SmartChemist─Simplifying Communication About Organic Chemical Structures

Communication between collaborators of different (scientific) backgrounds can be difficult in any interdisciplinary work. Frequently used language of different disciplines can be partially unknown or sometimes even contradict each other. One example of this is knowledge about organic chemical nomenclature used by chemists. Although highly efficient, this nomenclature can be challenging to learn and confusing for scientists new to it. Today, interdisciplinary teams in chemistry often consist of a diverse range of experts, including those from biology, pharmacology, medicine, computer science, and mathematics. This can complicate communication regarding chemical structures, impeding a productive work environment and potentially introducing errors. To address this issue, we present a new web tool called SmartChemist. This tool enables users to upload molecular files or enter SMILES of molecules. It then displays the names of identified substructures, including cyclic substructures, functional groups, and common biologically relevant organic molecules. It utilizes a database of over 40,000 patterns that have been carefully generated for this purpose, and it only shows the most specific substructures found while enabling novices to inquire about all substructures found.