COMPACK: a program for identifying crystal structure similarity using distances

2005 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 228-231 ◽  
Author(s):  
James Alexander Chisholm ◽  
Sam Motherwell

A method is presented for comparing crystal structures to identify similarity in molecular packing environments. The relative position and orientation of molecules is captured using interatomic distances, which provide a representation of structure that avoids the use of space-group and cell information. The method can be used to determine whether two crystal structures are the same to within specified tolerances and can also provide a measure of similarity for structures that do not match exactly, but have structural features in common. Example applications are presented that include the identification of an experimentally observed crystal structure from a list of predicted structures and the process of clustering a list of predicted structures to remove duplicates. Examples are also presented to demonstrate partial matching. Such searches were performed to analyse the results of the third blind test for crystal structure prediction, to identify the frequency of occurrence of a characteristic layer and a characteristic hydrogen-bonded chain.

Author(s):  
Marta K. Dudek ◽  
Piotr Paluch ◽  
Edyta Pindelska

This work presents the crystal structure determination of two elusive polymorphs of furazidin, an antibacterial agent, employing a combination of crystal structure prediction (CSP) calculations and an NMR crystallography approach. Two previously uncharacterized neat crystal forms, one of which has two symmetry-independent molecules (form I), whereas the other one is a Z′ = 1 polymorph (form II), crystallize in P21/c and P 1 space groups, respectively, and both are built by different conformers, displaying different intermolecular interactions. It is demonstrated that the usage of either CSP or NMR crystallography alone is insufficient to successfully elucidate the above-mentioned crystal structures, especially in the case of the Z′ = 2 polymorph. In addition, cases of serendipitous agreement in terms of 1H or 13C NMR data obtained for the CSP-generated crystal structures different from the ones observed in the laboratory (false-positive matches) are analyzed and described. While for the majority of analyzed crystal structures the obtained agreement with the NMR experiment is indicative of some structural features in common with the experimental structure, the mentioned serendipity observed in exceptional cases points to the necessity of caution when using an NMR crystallography approach in crystal structure determination.


2014 ◽  
Vol 70 (a1) ◽  
pp. C1540-C1540
Author(s):  
Xiaozhou Li ◽  
Kristoffer Johansson ◽  
Andrew Bond ◽  
Jacco van de Streek

Indomethacin is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory and antipyretic agent. Because different packing arrangements of the same drug can greatly affect drug properties such as colours, solubility, stability, melting point, dissolution rate and so forth, it is important to predict its polymorphs. The computational prediction of the stable form will reduce undesirable risks in both clinical trials and manufacturing. Reported polymorphs of indomethacin include α, β, γ, δ, ε, η and ζ [1], of which only the thermodynamically stable form γ and the metastable form α are determined. Density functional theory with dispersion-correction (DFT-D) has been used extensively to study molecular crystal structures[2]. It gives better results with a compromise between the computational cost and accuracy towards the reproduction of molecular crystal structures. In the fourth blind test of crystal structure prediction in 2007, the DFT-D method gave a very successful result that predicted all four structures correctly. Rather than using transferable force fields, a dedicated tailor-made force field (TMFF) parameterised by DFT-D calculations[3] is used for every chemical compound. The force field is used to generate a set of crystal structures and delimit a candidate window for energy ranking. The powder diffraction patterns of predicted polymorphs are calculated to compare with experimental data.


2005 ◽  
Vol 61 (5) ◽  
pp. 511-527 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. M. Day ◽  
W. D. S. Motherwell ◽  
H. L. Ammon ◽  
S. X. M. Boerrigter ◽  
R. G. Della Valle ◽  
...  

