How to Search Compounds by Elements: A Complete Guide
Learn how to use CompoundLookup to find chemical compounds by selecting elements from the periodic table.
Step-by-Step Guide to Element-Based Search
Step 1: Navigate to the Periodic Table
When you visit CompoundLookup, you'll see an interactive periodic table on the compounds page. Each element is color-coded by its category:
- Red - Alkali metals
- Orange - Alkaline earth metals
- Yellow - Transition metals
- Green - Metalloids
- Cyan - Nonmetals
- Purple - Halogens
- Pink - Noble gases
Step 2: Select Your Elements
Click on any element to select it. You can select up to 5 elements at a time. Selected elements will be highlighted and appear in the selection bar above the table.
- Select H and O to find water and other hydrogen-oxygen compounds
- Select C, H, and O to find organic compounds like alcohols and sugars
- Select Fe and O to find iron oxides
Step 3: View Compounds
Click the "View Compounds" button to see all compounds containing your selected elements. Results include:
- Molecular formula
- IUPAC name
- Common names
- Molecular weight
- Direct link to PubChem for more details
Step 4: Explore and Paginate
For popular element combinations, you may find hundreds or thousands of compounds. Use the pagination to browse through all results.
Pro Tips
- Tip 1: Start Broad, Then Narrow – Begin with 2 elements to see the full range of possibilities, then add more elements to narrow down results.
- Tip 2: Use Single Elements – Selecting just one element shows ALL compounds containing that element. Great for exploring an element's chemistry.
- Tip 3: Check Related Combinations – On each results page, we show related element combinations in the sidebar. Click these to explore similar compounds.
Common Use Cases
- Finding Organic Compounds: Select C (Carbon) and H (Hydrogen) as your base, then add O, N, or S for different organic compound classes.
- Exploring Metal Oxides: Select any metal element plus O (Oxygen) to see all oxide compounds.
- Discovering Salts: Select a metal and a halogen (like Na + Cl) to find salt compounds.
What Makes This Different
Remember: No other tool on the internet offers this capability. Traditional databases require exact formulas. We let you explore by elements.
Try Element-Based Search