Find Chemicals

Often you come across a chemical structure or name in a publication and then you need to find a place to order some from for your research. Maybe you try typing it in the Sigma catalogue and it comes up empty. Maybe you find a compound that has a similar name, but is it really exactly the same thing? Where do you go next?

With SciFinder

1. Connect to SciFinder through the UT Library website: http://www.lib.utexas.edu/chem/scifinder.html
   You will need to create a username and password.
2. Click on Explore Substances. Now you can draw the compound (click on Chemical Structure) or search by name (click on Substance Identifier).
3. Once you've found your chemical, you can get a lot of useful information:
   • The CAS registry number.
     • This is a unique number assigned to only this exact chemical substance.
     • Even L-lactic acid has a different CAS number (79-33-4) than the DL-lactic acid racemic mixture (50-21-5).
   • A list of companies known to supply the chemical and in what quantities. Usually you can search their websites by CAS number.
   • Synonyms and alternative nomenclature for the chemical.
   • And much more...

With ZINC Database

The ZINC Database is an alternative (and free) list of many bioactive molecules with links to companies. (It's mainly meant for molecular docking studies).