ovachiever/droid-tings/pubchem-database

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Query PubChem via PUG-REST API/PubChemPy (110M+ compounds). Search by name/CID/SMILES, retrieve properties, similarity/substructure searches, bioactivity, for cheminformatics.

Install

npx vskill@latest install ovachiever/droid-tings/pubchem-database

SKILL.md

PubChem Database

Overview

PubChem is the world's largest freely available chemical database with 110M+ compounds and 270M+ bioactivities. Query chemical structures by name, CID, or SMILES, retrieve molecular properties, perform similarity and substructure searches, access bioactivity data using PUG-REST API and PubChemPy.

When to Use This Skill

This skill should be used when:

  • Searching for chemical compounds by name, structure (SMILES/InChI), or molecular formula
  • Retrieving molecular properties (MW, LogP, TPSA, hydrogen bonding descriptors)
  • Performing similarity searches to find structurally related compounds
  • Conducting substructure searches for specific chemical motifs
  • Accessing bioactivity data from screening assays
  • Converting between chemical identifier formats (CID, SMILES, InChI)
  • Batch processing multiple compounds for drug-likeness screening or property analysis

Core Capabilities

1. Chemical Structure Search

Search for compounds using multiple identifier types:

By Chemical Name:

python
import pubchempy as pcp
compounds = pcp.get_compounds('aspirin', 'name')
compound = compounds[0]

By CID (Compound ID):

python
compound = pcp.Compound.from_cid(2244) # Aspirin

By SMILES:

python
compound = pcp.get_compounds('CC(=O)OC1=CC=CC=C1C(=O)O', 'smiles')[0]

By InChI:

python
compound = pcp.get_compounds('InChI=1S/C9H8O4/...', 'inchi')[0]

By Molecular Formula:

python
compounds = pcp.get_compounds('C9H8O4', 'formula')
# Returns all compounds matching this formula
2. Property Retrieval

Retrieve molecular properties for compounds using either high-level or low-level approaches:

Using PubChemPy (Recommended):

python
import pubchempy as pcp
# Get compound object with all properties
compound = pcp.get_compounds('caffeine', 'name')[0]
# Access individual properties
molecular_formula = compound.molecular_formula
molecular_weight = compound.molecular_weight
iupac_name = compound.iupac_name
smiles = compound.canonical_smiles
inchi = compound.inchi
xlogp = compound.xlogp # Partition coefficient
tpsa = compound.tpsa # Topological polar surface area

Get Specific Properties:

python
# Request only specific properties
properties = pcp.get_properties(
['MolecularFormula', 'MolecularWeight', 'CanonicalSMILES', 'XLogP'],
'aspirin',
'name'
)
# Returns list of dictionaries

Batch Property Retrieval:

python
import pandas as pd
compound_names = ['aspirin', 'ibuprofen', 'paracetamol']
all_properties = []
for name in compound_names:
props = pcp.get_properties(
['MolecularFormula', 'MolecularWeight', 'XLogP'],
name,
'name'
)
all_properties.extend(props)
df = pd.DataFrame(all_properties)

Available Properties: MolecularFormula, MolecularWeight, CanonicalSMILES, IsomericSMILES, InChI, InChIKey, IUPACName, XLogP, TPSA, HBondDonorCount, HBondAcceptorCount, RotatableBondCount, Complexity, Charge, and many more (see references/api_reference.md for complete list).

3. Similarity Search

Find structurally similar compounds using Tanimoto similarity:

python
import pubchempy as pcp
# Start with a query compound
query_compound = pcp.get_compounds('gefitinib', 'name')[0]
query_smiles = query_compound.canonical_smiles
# Perform similarity search
similar_compounds = pcp.get_compounds(
query_smiles,
'smiles',
searchtype='similarity',
Threshold=85, # Similarity threshold (0-100)
MaxRecords=50
)
# Process results
for compound in similar_compounds[:10]:
print(f"CID {compound.cid}: {compound.iupac_name}")
print(f" MW: {compound.molecular_weight}")

Note: Similarity searches are asynchronous for large queries and may take 15-30 seconds to complete. PubChemPy handles the asynchronous pattern automatically.

