Library Guides: Chemistry: Reactions and Syntheses

Reaction Databases

These resources provide powerful structure based searching interfaces for reaction discovery and synthesis planning. For comprehensive reaction searching, you may need to search each of these databases, as well as consulting online handbooks of reaction information and print reference works on synthetic methods.

CAS SciFinder-n This link opens in a new window
SciFinder-n is a research discovery tool that allows you to explore the CAS databases that contain literature from many scientific disciplines including biomedical sciences, chemistry, engineering, material science, agricultural science, and more.
Provides access to Chemical Abstracts references (1907-current), including searches by CAS Registry Number (RN), author, topic, molecular formula, and structure/substructure (compound or reaction). Structure/substructure searches retrieve results from the CASREACT reaction database and the CA Registry File compound database. Links to full-text of articles and patents are available.
Web of Science This link opens in a new window
Authoritative, multidisciplinary content covers over 10,000 of the highest impact journals worldwide, including Open Access journals and over 110,000 conference proceedings. You'll find current and retrospective coverage in the sciences, social sciences, arts, and humanities, with coverage available to 1900. Includes the Science Citation Expanded, Social Sciences Citation Index, and Arts & Humanities Citation Index. Web of Science is especially useful for its citation linking.
Reaxys This link opens in a new window
Provides access to over 8 million organic compounds, 5 million chemical reactions, and 35 million associated chemical and physical properties, with corresponding references. Text, numeric, substructure, and reaction searching provided. Derived from the print Beilstein handbook and chemistry patents this database covers the literature from 1771 to present. Structure, numeric, and text searching are available. Special Use Instructions: Structure, numeric, and text searching are available.
Organic Syntheses This link opens in a new window
Mobile app also available.

Online Handbooks

e-EROS (Encyclopedia of Reagents for Organic Synthesis)
Provides critically evaluated reagents and methods. Searchable by substructure, reagent, reaction type, conditions, etc. Combined structure/text search available. Entries highlight uses and characteristics of each reagent, with illustrative examples.
Protective Groups in Organic Synthesis
4th edition. May be downloaded for offline use. An earlier edition is also available.
CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics
& more less...
A ready-reference book of chemical and physical data.

Chemical Structure Editors

Links to download software for drawing chemical structures. Resulting structures can be saved in a variety of formats for use in structure searchable databases, word processing documents, etc.

The University of Chicago Library has a license to ChemDraw Professional; use Home tab in this guide to find the link to download and install instructions.

Other options for chemical drawing tools:

Reaxys This link opens in a new window
Use the Marvinsketch java-free editor in Reaxys to draw molecules and reaction schemes and then "Save As" in common graphical file formats. Resulting files can be pasted into word processing and other files.
Provides access to over 8 million organic compounds, 5 million chemical reactions, and 35 million associated chemical and physical properties, with corresponding references. Text, numeric, substructure, and reaction searching provided. Derived from the print Beilstein handbook and chemistry patents this database covers the literature from 1771 to present. Structure, numeric, and text searching are available. Special Use Instructions: Structure, numeric, and text searching are available.

OPSIN: Open Parser for Systematic IUPAC nomenclature
Produces a textual representation of chemical structure from a chemical name using SMILES and InChi strings

Contact Information

Andrea Twiss-Brooks
Director, Humanities and Area Studies
Chemistry and Geophysical Sciences Librarian
Send Email

Sources for Chemicals and Equipment

Commercial availability feature of SciFinder Scholar
Commercial Availability feature of Reaxys
Commercial suppliers are listed for many ChemSpider entries.

eMolecules