CtrlK
BlogDocsLog inGet started
Tessl Logo

tooluniverse-chemical-compound-retrieval

Retrieve chemical compound data from PubChem and ChEMBL with disambiguation, cross-referencing, and stereochemistry handling. Use for resolving compound names to SMILES/InChI/CID/ChEMBL IDs (including OPSIN deterministic IUPAC-name-to-structure parsing), fetching molecular properties, distinguishing isomers/stereo forms, and cross-validating identity across databases. Always use English compound names; flags ambiguous queries (e.g., Vitamin D has multiple forms).

The canonical home for this skill is tooluniverse-chemical-compound-retrieval in mims-harvard/ToolUniverse

SKILL.md
Quality
Evals
Security

Chemical Compound Information Retrieval

Retrieve comprehensive chemical compound data with proper disambiguation and cross-database validation.

LOOK UP DON'T GUESS: Never assume a CID, ChEMBL ID, or molecular property value. Always retrieve from PubChem/ChEMBL.

English-first: Always use English compound names in tool calls. Respond in user's language.

Domain Reasoning: Disambiguation

"Aspirin" = one compound. "Vitamin D" = multiple forms (D2/D3/active metabolite). For generic class names (steroids, vitamins, acids), present candidates and confirm before proceeding.


Workflow

Phase 0: Clarify (only if highly ambiguous -- skip for unambiguous names or specific IDs)
Phase 1: Disambiguate → resolve PubChem CID + ChEMBL ID
Phase 2: Retrieve data (silent)
Phase 3: Report compound profile

Phase 1: Disambiguation

# By name
result = tu.tools.PubChem_get_CID_by_compound_name(compound_name=name)
# By SYSTEMATIC (IUPAC) name -> structure, deterministic parser (no DB lookup)
opsin = tu.tools.OPSIN_name_to_structure(name="2-acetoxybenzoic acid")
# Returns {parsed, smiles, inchi, inchikey}; use the SMILES/InChIKey to anchor a
# PubChem_get_CID_by_SMILES lookup. Trade/trivial names give parsed=false -> fall
# back to PubChem_get_CID_by_compound_name for those.
# By SMILES
result = tu.tools.PubChem_get_CID_by_SMILES(smiles=smiles)
# Cross-reference
chembl_result = tu.tools.ChEMBL_search_molecules(query=name, limit=5)

Verify: CID + ChEMBL ID + canonical SMILES + stereochemistry + salt forms.

Phase 2: Data Retrieval

PubChem: PubChem_get_compound_properties_by_CID, PubChemBioAssay_get_assay_summary, PubChemTox_get_acute_effects, PubChem_get_compound_2D_image_by_CID

ChEMBL: ChEMBL_get_compound_record_activities, ChEMBL_get_molecule_targets, ChEMBL_get_assay_activities

Optional: PubChem_get_associated_patents_by_CID, PubChem_search_compounds_by_similarity

Phase 3: Report

Compound Profile with: Identity (CID, ChEMBL ID, IUPAC, SMILES), Chemical Properties (MW, LogP, HBD, HBA, PSA, Lipinski), Bioactivity (targets, IC50/Ki), Drug Info (if approved), Data Sources.


Fallback Chains

PrimaryFallback
PubChem name lookup (systematic name)OPSIN_name_to_structure → SMILES/InChIKey → PubChem_get_CID_by_SMILES
PubChem name lookupChEMBL search → SMILES → PubChem_get_CID_by_SMILES
ChEMBL bioactivityPubChem bioassay summary
Drug labelNote "unavailable"

Evidence Grading

GradeCriteria
ConfirmedCID + ChEMBL cross-match, InChI/SMILES agree
ProbableCID found, partial ChEMBL match
UncertainSingle database only, or multiple CIDs
UnverifiedNo cross-reference, single-source

Bioactivity: ChEMBL > PubChem BioAssay for curated data. IC50/Ki < 100nM = potent, 100nM-1uM = moderate, >10uM = weak. Lipinski violations reduce oral bioavailability but don't disqualify.


SMILES Verification

Always verify novel SMILES: python3 src/tooluniverse/tools/smiles_verifier.py --smiles "SMILES_STRING". Invalid SMILES produce wrong results or cryptic errors.


Tool Reference

PubChem: PubChem_get_CID_by_compound_name, PubChem_get_CID_by_SMILES, PubChem_get_compound_properties_by_CID, PubChem_get_compound_2D_image_by_CID, PubChemBioAssay_get_assay_summary, PubChemTox_get_acute_effects, PubChem_get_associated_patents_by_CID, PubChem_search_compounds_by_similarity, PubChem_search_compounds_by_substructure

ChEMBL: ChEMBL_search_drugs, ChEMBL_get_molecule, ChEMBL_get_activity, ChEMBL_get_target, ChEMBL_search_targets, ChEMBL_search_assays

Name parsing: OPSIN_name_to_structure (param name) — deterministic IUPAC/systematic-name → SMILES/InChI/InChIKey parser; the go-to for resolving a systematic name to structure without a DB round-trip. Trade/trivial names return parsed=false (use PubChem name lookup for those).

Repository
mims-harvard/ToolUniverse
Last updated
First committed

Canonical home

mims-harvard/ToolUniverse
In sync

since Jul 28, 2026

Is this your skill?

If you maintain this skill, you can claim it as your own. Once claimed, you can manage eval scenarios, bundle related skills, attach documentation or rules, and ensure cross-agent compatibility.