SciFinder - Video Tutorials

SciFinder, a key database for chemistry researchers, can be challenging to use. Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS) has several short (> 5 min) tutorials through their website that you may find helpful. 

Basic Search functions

• Search for a specific research topic (aka search by keywords)
• Search by author name
• Understand reference details

Search by Chemical Structure - Unlike other scholarly databases (like Web of Science) where you can only search by keywords, in SciFinder, you can also search by drawing a chemical structure

• Comparison of structure search type
• Conduct an exact structure search
• Conduct a similarity structure search
• Input structures using the drawing editor
• Manage substitution with structure drawing tools
• Understand substance details
• Use a structure to find compounds

Search for Chemical Reactions - You can also search by chemical reactions 

• Comparison of reaction search types
• Group reactions by transformation or document
• Search for specific reactions or reaction type
• Understand reaction details

Search for Patents - Unlike other scholarly databases (like Web of Science), SciFinder contains patents (look for the purple PatentPak logo under the reference title on the search results page). When searching for patents by chemical structure, you should search by Markush structure, which is a generic chemical structure used in patents, rather than the exact chemical structure. 

• Finding chemistry in full-text patents with PatentPak
• Understanding the types of Markush searches
• Understanding the value of a Markush structure search

Contact Kris Condic (salomon@oakland.edu), librarian for chemistry, with any questions about SciFinder!

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