Subject index reviews

The first appearance of the term "alkyd resin" in the subject index of Chemicaly bstracts 2iS. in 1929, under Resins. It was not until 1936 that Alkyd Resins was Hsted in its alphabetical place, but stiU appeared as "See Resinous Products." The proliferation of Hterature on alkyd resins peaked from the 1940s through the 1960s. Research activities on alkyds in the United States, as indicated by the number of pubHcations, has apparentiy tapered off since the 1970s. Readers interested in alkyd history can find more detailed historical reviews elsewhere (1 4). 

There are three major steps to a patent search. (1) There is the US Patent Classification System that is a sort of subject index to all patents, (2) CASSIS is a computerized software information system provided by the USA patent office, and (3) review the patent that takes time involves the weekly official worldwide gazettes, magazines, etc. There are many ways available to search the patent database in both US and worldwide, but one web that is particularly useful to the novice or occasional searcher is one offered by IBM locate at http //www patents.IBM.com... 

Index of Review Articles and Specialist Texts Cumulative Subject Index Cumulative Formula Index... 

This review covers the literature in primary journals to early 1981 and in Chemical Abstract Subject Indexes to Volume 94. The names used are those adopted by Chemical Abstracts, and the numbering system is [1,2,3) etc. for triazoles rather than the v- or s- symbols. 

To make the information in our books easily accessible and retrievable, we have always tried to provide thorough author and subject indexes. In addition, a website is maintained for Reviews in Computational Chemistry at http //chem.iupui.edu/rcc/rcc.html. It includes our author and subject indexes, plus color graphics, errata, and other material as adjuncts to the chapters. 

You are unlikely to delve into the primary literature for these purposes -books and reviews are much more readable If a lecturer or tutor specifies a particular book, then it should not be difficult to find out where it is shelved in your library, as most libraries now have a computerized index system and their staff will be happy to assist with any queries. If you want to find out which books your library holds on a specified topic, use the system s subject index. You will also be able to search by author or by key words. 

Although there have been all sorts of indexes from 1830 on, the earlier ones do not offer much help from a subject point of view, for they are essentially word indexes which scatter entries. But the semiannual indexes for authors and subjects, from 1897 and 1889 on, the annual subject index from 1925 on, and the cumulative indexes of 1870 to 1881, then from 1897 on, with one exception, at 5-year intervals, got better all the time with less word indexing and more subject indexing, so that the 1925-29 cumulative index was reviewed by Crane (4) with many favorable comments. A new cumulative index for the years 1925 to 1938, a comprehensive author, subject, patent, and formula index, has been announced, but will not be available until a sufficient number of orders have been received by the publisher. 

Petroleum Zeitschrift fur die gesamten Interessen der Erddl-Industrie und des Miner aldUHandels. The subject index is useless but the annual surveys made by Singer and others in the early years should be checked. Kissling s annual reviews which appeared in Chemische Umschau should also be consulted. 

Contents Theory of Electrons in Polar Fluids. Metal-Ammonia Solutions The Dilute Region. Metal Solutions in Amines and Ethers. Ultrafast Optical Processes. Metal-Ammonia Solutions Transition Range. The Electronic Structures of Disordered Materials. Concentrated M-NH3 Solutions A Review. Strange Magnetic Behavior and Phase Relations of Metal-Ammonia Compounds. Metallic Vapors. Mobility Studies of Excess Electrons in Nonpolar Hydrocarbons. Optical Absorption Spectrum of the Solvated Electron in Ethers and Binary Liquid Systems. Subject Index. Color Plates. 

Two outstanding periodic reviews have recently appeared. One is published jointly by the Textile Institute and the Society of Dyers Colourists, both in England (29), The first volume of this review appeared in 1949 with the stated purpose of being addressed to all scientists and technologists concerned with textiles. Each volume has major headings such as research, production, etc. and these are subdivided according to fiber type. Each volume also contains an author and subject index. 

The American Association of Cereal Chemists appointed an Abstract Committee to study the problem of abstracts and indexes. Upon the recommendation of the committee, arrangements were made with Biological Abstracts (14 ) to publish a separate section. Section J, Abstracts of Cereals and Cereal Products. This has been published since 1948. Financial support is given by the AACC and the Millers National Federation (12). It is too early to evaluate Section J as a tool. Since it is part of so huge a service it cannot hope to attain the position of a current review-type service. There are no plans for separate indexing the index to the complete edition is included with each section subscription. The December 1951 issue has a Numerical Key to Contents of Section J. The latest subject index to Biological Abstracts is Volume 23, 1949. However, future editorial policy may improve this situation. 

A far-sighted company policy can do more to save time in making searches than individual searchers can possibly save. When a company develops its own tailored subject index system of classification, covering its entire field of interest, and feeds into this its current literature abstracts and reviews of currently issued patents, the over-all saving of search time will be from 50 to 70%, after the system has been in effect for 20 or more years. When such a procedure is used, the time saved in searching is directly proportional to the number of years covered and the quality of the classification system. For the first year or so, the time saved is small, but it mounts yearly. In time, files of articles and patent references are built up on all subjects likely to interest the company. These files constitute searches in themselves and are kept up to date by the routine abstracting and patent indexing. 

This review covers nearly the complete literature on fluorine-containing compounds of sulfur up through 1956. That is the last year for which a subject index for Chemical Abstracts or Chemisches Zentralblatt was available. Articles appearing through 1958 are also included when known to the reviewer. In the case of carbon compounds the review deals with the first member of an homologous series, for example... 

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