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Quick Guide to Using Chemical Abstracts and SciFinder


Chemical Abstracts (print)

Chemical Abstracts (CA) includes abstracts, or summaries, of chemistry journal articles, patents, conference proceedings, etc.

Two ways of searching CA:
  • Search volume indexes or collective indexes: Collective indexes include contents of 5 years of volume indexes
  • Search weekly issues which have own keyword, author and patent number indexes
Search procedure:
  1. Use an index to find the abstract number.
  2. Use the abstract number to find the abstract.
  3. Use the abstract to decide whether you would like the corresponding article, etc.
  4. If you would like the article, use the bibliographic data (title, author, etc.) included with the abstract to access the article. You can use the Search by article citation webpage.
Choosing an index (ask yourself what you already know):
  • *General subject (index)
  • Author/inventor name (index)
  • *Chemical substance name (index)
  • Patent (index)
  • Molecular formula (index)
  • Ring System (index)

*When searching for a subject or chemical substance, if an index guide is available (1968 forward), consult it first to find the appropriate subject or chemical substance term(s) to use.

Other Resources:
How to Search Printed CA
Chemical Abstracts Tips

SciFinder (online)

SciFinder is the online version of Chemical Abstracts.

SciFinder Registration Page
     Registration Instructions (PDF)
SciFinder Sign In Page
SciFinder How to Guides
SciFinder Strategies (advanced searching in small molecules, synthetic chemistry, and polymer chemistry)
SciFinder Content At a Glance