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-databaseSKILL.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:
By CID (Compound ID):
By SMILES:
By InChI:
By Molecular Formula:
2. Property Retrieval
Retrieve molecular properties for compounds using either high-level or low-level approaches:
Using PubChemPy (Recommended):
Get Specific Properties:
Batch Property Retrieval:
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:
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:
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:
6. Structure Visualization
Generate 2D structure images:
7. Synonym Retrieval
Get all known names and synonyms for a compound:
8. Bioactivity Data Access
Retrieve biological activity data from assays:
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:
Get Specific Section:
Installation Requirements
Install PubChemPy for Python-based access:
For direct API access and bioactivity queries:
Optional for data analysis:
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 namesearch_by_smiles(smiles): Search by SMILES stringget_compound_by_cid(cid): Retrieve compound by CIDget_compound_properties(identifier, namespace, properties): Get specific propertiessimilarity_search(smiles, threshold, max_records): Perform similarity searchsubstructure_search(smiles, max_records): Perform substructure searchget_synonyms(identifier, namespace): Get all synonymsbatch_search(identifiers, namespace, properties): Batch search multiple compoundsdownload_structure(identifier, namespace, format, filename): Download structuresprint_compound_info(compound): Print formatted compound information
Usage:
scripts/bioactivity_query.py
Provides functions for retrieving biological activity data:
Key Functions:
get_bioassay_summary(cid): Get bioassay summary for compoundget_compound_bioactivities(cid, activity_outcome): Get filtered bioactivitiesget_assay_description(aid): Get detailed assay informationget_assay_targets(aid): Get biological targets for assaysearch_assays_by_target(target_name, max_results): Find assays by targetget_active_compounds_in_assay(aid, max_results): Get active compoundsget_compound_annotations(cid, section): Get PUG-View annotationssummarize_bioactivities(cid): Generate bioactivity summary statisticsfind_compounds_by_bioactivity(target, threshold, max_compounds): Find compounds by target
Usage:
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:
- Use CIDs for repeated queries: CIDs are more efficient than names or structures
- Cache results locally: Store frequently accessed data
- Batch requests: Combine multiple queries when possible
- Implement delays: Add 0.2-0.3 second delays between requests
- Handle errors gracefully: Check for HTTP errors and missing data
- Use PubChemPy: Higher-level abstraction handles many edge cases
- Leverage asynchronous pattern: For large similarity/substructure searches
- Specify MaxRecords: Limit results to avoid timeouts
Error Handling:
Common Workflows
Workflow 1: Chemical Identifier Conversion Pipeline
Convert between different chemical identifiers:
Workflow 2: Drug-Like Property Screening
Screen compounds using Lipinski's Rule of Five:
This is the start of the file. Read the full SKILL.md on GitHub.
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Source
- SKILL.md in the repositoryCheckingskills/pubchem-database/SKILL.md
Popularity
- Repository stars
- 43
- Repository forks
- 5
- 7-day trend score
- 19
Stars and forks are for the whole GitHub repository, not this skill alone. Refreshed 14 May 2026, 5 months ago.
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