*Chemistry

Getting Started with SciFinder n:

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Use SciFinder for a quick search of chemical property data.  In addition to property data, this search will provide the CAS registry number (CASRN) for the chemical or compound.  This CASRN is a useful unique identifier that can also simplify using the other resources in this guide much easier.  Note that Bates Faculty and Students are provided access to SciFinder via paid subscription and access requires users to set up an account and login.

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Using SciFinder n!

Using SciFinder you can quickly search the chemical literature (References) and obtain detailed information about a substance (Substances).  It is even possible to search for information about specific chemical reactions by constructing 2D representations of the reactants and/or products (Reactions)!

You can perform three kinds of Biosequence searches: Basic Local Alignment (BLAST), Complementarity-Determining Region (CDR), and DNA, RNA, and protein motif (Motif) sequence searches.

• CAS SciFinder n Quick Reference Guide (PDF)

Chemical Literature Searching Quick Start:

1. From the "References" category, select the appropriate link to explore the chemical literature by topic, author, journal name, etc.
2. For tips about using Scifinder in literature searching, please look here:

• Step by Step Guide for Reference Searching (Web Page)
• Tips for Reference Searching in SciFinder-n (Recorded Webinar - 28:40)

Chemical Substance Exploration Quick Start:

1. From the "Substances" category, choose to start searching for details about chemical structure, molecular formula and property data for a substance of interest.
2. For tips about using Scifinder to explore substance properties, please look here:

• Step by Step Help for Finding Substances (Web Page)
• The new CAS Draw Structure Editor - overview of features and functionality (Video - 3:19)
• Structure Searching in SciFinder-n (Video - 1:35)

Chemical Reaction Exploration Quick Start:

1. From the "Reactions" category, select the 'Reaction Structure" link to search chemical reactions in the literature using 2D reactant and product structures.  You won't be doing this with Google or Google Scholar!
2. For tips about using SciFinder to perform Chemical Reaction Searches, please look here:

• Step by Step Help for Finding Reactions (Web Page)
• Tips for Reaction Searching in SciFinder-n (Video - 29:38)
• Retrosynthesis Overview for SciFinder-n - see and evaluate full synthetic pathways (Video - 3:30)

SciFinder Training Materials:

Want to do something not covered in this SciFinder Quick Start Guide?

• Look here for a wealth of short and specific training materials!