Introduction to Searching SciFinder Scholar

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Introduction to Searching SciFinder Scholar
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What is SciFinder Scholar?

• Desktop access to databases from CAS
• http//www.cas.org/SCIFINDER/SCHOLAR/
• Usage Conditions apply
• Key Co-Ordinator

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What does Scholar Search?

• Over 16 million bibliographic records from over
  8,000 journals and from major patent
  organizations (from 1967)
• Over 22 million chemical substance records (from
  1957)
• all classes of substances
• Almost 4 million chemical reactions from over 100
  journals (from 1985) and from selected patents
  (from 1991)
• See http//www.cas.org/casdb.html

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Coverage of Scholar at VUW

• Listed affiliations in Scholar for Departments/
  Schools at VUW from 1995 onwards

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Some Features of Scholar
Updates daily Broad coverage across
sciences Desktop access Automatic
truncation/proximity 24 Hour access Automatic
application of synonyms Bibliographic records
from 1967 Structure searching Reference
linking Reaction searching
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CAS bibliographic database Explore by Research
Topic Author Refine by Research
Topic Author Document Type Language Publication
Year Answers are bibliographic records
CAS reaction database Explore
by Chemical Reaction then Get Reactions Answ
ers are chemical reactions
CAS substance database Explore by Chemical
Name CAS Registry Number Molecular
Formula Chemical Structure - exact or related -
substructure Answers are chemical
substances (CAS Registry Numbers)
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Bibliographic Record in Scholar

• Title and Bibliography
• followed by Abstract
• and Indexing

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Exercise 1

• Key points
• titles and abstracts written by authors
• free text by authors
• but
• indexers apply indexing policies
• Think how authors and indexers may have written
  about your topic

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CAS Indexing for Substances

• When new information about a substance is
  reported the precise CAS Registry Number is
  indexed
• potassium in blood potassium ions in blood
• analysis of morphine analysis of morphine sulfate

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Explore by Research Topic

• Enter Phrase
• Select Candidates
• Get References

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Interpreting the Research Topic

• Prepositions/conjunctions
• List of candidates with concepts closely
  associated and anywhere
• Combinations of concepts
• Truncation/singulars/plurals/synonyms/CAS
  abbreviations
• Adding synonyms at Explore and Refine levels
• AND OR NOT
• Distributive modifiers

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Summary

• Look carefully at the list of candidates to see
  how Scholar has interpreted your query
• Think!
• If unsure, check Table 1

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Exercises 2 and 3

• Find information on the use or the abuse
  of anabolic steroids
• limit to humans, Reviews, English language and
  Publication Year 1996-
• print a full record and save all answers
• Find preparations in patents on
  dihydrotestosterone
• print full substance record and display a
  European Patent

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Exercise 4

• Find publications by
• Daryle H Busch
• (ACS President 1999)
• Alternative spellings
• Use initial for given name
• Explore CAS Registry Number hyperlinking

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Asking the Right Question

• Understanding of the
• topic
• literature
• database
• Author/Indexer issues
• bibliographic databases (author/indexer)
• substance/reaction databases (indexer)

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Information on a substance

• Comparison of starting with
• Explore by Research Topic
• Explore by Chemical Substance/ Substance
  Identifier then Get References
• Searching for substances by name in Research
  Topic searches name/CAS RNs
• may lack precision but may aid comprehension
• name as part of phrase, auto-truncation, sentence
  proximity, need to check that CAS RN has been
  searched
• Searching for information on substances through
  Substance Identifier then Get References is
  precise - searches CAS RNs

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Information on Substances

• Balance comprehensiveness with precision
• Searches for information on substances can be
  conducted in two basic ways and it is important
  to realise the benefits/limitations of the
  options
• Sometimes groups of substances are better
  retrieved through Explore by Research Topic
  sometimes through Explore by Chemical Substance
• Try options!

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Exercise 5

• Try your own, or try I am interested in
• forensic studies in drug overdose
• warning (prediction) of earthquakes
• pharmaceuticals for treatment of glaucoma
• defense pheromones used by animals (insects)
• studies of DNA of cheetahs (acinonyx)
• using satellites for geographic information
  systems (GIS)

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Sample

• I wanted information on inks used by Gutenberg
  in his printing press
• although I amended my search to
• I am interested in inks used by Gutenberg
  (history, archeology,)

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Explore by Chemical Structure

• It is essential that you understand CAS
  registration policies for structures!
• Most are the same as taught in College Chemistry
  Classes although additional issues include
• Multicomponent substances
• Salts, polymers, mixtures, alloys, hydrates
• Structure connection tables for aromatic
  compounds, tautomers, p- and donor-bonding

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Exercise 6

• Indexing examples
• ferrocene and p-complexes
• dimethyl sulfoxide and donor bonding
• augmentin and mixtures
• pyridinium tosylate and salts
• ABS and co-polymers
• Steel 10 and alloys

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Exercise 7

• Freehand

Chains
Atoms
Shortcuts
System variables
User variables
Rings
Templates
Eraser
Ring/chain locking tool
Common atoms
Blocking substitution
Drawing reactions
Current atom
Bonds
Search options
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Exercise 8Pasting CAS Registry Numbers

• Carefully copying a CAS Registry Number from a
  record, and pasting into the structure drawing
  program
• offers a very quick alternative to drawing a
  structure
• which may be modified by the structure
  drawing tools

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Other Structure Drawing Hints

• Using Shortcuts
• Blocking substitution
• Using the locking tool
• ring default is isolated/embedded
• chain default is ring/chain

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Searching Structures Options
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Structure Search Options

• Preview Sample Answers allows you to see sample
  of actual answers
• Preview Real-Atom Attachments analyzes answers by
  atoms attached to free positions
• Exact match or a related structure allows only
  H-attachments on structure drawn (related
  includes multicomponent substances with the exact
  match as one component)
• Substructure allows substituents at vacant
  positions
• Get Reactions has search options on reaction
  role, bond/atom mapping

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Structures too general

• Structure searching
• screen
• atom-by-atom match
• analyze
• display
• Very general structures may exceed system limits
• autofix (lock rings/chains)
• build more complex structure

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Exercise 9

• Build structure
• Do exact search
• Do substructure search (autofix OK)
• Get References - reactant
• Display
• Build reaction query
• Search for reactions (autofix OK)
• Display

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Exercise 10Using structures to refine substances

• Structure refinements of substance records easily
  performed
• Think of cases where this may be of special value
  .
• monochlorotetralins
• radicals, cations, anions

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Using research topics to refine references
CAS Reaction database Explore
by Chemical Reaction then Get Reactions Answ
ers are chemical reactions
CAS Substance database Explore by Chemical
Name CAS Registry Number Molecular
Formula Chemical Structure - exact or related -
substructure Answers are chemical
substances (CAS Registry Numbers)
CAS Bibliographic database Explore by Research
Topic Author Refine by Research
Topic Author Document Type Language Publication
Year Answers are bibliographic records
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Conclusion

• Information retrieval is a science
• Apply scientific method!
• observe
• explore
• understand
• think creatively
• explore new ideas
• Search the literature thoroughly first