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CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics Online

  • URL: https://libguides.cfcc.edu/CRC-Handbook
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  • What Is the CRC?

    The CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics is an authoritative reference work for those in chemistry and the physical sciences, as well as biology, geology, environmental science, and other fields. It includes 369 different topics with 771 distinct data tables and figures. 

    Full text of all explanatory sections from the current edition can be searched by keyword, or you can explore via the chapter./section index. You can also search by name, formula, property, and more to uncover wide details about organic and inorganic compounds. 

    Select the beaker icon to discover information by drawing a chemical structure.

    Screen capture of the periodic table as it displays in the CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics Online

    Steps for Using the CRC

    Follow these steps to use the online version of the CRC to determine physical properties such as solubility for an inorganic or organic compound.

    1.  Access the CRC online.

    2.  Search for the name or formula using the search box.

    3.  Your results from the search should include a link to either "Physical Constants for Inorganic Compounds" or "Physical Constants for Organic Compounds."  Click on the link and you should be presented with a table that provides information on things such as boiling point, melting point, and solubility (example of a search for NaCl is shown below).

    4.  Use the sliding bar to view information on the right side of the table.  For example, this table indicates that the solubility of NaCl at 25 C is 36.0 g/100 g water.  It also indicates that NaCl is slightly soluble in ethanol (EtOH).  For most results you will need to know the common abbreviations used by the CRC:

    Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS) Registry Numbers

    The fastest and most reliable way to find information about a compound in a resource is to use the Chemical Abstracts Service Registry Number (CASRN). This is like a social security number for compounds and is often used as an indexing tool in many chemistry resources. Look for it as a series of three numbers, often inside of square brackets:  [XXXX-XX-X].

    Two free websites are available to look up a compound's CASRN, search one of the below resources using the compound's name.

    CRC Abbreviations

    A complete listing of abbreviations appears on the introductory portions of the tables.

    ac - acetyl

    ace - acetone

    acid - acid solutions

    alk - alkaline solutions

    amorp - amorphous

    anh - anhydrous

    aq - aqueous

    blk - black

    brn - brown

    bz - benzene

    chl - chloroform

    col - colorless

    conc - concentrated

     

    cry - crystals, crystalline

    cub - cubic

    cyhex - cyclohexane

    dec - decomposes

    dil - dilute

    diox - dioxane

    eth - ethyl ether

    EtOH - ethanol

    exp - explodes, explosive

    extrap - extrapolated

    flam - flammable

    gl - glass, glassy

    grn - green

    hc - hydrocarbon solvents

    hex - hexagonal, hexane

    hp - heptane

    HT - high temperature

    hyd - hydrate

    hyg - hygroscopic

    i - insoluble in

    liq - liquid

    LT - low temperature

    MeOH - methanol

    monocl - monoclinic

    octahed - octahedral

    oran - orange

    orth - orthorhombic

    os - organic solvents

    peth - petroleum ether

    pow - powder

    prec - precipitate

    pur - purple

    py - pyridine

    reac - reacts with

    refrac - refractory

    rhom - rhombohedral

    r.t. - room temperature

    s - soluble in

    silv - silvery

    sl - slightly soluble in

    soln - solution

    sp - sublimation point

    stab - stable

    subl - sublimes

    temp - temperature

    tetr - tetragonal

    thf - tetrahydrofuran

    tol - toluene

    tp - triple point

    trans - transition, transformation

    tricl - triclinic

    trig - trigonal

    unstab - unstable

    viol - violet

    visc - viscous

    vs - very soluble in

    wh - white

    xyl - xylene

    yel - yellow