Guide to SciFinder
Register for SciFinder
Follow the instructions for registration (https://scifinder.cas.org/registration/index.html). You
MUST use an email address for registration with the suffix “illinois.edu” in order to register. You
must also connect to SciFinder Web via a University of Illinois IP address (or vpn connection) or
through the proxy connection link on the Chemistry Library website. After you submit the form,
CAS will send you an e-mail message with instructions for completing the registration process.
Then you will be directed to the sign in (https://scifinder.cas.org) page.
When SciFinder opens, after you log in, the first thing you will see is a license agreement. When
you click on "accept" you will enter the database. Be sure you understand and follow the terms
of using this database.
SciFinder Guide
Search SciFinder
Explore Substances
In the opening menu, select Explore.
You can search for a substance or a reaction by the chemical structure, by the molecular
formula, or by the name or substance identifier.
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SciFinder Guide
Molecular Formula
After selecting Molecular Formula, in the Explore by Chemical Substance menu, you can begin
identifying a substance. One method is to enter the molecular formula of your compound. It is
NOT necessary to put the formula in Hill Order when searching SciFinder by Molecular Formula.
For example, Cl3Co is entered as the molecular formula.
SciFinder will produce a list of substances that match the molecular formula entered. For each
substance, you can see the registry number, the chemical structure, the number of references
found, and whether information on commercial sources or regulated chemicals listings are
available. Note the number of references associated with each substance; this may be an
indication of which substance you ought to explore further.
Substance Name or Number
After selecting Explore Substances, select Substance Identifier and type the name of your
substance in the box. In the following example “hexaaminecobalt” has been entered.
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SciFinder Guide
SciFinder will produce a list of substances that match the substance identifier entered. For each
substance, you can see the registry number, the chemical structure, the number of references
found, and whether information on commercial sources or regulated chemicals listings are
available. To see the registry information for a substance, click Substance Detail (which contains
the registry number).
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SciFinder Guide
Explore References
In the opening menu, select Explore References.
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SciFinder Guide
You can search references by topic, author name, company name, and so on as shown in the
red box.
If we search by “hexaaminecobalt” and by clicking on Advanced Search and limit to the
Publication Years “1995-“, we will get the following results. These results will not be the same
as those generated by exploring by substance.
References
Selecting References
To see the references, select the results set. References link to substances. Clicking on the
molecules on the right
for a specific article. Also on the right is a Cited References icon
for other citing articles. Click on the Get Substances box at the top will bring up a variety
of preparations that can be selected.
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SciFinder Guide
You may want to narrow the list again using
the Analyze menu in the left-hand column.
The Refine menu offers several choices for
narrowing the results of your search. You may
find it helpful to restrict your references by
language.
You may want to refine your list of
references by date of publication.
Notice that this list is not exactly the same as the list generated by the Explore References
search. Once you have narrowed your list of references, you are ready to select specific articles
about your substance of interest.
SciFinder/ChemPort/Discover
Many, if not most, of the articles you will find are available online. Select the full text icon
under the reference listing to see the reference details.
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SciFinder Guide
Click Get Full Text and CAS Full Text Option will open in a separate window.
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SciFinder Guide
Click the HTML from the publisher link and you should go directly to the full text.
Click on the Discover UIUC Full Text and you will go to Library full text access:
If the full text is available, select the link to get to the online publication. You can also use the
Chemistry Online Journals and Databases to search for online references. If the full text is not
available online, you can use the Library Catalog to search for the desired publication.
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SciFinder Guide
Library Catalog
All chemistry resources, online and print, may also be found through the library catalog. If a
resource is only available in the print version you will find it in the library catalog.
Choose either Quick Search or Advanced Search.
Using the Quick Search, enter the title of your journal. If you know the journal title, volume
number, issue number, and page number(s), you will be able to find your article. In this
example, we’re looking for an article in the 1989 issue of Biotechnology and Applied
Biochemistry. Leave out “A,” “An,” or “The” as the first word. Be sure to spell out the journal
title; don’t use the abbreviations that you might find in a citation. For a more precise search,
limit your search to magazines/journals and search by the start of the title.
You may also use the ISSN (found in the citation) in the Advanced Search.
If we have access to an online version of the article, you will see this symbol to the right of the
entry. The link will take you to the page where you can choose a link that will take
you to the journal, where you will select the issue that contains your article. If an
article is not available online, it may be available in print at the Chemistry Library, in
high-density storage at the Oak Street facility, or via I-Share.
Click the title of an entry to see the full record page for the title you want. The full record page
will tell you where you can find the volume you need. At the bottom of the full record page,
you’ll find the list of holdings.
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SciFinder Guide
In this example, although this title is available online, you will find that it is not available online
as far back as 1989. The 1989 volume is available at the Oak Street facility. You can retrieve it
by using the request function at the top of the page (in the online catalog), which will take you
to the request form. You will need your Library barcode number, it starts with 20111.
If you need further help, please contact us at the Chemistry Library
(http://www.library.illinois.edu/chx/), 170 Noyes Lab, 333-3737, or email
[email protected].
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