Following the interest generated by two previous blind tests of crystal structure prediction (CSP1999 and CSP2001), a third such collaborative project (CSP2004) was hosted by the Cambridge Crystallographic Data Centre. A range of methodologies used in searching for and ranking the likelihood of predicted crystal structures is represented amongst the 18 participating research groups, although most are based on the global minimization of the lattice energy. Initially the participants were given molecular diagrams of three molecules and asked to submit three predictions for the most likely crystal structure of each. Unlike earlier blind tests, no restriction was placed on the possible space group of the target crystal structures. Furthermore, Z′ = 2 structures were allowed. Part-way through the test, a partial structure report was discovered for one of the molecules, which could no longer be considered a blind test. Hence, a second molecule from the same category (small, rigid with common atom types) was offered to the participants as a replacement. Success rates within the three submitted predictions were lower than in the previous tests – there was only one successful prediction for any of the three `blind' molecules. For the `simplest' rigid molecule, this lack of success is partly due to the observed structure crystallizing with two molecules in the asymmetric unit. As in the 2001 blind test, there was no success in predicting the structure of the flexible molecule. The results highlight the necessity for better energy models, capable of simultaneously describing conformational and packing energies with high accuracy. There is also a need for improvements in search procedures for crystals with more than one independent molecule, as well as for molecules with conformational flexibility. These are necessary requirements for the prediction of possible thermodynamically favoured polymorphs. Which of these are actually realised is also influenced by as yet insufficiently understood processes of nucleation and crystal growth.


2009 ◽  
Vol 65 (2) ◽  
pp. 107-125 ◽  
Author(s):  
Graeme M. Day ◽  
Timothy G. Cooper ◽  
Aurora J. Cruz-Cabeza ◽  
Katarzyna E. Hejczyk ◽  
Herman L. Ammon ◽  
...  

We report on the organization and outcome of the fourth blind test of crystal structure prediction, an international collaborative project organized to evaluate the present state in computational methods of predicting the crystal structures of small organic molecules. There were 14 research groups which took part, using a variety of methods to generate and rank the most likely crystal structures for four target systems: three single-component crystal structures and a 1:1 cocrystal. Participants were challenged to predict the crystal structures of the four systems, given only their molecular diagrams, while the recently determined but as-yet unpublished crystal structures were withheld by an independent referee. Three predictions were allowed for each system. The results demonstrate a dramatic improvement in rates of success over previous blind tests; in total, there were 13 successful predictions and, for each of the four targets, at least two groups correctly predicted the observed crystal structure. The successes include one participating group who correctly predicted all four crystal structures as their first ranked choice, albeit at a considerable computational expense. The results reflect important improvements in modelling methods and suggest that, at least for the small and fairly rigid types of molecules included in this blind test, such calculations can be constructively applied to help understand crystallization and polymorphism of organic molecules.


2006 ◽  
Vol 62 (4) ◽  
pp. 642-650 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harriott Nowell ◽  
Christopher S. Frampton ◽  
Julie Waite ◽  
Sarah L. Price

The commercially available peptide coupling reagent 1-hydroxy-7-azabenzotriazole has been shown to crystallize in two polymorphic forms. The two polymorphs differ in their hydrogen-bonding motif, with form I having an R_2^2(10) dimer motif and form II having a C(5) chain motif. The previously unreported form II was used as an informal blind test of computational crystal structure prediction for flexible molecules. The crystal structure of form II has been successfully predicted blind from lattice-energy minimization calculations following a series of searches using a large number of rigid conformers. The structure for form II was the third lowest in energy with form I found as the global minimum, with the energy calculated as the sum of the ab initio intramolecular energy penalty for conformational distortion and the intermolecular lattice energy which is calculated from a distributed multipole representation of the charge density. The predicted structure was sufficiently close to the experimental structure that it could be used as a starting model for crystal structure refinement. A subsequent limited polymorph screen failed to yield a third polymorphic form, but demonstrated that alcohol solvents are implicated in the formation of the form I dimer structure.


2011 ◽  
Vol 67 (6) ◽  
pp. 535-551 ◽  
Author(s):  
David A. Bardwell ◽  
Claire S. Adjiman ◽  
Yelena A. Arnautova ◽  
Ekaterina Bartashevich ◽  
Stephan X. M. Boerrigter ◽  
...  

