Research Guides: Chemical Engineering: Physical and Thermodynamic Property Data Resources

Resources to Find Property Data for Chemical Substances

Knovel Handbooks - Chemistry & Chemical Engineering
Notice: this database is not being renewed, and the current subscription will end on 2/28/2026.

Full-text access is available to the chemistry and chemical engineering subset of Knovel Handbooks, offering searchable data sets, reference works, and tools in science and engineering. Features include data search by physical and thermal properties, interactive charts and graphs, an Excel add-in, and unit converters.
SciFinder-n (Chemical Abstracts)
The most comprehensive discovery tool of chemical information, SciFinder is a user-friendly version of Chemical Abstracts. This web-based research discovery tool allows access to a wide variety of research disciplines, including biochemistry, chemistry, chemical engineering, materials sciences, physics, environmental science, and engineering.

NIST Chemistry Webbook
Provides access to data compiled and distributed by National Institute of Standards and Technology.
ChemSpider
A database of over 58 million chemical substances with physical property data. The richest single source of structure-based chemistry information that is free on the web
Spectral Database for Organic Compounds (SDBS)
Integrated Spectral Database System for organic compounds (Provides NMR, MS IR, Raman, and ESR spectra). Published by the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST)
Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS)
Free access to manufacturer-direct material safety data sheets.
Sigma-Aldrich Database
Access to physical properties and spectral data of substances sold by this company.
Chemicalland21
A database of safety and physical property data for over 200,000 products.
Chemical Elements
Provides basic property data along with information on atomic structure, isotopes and related facts.
ChemBlink
Provides chemical property and safety data and supplier information.

ASM Handbooks Online (American Society for Metals)
The industry's best known and most comprehensive source of information on ferrous and non-ferrous metals and materials technology. It includes properties, phase diagrams, heat treating, and corrosion among other subjects.
Chemical Book
A list of suppliers of chemicals with physical property data.
ChemID Plus
A free, web-based search system that provides access to structure and nomenclature authority files used for the identification of chemical substances cited in National Library of Medicine (NLM) databases.
ChemMobi
A mobile app which provides access to chemical structures, chemical properties, supplier information and safety data via web services.
ChemSpider Slide Show
Slideshow presentation by Antony Williams on the use of ChemSpider.
ChemSynthesis
A database of 40,000 compounds with reference to their synthesis and selected physical properties.
Crystallography Open Database
Open-access collection of crystal structures of organic, inorganic, metal-organic compounds and minerals, excluding biopolymers.
International Critical Tables
This classic and well-known reference was originally published for the National Research Council in 7 volumes. It contains an enormous amount of critical data on inorganic and organic compounds, and pure substances. The original 1000-page index is hyperlinked to each entry's appropriate page.
IUPAC-NIST Solubility Database
Mutual solubilities and liquid-liquid equilibria of binary, ternary and quaternary systems are presented.
Knovel Critical Tables
Includes interactive tables covering Heat Capacity and Thermal Conductivity, Reaction Thermodynamics and Equilibrium Constants, Density and Compressibility, Vaporization and Vapor Pressure, Thermal Expansion, Transport and Flow, and Electrical Properties data.
Korean Thermophysical Properties Data Bank
Find thermophysical properties and calculation methods for hydrocarbons, light gases, polymers and electrolyte solutions commonly encountered in chemical engineering practices.
Matweb
Includes data sheets of thermoplastic and thermoset polymers such as ABS, nylon, polycarbonate, polyester, polyethylene and polypropylene; metals such as aluminum, cobalt, copper, lead, magnesium, nickel, steel, superalloys, titanium and zinc alloys; ceramics; plus semiconductors, fibers, and other engineering materials.
Merck Index
The print Merck Index may be found in Ready Reference RS51 .M4 2006. The Merck Index is an encyclopedia of chemicals, drugs, and biologicals that contains more than 10,000 monographs. Each monograph in this authoritative reference source is a concise description of a single substance or a small group of closely related compounds.
Where to find MSDS/SDSs on the Internet
Free access to MSDS/SDSs from industry and government sites.
NIST Standard Reference Data
Provides access to National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) scientific and technical Data.
NIST Online Databases
A list with links and annotations to all databases provided by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).
Periodic Table of the Elements
Interactive periodic table provided by Web Elements.
Periodic Table of the Elements
Interactive periodic table provided by Chemicool.

PubChem (NIH: National Library of Medicine)
World's largest collection of freely accessible chemical information. Searchable by name, molecular formula, structure, and other identifiers.

Solubility Database
Data compiled and evaluated by International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC).
U.S. EPA Substance Registry Services
Provides information on chemical substances and how they are represented in EPA regulations and data systems.

