Elsevier’s chemistry database for substances, reactions, and properties.
At a Glance
| Publisher | Elsevier |
| Coverage | excerpted chemical reactions, substances, and experimental properties from the literature and patents, with synthesis-planning tools |
| Access | institutional subscription |
| Free alternative | PubChem |
| Regional | global. |
Our Take
Reaxys is SciFinder’s principal rival, built around the same core need — searching chemistry by structure, reaction, and measured property rather than text — with strong synthesis-planning and property data pulled from journals and patents. Many chemists prefer its interface for reaction and retrosynthesis work; which of the two an institution licenses is often the deciding factor. It’s premium and chemistry-specific. Use it for reaction searching, property data, and synthesis planning; PubChem is the free substance alternative and SciFinder the other paid option.
Power Tips
- Use Reaxys for reaction and retrosynthesis planning and for experimental property data harvested from literature and patents
- cross-check substance identity in free PubChem before committing to a paid deep dive.
Alternatives & Complements
SciFinder (CAS) · PubChem · Scopus · Lens.org (for patents).
Get Database Intelligence Weekly — search smarter, everywhere. [Subscribe CTA — replace with your signup block]