Resources for Finding Answers to Chemistry Questions

Dr. Helmenstine holds a Ph.D. in biomedical sciences and is a science writer, educator, and consultant. She has taught science courses at the high school, college, and graduate levels.

Students often ask, "How do I get answers to chemistry questions online?" There are several ways to both find the answers yourself and to ask chemistry questions and get answers. Find out how to go about it below.

Ask Chemistry Questions and Get Answers

If you have a question you need to be answered quickly, your best bet is to go to an active online chemistry forum or even to ask the question on an active Facebook page about chemistry. Here are some options you can try:

• About Chemistry on Facebook: This is the Facebook page for the About.com Chemistry site (now ThoughtCo Chemistry). You can post a question, which will be viewed by other people interested in chemistry who can respond.
• Ask a Chemistry Question—Yahoo Answers: The upside of using Yahoo Answers is that you might actually find the answer to the exact problem you're trying to solve. The downside is that some of the people attempting to answer questions are either students or not very well informed. You can usually at least get a good idea of how to approach a problem on this forum. Although, at other times, you'll get snarky non-answers.
• AssignmentExpert—Pay for Answers or Assignment Help: This site offers just under ten thousand free answers to homework questions. You can search for what you need or use their form to email your question. You get 1,024 characters of space to ask a question. The site promises to charge a fair rate to answer each question, however, it doesn't disclose how much it actually costs.

Don't forget to try other forms of social media. For example, you can ask a question on Twitter and may get a response (be sure to use the #chemistry hashtag for more visibility). You can use Facebook to find classmates. Message them and see if they know the answer to your question. Consider using social media to set up a study group if you have multiple questions.

Search Answer and Worked Problems

Chances are, if you have a question or a problem, someone else has asked it or at least has asked a similar question. If you can't get a live person to answer your question, then the next best thing is to search for the question and answer. My recommendation to you is to type your exact question into Google or another search engine and see what you get. You might get lucky! If your search is too specific, you can always make it more general until you get answers.

Here are some online sites that offer worked problems and answer chemistry questions:

• Worked General Chemistry Problems: This is Thoughtco's collection of chemistry problems and examples, with links to review the subject matter.
• General Chemistry Questions and Answers (from Ask Antoine, a chemistry prof): Antoine is an actual chemist. His answers are on point. He hasn't added to his list of topics in some time, but rest assured the information is accurate.
• Chegg Answers to Chemistry Questions (General, Organic, Chem Engineering, etc.): Chegg is a top-notch site. However, they are also a paywall site, which means you can't get anything for free. If you're struggling with chemistry but need comprehensive help, it might be worth buying a subscription.
• Answers to Chemistry Questions That You Should Know: This is a collection of answers to common general questions. It's useful if you're wondering how everyday phenomena work or are trying to explain a complex topic to someone else.
• Answers.com Chemistry Answers: As with Yahoo Answers, your mileage may vary with Answers.com. Sometimes a competent person answers a question. Other times, not so much. Use this site to learn how to approach a problem, but don't always trust the answer.
• Science Notes: This is my personal site, which includes additional examples and problems not covered by ThoughtCo. Use the search bar to seek an example. If you don't find what you need, send me an email and I'll try to add the problem.

There are other sites that may show up on search. Quora is even more likely to give you a wrong answer (blind leading the blind) than Yahoo, Answers.com, or Ask.com. Khan Academy is factual but unlikely to help unless you're studying very basic chemistry.

Tips for Success

If Google can't find help for your problem, your best bet is to call or message a classmate or instructor or find one of these resources in person. Visit your instructor during office hours, call/text him or her, or email questions. Remember to follow up. You can't simply rely on email or posting questions to websites because the turnaround time (days, weeks, never) may be longer than you have.