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
Provided by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), a federal public health agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Alfa Aesar
A chemical company catalog with some physical property data.
Cambridge Crystallographic Data Center
A database containing comprehensive data for organic and metal-organic compounds studied by X-ray and neutron diffraction.
Cameo Chemicals
Database of hazardous materials.
Ceramics Webbook
Provides physical properties of ceramic materials, provided by National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).
ChemExper Database
Displays worldwide information about chemical products (physical and chemical characteristics, structure, MSDS etc.).
Chemistry Dashboard
A database of physical and toxicological properties of substances provided by the National Center for Computational Toxicology of the EPA.
Chemistry Reference
Provides you with capsules on many topics in chemistry. Additionally, there are reference tables and profiles of every element and thousands of compounds.
Computational Chemistry Comparison and Benchmark DataBase
Experimental and computed (quantum mechanics) thermochemical data for a selected set of 1799 gas-phase atoms and small molecules. Tools for comparing experimental and computational ideal-gas thermochemical properties.
Consumer Products Information Database
The Consumer Product Information Database (cpid) contains health effects information for products used in the home and in some commercial/institutional settings that contain chemicals.
Crystallography Database
Provided by Indiana University.
Data and Property Calculation Websites
Compiled by the Thermodynamics Research Laboratory of the University of Illinois at Chicago.
Design Institute for Physical Properties (DIPPR) Database
Covers 48 physical, thermodynamic and transport properties for 100 pure compounds.
Engineering Tool Box
Resources, tools and basic information for engineering and design of technical applications. Includes physical properties of chemical substances.
Enzyme Database
A Comprehensive Enzyme Information System.
Gas Encyclopedia
Physical and thermodynamic properties of 138 gases.
Handbook of Basic Atomic Spectroscopy Data
Published by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).
Hazardous Substances Data Bank
A review of environmental and health aspects of over 4,500 chemicals.
INCHEM
Chemical Safety Information from Intergovernmental Organizations.
International Centre for Diffraction Data
Summarizes essential health and safety information on chemicals. Includes some physical property data. Provided by the International Occupational Safety and Health Information Centre.
Kaye and Laby's Online Tables of Physical and Chemical Constants
Provided free by the National Physical Laboratory of the UK.
Landolt-Bornstein Substance/Property Index
A compilation of physical and chemical data for substances.
Lhasa Carcinogenicity Database
The Lhasa Carcinogenicity Database is a searchable repository of 7745 chronic-exposure carcinogenicity studies covering a total of 1726 chemicals.
Lookchem.com
A database of chemicals providing suppliers, physical property, toxicity and other data.
Materials Project
A repository of calculated properties of inorganic materials.
MSDS Solutions
Searchable for Materials Safety Data Sheets.
NIOSH Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards
Includes physical property and toxicity data.
NIST - List of Free Standard Reference Databases
NIST Thermolit Database
Links over 4 million experimental data points for pure compounds, binary and ternary systems, and reactions to specific literature references.
NMR Database
An NMR database for organic structures and their nuclear magnetic resonance (nmr) spectra It allows for spectrum prediction (13C, 1H and other nuclei) as well as for searching spectra, structures and other properties. Includes peer-reviewed datasets. The nmrshiftdb2 software is open source, the data is published under an open content license.
Open Spectral Database
A place where scientists can share spectral data and export it in a number of formats in order to do open source science.
Organic Compound Database
Compiled by Harold M. Bell at Virginia Tech.
Pauling File
Inorganic Materials Database includes phase diagrams, crystal structures, and physical properties.
PGM Database
This database comprises the most comprehensive collection of physical, mechanical and chemical data for the platinum group metals (platinum, palladium, rhodium, iridium, osmium and ruthenium) and their alloys.
Smithsonian Physical Tables
From Knovel, originally published by Smithsonian Institution Press, this classic reference source comprises 901 tables of general interest to scientists and engineers, and of particular interest to those involved with physics in its larger sense. All entries in the index are hyperlinked to their page numbers.
Spectroscopy Now
A guide to websites covering infrared, ultraviolet, X-ray, NMR, Raman and mass spectroscopy a guide to websites covering infrared, ultraviolet, X-ray, NMR, Raman and mass spectroscopy.
Thermodynamic Data and Property Calculation Websites
Compiled by G. Ali Mansoori, PhD. of the University of Illinois.
U.S. EPA Integrated Risk Information System
Toxicity of chemical substances.
Vapor Presssure and Vapor Liquid Equilibrium Data
Compiled by Shuzo Ohe of the Science University of Tokyo.
Zeolite Structure Database
Provides structural information on all of the Zeolite Framework Types that have been approved by the Structure Commission of the International Zeolite Association (IZA-SC).