UW-Madison provides a wide array of journals, databases, handbooks, ebooks, and other sources of information. We also are providing many new services this semester due to the pandemic. Here are some quick links to get you started:

• You should always use multiple sources if they are available – especially for synthetic chemistry queries 
• Reaxys is recommended for obtaining verified physical-chemical data and preparation/reaction methods for pure compounds, and especially for its near-comprehensive coverage of pre-1960 organic literature.
• SciFinder excels with its wider coverage of literature and patents from 1965 forward, its comprehensive registration of all types of chemical compounds, polymers, and mixtures, and coverage of organic reactions after 1985. CAS also scans more source publications, indexes new material more rapidly, and is updated daily.
• Using a literature database like Scopus or Web of Science can be easier than getting into SciFinder/Reaxys if you just want to search text. Scopus and Web of Science have additional filter features like Grant Number and Author Affiliation. They also typically contain more accurate cited reference information. Finally, they both provide different types of analytics and can calculate various metrics based on your search results (like author h-index).