendix XI in volume 12 of the encyclopedia gives a good overview of how to name polymers following IUPAC conventions.
• CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics: The polymer section (consult the table of contents) gives a brief description on the IUPAC naming conventions.

The following handbooks and encyclopedias give general or detailed information on the history, uses and polymerization mechanisms of specific polymers or classes or subclasses of polymers. Some information can also be found in patent databases (see Section 7):

• Kirk-Othmer Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology Online: To search this encyclopedia, click on "Search in this book" in the right hand corner of the screen, and then search (using the search box in the middle of the screen) using different names or class names for polymers. The encyclopedia gives information on the history, use, polymerization, physical properties, company names, etc., depending on the polymer.
• Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry: To search this encyclopedia, click on "Search in this book" in the right hand corner of the screen, and then search (using the search box in the middle of the screen) using different names or class names for polymers. The encyclopedia gives information on properties (including monomer properties), polymerization, processing, toxicology and market production data of major classes or subclasses of polymers.
• Encyclopedia of Polymer Science and Technology: 15 volumes of information on polymers. Use the index to find information on classes, subclasses, or specific polymers or monomers. The encyclopedia gives properties, uses, processing, polymerization and toxicology information
• Encyclopedia of Polymer Science and Technology, Concise: A more recent, but concise version of the previously listed encyclopedia.
• Polymeric Materials Encyclopedia: 12 volumes of information on polymers. Use the index to find information on classes, subclasses, or specific polymers or monomers. The encyclopedia gives properties, uses, processing, and polymerization information
• Handbook of plastic materials and technology: Located at the Webster Library, gives information on subclasses of polymers. The handbook provides chemical names, trade names class, history, polymerization, properties, uses, and processing information.
• Engineering Plastics Handbook: Located at the Webster Library, gives properties, polymerization, processing information, uses, and history of major classes of polymers.
• Engineering Polymer Sourcebook: Located at the Webster Library, provides history, processing, and property information of major classes of polymers.

Most encyclopedias and handbooks mentioned in Section 5 give property information, along with the following sources of information:

• Polymer Handbook: Search the index by polymer class name to locate appropriate tables for specific polymers. Provides property information on polymers and monomers.
• CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics: The polymer section (consult the table of contents) provides tables with property information.
• MSDS: Database of Material Safety Data Sheets. For more toxicology data visit the Topic Guide for Toxicology.
  

  How to read MSDS: A Material Safety Data Sheet is written by the company that creates a chemical. MSDS do not have a standard format. The new suggested ANSI format has 16 sections that are described at this Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety website.

Most encyclopedias and handbooks mentioned in Section 5 give industrial processing information. More information can be found in patent databases:

• European Patent Database (esp@cenet): Search for patents on polymers by trade name, chemical name or applicant name (i.e. commercial supplier of a particular polymer).
• United States Patent and Trademark Office: Search the Patent Office (under "Issued Patents") for polymers by trade name, chemical name or applicant name (i.e. commercial supplier of a particular polymer). Patents in text format can be converted to pdf format on the pat2pdf website.

Some encyclopedias and handbooks mentioned in Section 5 give market production figures. More information can be found below:

• Chemical and Engineering News: Weekly magazine published by the American Chemical Society. Search for news of market information on a specific or subclass or class of polymer in the "anywhere in article" search box, and specify the date range from 1998 to today.
• Business Source Complete: Search for the name of a polymer or a class of polymers.

Below are some websites with general information about polymers:

General information:

• Macrogalleria: General information on polymers. Click on the search icon to search the site for classes or subclasses of polymers. Polymerization mechanisms are shown for some polymers.
• Plastics: General information on polymers.
• Wikipedia: Free, online encyclopedia written collaboratively by volunteers from around the world. Search for specific or classes of polymers.

History:

• The History of Plastics: History of polymers and of the people who discovered them.

Property information:

• MatWeb: Material Property Data: A searchable database of material data sheets, including property information on thermoplastic and thermoset polymers. Search by chemical name or trade name.

Finding books:

• Use the advanced search option in SOFIA to search by subject (select from the Search Index dropdown) using one of the following words: plastics, or polymers, or polymerization, or thermoplastics, or elastomers.

Finding articles:

• Academic Search Complete: Multidisciplinary, full text database. Enter your polymer names (separated with the OR operator). If you need to narrow down further, try combining it with terms such as "industry" or "market".
• Compendex: Find engineering articles or technical reports.
• NASA Technical Reports Server: Search for technical reports produced by NASA. (Interesting for finding the use of certain polymers)
• DOE Information Bridge: Search for technical reports produced by the US Department of Energy. (Interesting for finding the use of certain polymers)
• DTIC's Technical Reports Collection: Search for technical reports produced by the US Department of Defense. (Interesting for finding the use of certain polymers)

• This Concordia Library webpage offers a summary on how to cite certain types of information using the ACS style.
• For a complete guide on citing journal articles, books, patents, web sites, etc., consult the ACS Style Guide available at the Vanier Library Reference Desk (QD 8.5 A25 2006).