Chemicals can be found by chemical name, common name or Registry Numbers (CAS RN or RN). The RN can be found on most material safety data sheets. The RN is a unique identifier assigned by Chemical Abstracts when they register a compound, chemical, or substance. Enter the name or RN in the search box.
One of the important features of this database is the ability to search by compound, substance, or material. If you search by molecular formula, make sure you enter the formula in Hill Order - C(#) H(#), and other elements alphabetically. Add a space between each element. If you don't get it quite right, SciFinder-n provides suggestions.
Once you have found the chemical, compound, or substance, request the references for the papers and patents associated with that item, by clicking on the References button. Then you can sort the retrieved set using the sidebar categories or the dropdown menu.
SciFinder-n will allow you to draw chemical structures to identify a compound or class of compounds; then you can retrieve related articles, patents, and property information. You will need to load a free Java tool to enable this feature.
Start by clicking on the Draw button in the far right corner of the search bar.
Several tutorials are available in SciFinder-n. If you need additional assistance, contact Luti Salisbury, Head of the Chemistry and Biochemistry Library.
Three additional resources are available through SciFinder. This Research Guide does not go into detail about searching these portions of SciFinder. If you need additional assistance contact Jay McAllister, the Engineering Librarian, or Luti Salisbury, Head of the Chemistry and Biochemistry Library.