This page remains available mainly as an historical document

Most or all of the features are no longer available via the CDS/DL website since provision of the EPSRC UK national Chemical Database Service has been taken over by the Royal Society of Chemistry from 1st January 2013.

Some related features may be available via the RSC/CSD portal. For details of what is currently available on the CDS/DL website and also links to the RSC/CDS portal follow the link to the CDS/DL Homepage.

The information below was produced before January 2013 and may be incorrect at the present time.

Cambridge ConQuest System

ConQuest is a program for searching and retrieving information from the Cambridge Structural Database (CSD).

It provides a full range of text/numeric database search options, in addition to more complex search functionality.
Features include:
  • Chemical substructure searching
  • Geometrical searching
  • Intermolecular non-bonded contact searching

ConQuest Features:

  • Intuitive sketcher for drawing chemical substructures and defining geometrical parameters
  • Straightforward mechanisms for combining queries to generate complex searches
  • Interactive browsing of search results while searches are running
  • Extensive range of output file formats (CIF, PDB, MOL2, SHELX, etc.)
  • Context dependent help, full documentation and tutorials

All registered users of CDS are licensed to use Conquest via the CDS Server.

Note: Conquest requires X-Window to be available.

To start ConQuest, log on to the CDS server, open up an X-Window and at the cds% prompt type conquest and hit the enter key.

[A line 'Running ConQuest with glibc version 2.3.2' may appear before an initialisation window opens]

ConQuest Start Screen

This is followed by the main ConQuest window - which opens in Build Queries mode.

For further information, click one of the buttons, tabs or menu options in the picture below.

A User Guide and a set of worked examples are available via the Help menu or, alternatively, ConQuest User Guide and Tutorials can be accessed via the CCDC website.