CIF (CRYSTALLOGRAPHIC INFORMATION FILE) - A STANDARD FOR CRYSTALLOGRAPHIC DATA INTERCHANGE

The Crystallographic Information File (CIF) uses the self-defining STA R file structure. This requires the creation of a dictionary of data n ames and definitions. A basic dictionary of terms needed to describe t he crystal structures of small molecules was approved in 1991 and is c urrently used for the submission of papers to Acta Crystallographica C . A number of extensions to this dictionary are in preparation. By sto ring the dictionary itself as a STAR file, the definitions and relatio nships in the CIF dictionary become computer interpretable. This offer s many possibilities for the automatic handling of crystallographic in formation.