Phase diagrams

We've had several questions on from students looking for phase diagrams lately. The short answer is, they aren't easy to find, because there are numerous places to look. Unlike a lot of searches, there's no "one place" to go. I'm going to get an FAQ and a guide up as a result.

If you're curious just what the heck these things are, have a look at these guides:
http://www.chemguide.co.uk/physical/phaseeqia/phasediags.html (fairly understandable to a general audience, but not a citeable page)
http://wikis.lib.ncsu.edu/index.php/CH_434%5Cphase_diagrams (a bit more sciency)

Here's a quick and very incomplete guide to finding them:

For elements:
Phase Diagrams of the Elements, in reference QD503 .Y68 1991

For pure substances (not elements, not mixtures of multiple substances or alloys; e.g., water, carbon dioxide), try these databases:
-NIST Webbook (search for the substance, check Phase change)
-DIPPR (change search to "this title only", search for the substance)
-Knovel (search "phase diagram" and substance name)
-If inorganic: Thermochemical Properties of Inorganic Substances (QD511.8 T47 1991) in reference

or even search the catalog for the substance and thermodynamics. Note that you'll often find only data from which the diagram can be constructed, not the diagram itself.

For binary/ternary alloys, Knovel or the reference books devoted to this in QC/QD, and the Ts.

There are a lot of other places to look. There are several indices and resources in reference, and you may need to do a literature search in Web of Science or SciFinder. Or pass the search along to me.