4. Substructure Search

Find compounds containing a specific structural motif:

python
import pubchempy as pcp
# Search for compounds containing pyridine ring
pyridine_smiles = 'c1ccncc1'
matches = pcp.get_compounds(
pyridine_smiles,
'smiles',
searchtype='substructure',
MaxRecords=100
)
print(f"Found {len(matches)} compounds containing pyridine")

Common Substructures:

  • Benzene ring: c1ccccc1
  • Pyridine: c1ccncc1
  • Phenol: c1ccc(O)cc1
  • Carboxylic acid: C(=O)O
5. Format Conversion

Convert between different chemical structure formats:

python
import pubchempy as pcp
compound = pcp.get_compounds('aspirin', 'name')[0]
# Convert to different formats
smiles = compound.canonical_smiles
inchi = compound.inchi
inchikey = compound.inchikey
cid = compound.cid
# Download structure files
pcp.download('SDF', 'aspirin', 'name', 'aspirin.sdf', overwrite=True)
pcp.download('JSON', '2244', 'cid', 'aspirin.json', overwrite=True)
6. Structure Visualization

Generate 2D structure images:

python
import pubchempy as pcp
# Download compound structure as PNG
pcp.download('PNG', 'caffeine', 'name', 'caffeine.png', overwrite=True)
# Using direct URL (via requests)
import requests
cid = 2244 # Aspirin
url = f"https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/rest/pug/compound/cid/{cid}/PNG?image_size=large"
response = requests.get(url)
with open('structure.png', 'wb') as f:
f.write(response.content)
7. Synonym Retrieval

Get all known names and synonyms for a compound:

python
import pubchempy as pcp
synonyms_data = pcp.get_synonyms('aspirin', 'name')
if synonyms_data:
cid = synonyms_data[0]['CID']
synonyms = synonyms_data[0]['Synonym']
print(f"CID {cid} has {len(synonyms)} synonyms:")
for syn in synonyms[:10]: # First 10
print(f" - {syn}")
8. Bioactivity Data Access

Retrieve biological activity data from assays:

python
import requests
import json
# Get bioassay summary for a compound
cid = 2244 # Aspirin
url = f"https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/rest/pug/compound/cid/{cid}/assaysummary/JSON"
response = requests.get(url)
if response.status_code == 200:
data = response.json()
# Process bioassay information
table = data.get('Table', {})
rows = table.get('Row', [])
print(f"Found {len(rows)} bioassay records")

For more complex bioactivity queries, use the scripts/bioactivity_query.py helper script which provides:

  • Bioassay summaries with activity outcome filtering
  • Assay target identification
  • Search for compounds by biological target
  • Active compound lists for specific assays
9. Comprehensive Compound Annotations

Access detailed compound information through PUG-View:

python
import requests
cid = 2244
url = f"https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/rest/pug_view/data/compound/{cid}/JSON"
response = requests.get(url)
if response.status_code == 200:
annotations = response.json()
# Contains extensive data including:
# - Chemical and Physical Properties
# - Drug and Medication Information
# - Pharmacology and Biochemistry
# - Safety and Hazards
# - Toxicity
# - Literature references
# - Patents

Get Specific Section:

python
# Get only drug information
url = f"https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/rest/pug_view/data/compound/{cid}/JSON?heading=Drug and Medication Information"

Installation Requirements

Install PubChemPy for Python-based access:

bash
uv pip install pubchempy

For direct API access and bioactivity queries:

bash
uv pip install requests

Optional for data analysis:

bash
uv pip install pandas

Helper Scripts

This skill includes Python scripts for common PubChem tasks:

scripts/compound_search.py

Provides utility functions for searching and retrieving compound information:

Key Functions:

