ABSTRACT
The key to unlocking the chemical literature is Chemical Abstracts. This huge work, dating back to 1907, aims to provide an abstract of every chemical article published in the major scientific and technical journals of the world. Abstracts of the chemical patents lodged in the world’s industrialized countries form a large proportion of Chemical Abstracts. Main indices are published twice yearly to correspond with the biannual volumes of Chemical Abstracts. Originally the biannual indices were collected into decennial indices, but the quantity of material is now so great that quinquennial indices have become the rule. Reviews and abstracts are also supplemented by Annual Reports of the Royal Society of Chemistry which refer to and comment on the highlights of the year’s chemical literature. To some extent the twin volumes dealing with organic or inorganic and physical chemistry have become victims of the literature explosion.
