Dependable information from the Chemical Enquiries Help Desk in 48 hours.  Each month library staff look at one of the many enquiries received and highlight selected resources, including the Virtual Library, that provide relevant answers. 

The enquiry this month 

• We need to conduct impact tests on metal specimens at -100°C and -120°C.  Please advise which fluids can be used for this purpose.  The specimens are immersed in the fluid for a minimum of ten minutes before conducting the impact test.            

The RSC Virtual Library is an excellent place to start your background research with premium e-book resources properties databases.  Knovel Critical Tables is just one of the free of charge resources that can quickly provide the freezing point data required:

• Click on the Advanced Search link on the Knovel Library homepage - a new window opens with a search form 
• Click on the Categories and Field Names link - another window opens where you can find into which category falls the property that you are searching 
• In this case freezing point is a physical constant
• Select the physical constants category from the drop-down menu
• Select the desired property - freezing point
• Change the operator to >between<
• Click the search button            

Results are retrieved in three books including Knovel Critical Tables and are viewable by clicking on the title link and then the table icon.  35 compounds with the required properties were retrieved and the results exported into Excel.

Once a suitable compound has been identified, health and safety data can be found by simply searching the compound name in the search field of the Knovel Library homepage under the Safety, health and hygiene subject area from the drop down menu.

As part of the services of the Chemical Enquiries Help Desk we can supplement the information above with references retrieved from Chemical Abstracts, Scopus, Web of Science.

Members can carry out their own high quality research from the Virtual Library simply by logging in to a resource with their membership number and password.