International
Tables for
Crystallography
Volume G
Definition and exchange of crystallographic data
Edited by J. R. Hester and B. McMahon

International Tables for Crystallography (2026). Vol. G. Early view chapter
https://doi.org/10.1107/97809553602060001011

Chapter 4.2 Core dictionary (coreCIF)

Sydney R. Halla, Frank H. Allenb, I. David Brownc, Brian H. Tobyd, James R. Hestere, Antanas Vaitkusf, Matthew R. Rowlesg, John C. Bollingerh, Daniel N. Raineri and Brian McMahonj

aSchool of Molecular Sciences, The University of Western Australia (M310), 35 Stirling Highway, 6009 Perth, Australia, bCambridge Crystallographic Data Centre, 12 Union Road, Cambridge, CB2 1EZ, UK, cBrockhouse Institute for Materials Research, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada L8S 4M1, dArgonne National Laboratory, 9700 S. Cass Avenue, 401/B4192, Lemont, IL 60439, USA, eAustralian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, Locked Bag 2001, Kirrawee DC, NSW 2232, Australia, fSector of Crystallography and Chemical Informatics, Institute of Biotechnology, Life Sciences Center, Vilnius University, Saulėtekio al. 7, LT-10257, Vilnius, Lithuania, g Microanalysis Australia, 5 Alvan Street, Mount Lawley, WA 6050, Australia, hSaint Jude Children's Research Hospital, Department of Structural Biology, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, Tennessee 38105, USA, iUniversity of Southampton, University Road, Southampton SO17 1BJ, UK, and jInternational Union of Crystallography, 5 Abbey Square, Chester CH1 2HU, UK.

This is version 3.3.0 of the core CIF dictionary (coreCIF). A commentary on the use of this dictionary may be found in Chapter 3.2. The data names defined here are central to the description and reporting of any crystal-structure determination, and this dictionary collects the natural set of descriptors for small-unit-cell structures (typically inorganic or small-molecule organic or metal-organic compounds) determined in single-crystal experiments.

Keywords: crystallography; CIF; CIF dictionaries; Crystallographic Information Framework; coreCIF; core Crystallographic Information Framework; data names; data categories; DDLm.

View also as

The core CIF dictionary defines data items that are common to all domains of crystallographic studies. These definitions are mostly used within the Crystallographic Information Framework (CIF).

This chapter provides a list of all the definitions in version 3.3.0 of the core dictionary with their most important attributes. Apart from CIF_CORE_HEAD, categories (indicated by capital letters) are listed alphabetically, each followed by their contained data names in alphabetical order. Categories with no following data names are containers in a hierarchical ordering.

See Chapter 3.2link to referenced content for an account of the relationships between categories and additional information on how the data names are used in practice.


Core dictionary version 3.3.0 definitions

Definitions are arranged alphabetically by category and within category.








































to end of page
to top of page