Following on from the success of the previous crystal structure prediction blind tests (CSP1999, CSP2001, CSP2004 and CSP2007), a fifth such collaborative project (CSP2010) was organized at the Cambridge Crystallographic Data Centre. A range of methodologies was used by the participating groups in order to evaluate the ability of the current computational methods to predict the crystal structures of the six organic molecules chosen as targets for this blind test. The first four targets, two rigid molecules, one semi-flexible molecule and a 1:1 salt, matched the criteria for the targets from CSP2007, while the last two targets belonged to two new challenging categories – a larger, much more flexible molecule and a hydrate with more than one polymorph. Each group submitted three predictions for each target it attempted. There was at least one successful prediction for each target, and two groups were able to successfully predict the structure of the large flexible molecule as their first place submission. The results show that while not as many groups successfully predicted the structures of the three smallest molecules as in CSP2007, there is now evidence that methodologies such as dispersion-corrected density functional theory (DFT-D) are able to reliably do so. The results also highlight the many challenges posed by more complex systems and show that there are still issues to be overcome.


Author(s):  
Anthony M. Reilly ◽  
Richard I. Cooper ◽  
Claire S. Adjiman ◽  
Saswata Bhattacharya ◽  
A. Daniel Boese ◽  
...  

The sixth blind test of organic crystal structure prediction (CSP) methods has been held, with five target systems: a small nearly rigid molecule, a polymorphic former drug candidate, a chloride salt hydrate, a co-crystal and a bulky flexible molecule. This blind test has seen substantial growth in the number of participants, with the broad range of prediction methods giving a unique insight into the state of the art in the field. Significant progress has been seen in treating flexible molecules, usage of hierarchical approaches to ranking structures, the application of density-functional approximations, and the establishment of new workflows and `best practices' for performing CSP calculations. All of the targets, apart from a single potentially disorderedZ′ = 2 polymorph of the drug candidate, were predicted by at least one submission. Despite many remaining challenges, it is clear that CSP methods are becoming more applicable to a wider range of real systems, including salts, hydrates and larger flexible molecules. The results also highlight the potential for CSP calculations to complement and augment experimental studies of organic solid forms.


2005 ◽  
Vol 61 (5) ◽  
pp. 528-535 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bouke P. van Eijck

In the third Cambridge blind test of crystal structure prediction, participants submitted extended lists of up to 100 hypothetical structures. In this paper these lists are analyzed for the two small semi-rigid molecules, hydantoin and azetidine, by performing a new energy minimization using an accurate force field, and grouping these newly minimized structures into clusters of equivalent structures. Many participants found the same low-energy structures, but no list appeared to be complete even for the structures with one independent molecule in the asymmetric unit. This may well be due to the fact that a cutoff at even 100 structures cannot ensure the presence of a structure that has a relatively high ranking in another force field. Moreover, some structures should have possibly been discarded because they correspond to transition states rather than true energy minima. The r.m.s. deviation between energies in corresponding clusters was calculated to compare the reported relative crystal energies for each pair of participants. Some groups of force fields show a reasonably good correspondence, yet the order of magnitude of their discrepancies is comparable to the energy differences between, say, the first ten structures of lowest energy. Therefore, even if we assume that energy is a sufficient criterion, it is not surprising that crystal structure predictions are still inconsistent and unreliable.


2014 ◽  
Vol 70 (a1) ◽  
pp. C1618-C1618
Author(s):  
Marcus Neumann ◽  
Bernd Doser

With improving hardware and software performance, usability has become one of the main obstacles to a more widespread use of Crystal Structure Prediction (CSP) with the GRACE program. In terms of method development, important milestones had already been passed by the time of the 5th blind test [1] in 2010, including the parameterization of dispersion-corrected Density Functional Theory (DFT-D) [2], the generation of tailor-made force fields from ab-initio reference data [3], a Monte-Carlo parallel tempering crystal structure generation engine and a DFT-d reranking procedure exploiting statistical correlations. These components have now been incorporated in automated data flow processes that remove the burden of scores of expert decisions from the user. Summarizing the results of CSP studies performed with the new Force Field Factory and CSP Factory modules throughout a year, the current performance of CSP is critically assessed and further method development needs are pinpointed. Studied compounds include 20 small molecules with competing hydrogen bonds motifs, 4 mono-hydrates of non-ionic molecules and the hydrates and chloride salts of several amino acids. The ability to handle flexible pharmaceutical molecules is demonstrated by a validation study on aripiprazole with one and two molecules per asymmetric unit. Salient features of the energy landscapes of other pharmaceutical molecules are discussed. Statistics are presented for the accuracy of tailor-made force fields, and the energy ranking performance of several DFT-d flavors is compared.


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