Skip to Main Content

PSCB90 Physical Sciences Research Experience

Welcome to the research guide for PSCB90. This guide will help you become familiar with relevant research tips & resources for your project.

Accessing SciFinder-n

SciFinder-n, produced by Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS), is the most comprehensive source for chemical literature. Search by topic, author, substances by name or CAS Registry Number, OR use the editor to draw chemical structures, substructures, or reactions.

Authorized users: University of Toronto students, faculty and staff. Commercial use is prohibited.

BEFORE YOU BEGIN:

  • You must register using your University of Toronto email address.
  • All registrations must be completed on campus or by using UTORvpn off-campus. 
  • For technical assistance with the UTORvpn, please contact the IITS Student Helpdesk. If you have any other difficulties, please contact Sarah Guay, your Liaison Librarian.

What's new in SciFinder-n

In addition to the reference, substance, reaction and supplier content found in SciFinder Scholar®, SciFinder-n includes a variety of improvements, such as relevance-ranked results, citation mapping, live search history, quicker retrieval of search results, multi-tab browsing, and new ways to search.

Added features & tools include:

  • MethodsNow: Step-by-step synthetic procedures and protocols extracted from patents and journal articles.
  • PatentPak: Enhanced view and navigation of full-text patents.
  • ChemDoodle: Touch-screen enabled structure drawing tool for mobile devices and tablets.
  • Retrosynthesis Planner: Generate a full retrosynthetic analysis of all known synthetic routes for any known molecule. Organize routes into a synthesis plan, which you can save, download, and share.

For more information about the differences between SciFinder Scholar® and SciFinder-n, check out our Comparison Chart.