  • search_by_name(name, max_results=10): Search compounds by name
  • search_by_smiles(smiles): Search by SMILES string
  • get_compound_by_cid(cid): Retrieve compound by CID
  • get_compound_properties(identifier, namespace, properties): Get specific properties
  • similarity_search(smiles, threshold, max_records): Perform similarity search
  • substructure_search(smiles, max_records): Perform substructure search
  • get_synonyms(identifier, namespace): Get all synonyms
  • batch_search(identifiers, namespace, properties): Batch search multiple compounds
  • download_structure(identifier, namespace, format, filename): Download structures
  • print_compound_info(compound): Print formatted compound information

Usage:

python
from scripts.compound_search import search_by_name, get_compound_properties
# Search for a compound
compounds = search_by_name('ibuprofen')
# Get specific properties
props = get_compound_properties('aspirin', 'name', ['MolecularWeight', 'XLogP'])
scripts/bioactivity_query.py

Provides functions for retrieving biological activity data:

Key Functions:

  • get_bioassay_summary(cid): Get bioassay summary for compound
  • get_compound_bioactivities(cid, activity_outcome): Get filtered bioactivities
  • get_assay_description(aid): Get detailed assay information
  • get_assay_targets(aid): Get biological targets for assay
  • search_assays_by_target(target_name, max_results): Find assays by target
  • get_active_compounds_in_assay(aid, max_results): Get active compounds
  • get_compound_annotations(cid, section): Get PUG-View annotations
  • summarize_bioactivities(cid): Generate bioactivity summary statistics
  • find_compounds_by_bioactivity(target, threshold, max_compounds): Find compounds by target

Usage:

python
from scripts.bioactivity_query import get_bioassay_summary, summarize_bioactivities
# Get bioactivity summary
summary = summarize_bioactivities(2244) # Aspirin
print(f"Total assays: {summary['total_assays']}")
print(f"Active: {summary['active']}, Inactive: {summary['inactive']}")

API Rate Limits and Best Practices

Rate Limits:

  • Maximum 5 requests per second
  • Maximum 400 requests per minute
  • Maximum 300 seconds running time per minute

Best Practices:

  1. Use CIDs for repeated queries: CIDs are more efficient than names or structures
  2. Cache results locally: Store frequently accessed data
  3. Batch requests: Combine multiple queries when possible
  4. Implement delays: Add 0.2-0.3 second delays between requests
  5. Handle errors gracefully: Check for HTTP errors and missing data
  6. Use PubChemPy: Higher-level abstraction handles many edge cases
  7. Leverage asynchronous pattern: For large similarity/substructure searches
  8. Specify MaxRecords: Limit results to avoid timeouts

Error Handling:

python
from pubchempy import BadRequestError, NotFoundError, TimeoutError
try:
compound = pcp.get_compounds('query', 'name')[0]
except NotFoundError:
print("Compound not found")
except BadRequestError:
print("Invalid request format")
except TimeoutError:
print("Request timed out - try reducing scope")
except IndexError:
print("No results returned")

Common Workflows

Workflow 1: Chemical Identifier Conversion Pipeline

Convert between different chemical identifiers:

python
import pubchempy as pcp
# Start with any identifier type
compound = pcp.get_compounds('caffeine', 'name')[0]
# Extract all identifier formats
identifiers = {
'CID': compound.cid,
'Name': compound.iupac_name,
'SMILES': compound.canonical_smiles,
'InChI': compound.inchi,
'InChIKey': compound.inchikey,
'Formula': compound.molecular_formula
}
Workflow 2: Drug-Like Property Screening

Screen compounds using Lipinski's Rule of Five:

python
import pubchempy as pcp
def check_drug_likeness(compound_name):
compound = pcp.get_compounds(compound_name, 'name')[0]
# Lipinski's Rule of Five
rules = {
'MW <= 500': compound.molecular_weight <= 500,
'LogP <= 5': compound.xlogp <= 5 if compound.xlogp else None,
'HBD <= 5': compound.h_bond_donor_count <= 5,
'HBA <= 10': compound.h_bond_acceptor_count <= 10
}

This is the start of the file. Read the full SKILL.md on GitHub.

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Source

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Repository forks
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Stars and forks are for the whole GitHub repository, not this skill alone. Refreshed 14 May 2026, 5 months ago.

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