SciFinder Scholar
NOTE: Client software must be installed on your computer in order to access SciFinder. The software is loaded on public access workstations in the science library. Use of SciFinder Scholar is limited to faculty, staff and currently enrolled students of Oberlin College.
Looking for information on a specific compound? Search by its CAS Registry number for best results. Find the registry number in a standard reference source, such as the Dictionary of Organic Compounds, Merck Index or the Aldrich Chemical Company Catalog. Enter the registry number as a "substance identifier" in the Explore by Substance or Reaction search option.
If you are searching on a topic, using natural language keywords (as opposed to Chemical Abstracts nomenclature), consider using Science Citation Index (SCI). The number of simultaneous users for SCI is very high, relative to the limit of 2 users for SciFinder Scholar.
Oberlin's subscription provides 24 hour access for two users, on a shared basis with other institutions. It includes substructure searching.
Contact science librarian Alison Ricker for more information.
Databases Covered in SciFinder Scholar
Chemical AbstractsPlus-- 1947 to the present.- database of chemical literature and patents
- full spectrum of chemistry information including chemical structures, biosequences, polymers, life sciences…
- over 2.2 million patents
- widens access to the published scientific literature. OLDMEDLINE, a subset of MEDLINE, provides nearly one million records.
- Registry File 1957-present
- structure diagrams, registry numbers, names, molecular formulas, biosequence etc
- reactions of organic substances including organometallics and biomolecules
- preparation methods for a specific substance
- reactions containing exact matches of a drawn structure as well as structure with substitution at open positions on the drawn structure.
- contains single-step and multi-step reaction information for reactants, products, reagents, solvents, and catalysts.
Search Tips from CAS: Chemical Abstracts Service
- SciFinder Scholar Resources
- SciFinder Scholar Interactive Tutorial
- Accessing the ChemList Database with SciFinder (including Regulated and Commercially Available Chemicals)
- Explore for Chemical Substances
- Explore by Research Topic
- Explore by Author Name
- SciFinder Solutions: instructional tips for searching
- SciFinder Analyze Tool