January 15, 2008 (Vol. 28, No. 2)

URL:
http://www.chemicool.com

Rating:
Strong Points: Useful chemistry info
Weak Points: Could be broader

Summary:
There are a lot of ways of looking at the periodic table, and the web has provided a means of squeezing more content into the table than a printed version could ever do. Clicking on an element in the ChemiCool table leads to a complete page of info including density, oxidation number, melting point, conductivity (thermal and electric), cost, and reactivity, among much other data. Sites with these aims are pretty common, but ChemiCool tries to distinguish itself by providing other chemistry-relevant content. This includes an alphabetically organized and searchable chemistry dictionary, a forum for users to communicate with each other (surprisingly active), a list of chemistry tools (a few graphs, some unit calculators, and a second link to the dictionary), and resources (a handful of links to outside sites). While the content here goes beyond your “father’s periodic table,” there is a lot more that could be done, and I hope it is.

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