Question:   Where can I go to find information about what chemicals are used for?  I have a project that requires me to list the uses of several industrial chemicals, but I don't know where to look for help.

Answer:

The internet is a great place to look for information.  By searching for the name of a chemical compound through one of the major search engines (such as Yahoo! or AltaVista), you can find companies that sell these chemicals.  These company websites usually do a pretty good job of describing what the chemicals are used for to entice buyers.

Another good place to look is a book called the Merck Index.  It's got information about ten thousand commonly-used chemicals.  Look for it at university libraries and larger school or community libraries.  If you ask for it, the librarian should know what you're talking about.