Core CIF dictionary

The core dictionary is a set of data names designed to cover the requirements of archiving and exchanging raw and processed data and derived structural results for single-crystal small-molecule and inorganic crystal studies.

Current official releases

• DDLm compliant Version 3.2.0 of 30 May 2023
• DDL1 compliant Version 2.4.5 of 21 November 2014
  • HTML version

Development versions

Ongoing development of the core dictionary using the DDLm dictionary definition language can be viewed on GitHub.

• Core CIF dictionary (DDLm version)
• Core CIF dictionary (legacy DDL1 version to track data names added since the last official release)
• DDLm dictionary

Archival versions

• Version 2.4.4 of 20 May 2014
  • Differences between versions 2.4.5 and 2.4.4
• Version 2.4.3 of 16 May 2012 (differs from version 2.4.4 only in the article codes listed in _publ_requested_category)
• Version 2.4.2 of 29 June 2010
  • Formatted pdf version [Updated version of Chapter 4.1 of International Tables for Crystallography Volume G: Definition and exchange of crystallographic data, First edition (2005)]
  • Differences between versions 2.4.3 and 2.4.2
• Version 2.4.1 of 29 June 2010
  • Differences between versions 2.4.2 and 2.4.1
• Version 2.4 of 10 March 2008
  • Differences between versions 2.4.1 and 2.4
• Version 2.3.2 of 27 March 2007
  • Differences between versions 2.4 and 2.3
• Version 2.3 of 4 October 2002
• Version 2.2 of 11 January 2001
  • Differences between versions 2.3 and 2.2
• Version 2.1 of 24 March 1999
  • Differences between versions 2.2 and 2.1
• Version 2.0.1 of 20 January 1997
  • Differences between versions 2.1 and 2.0
• Version 1.0 of 20 September 1991
  • Differences between versions 2 and 1

Work in progress

The working discussions of the Core Dictionary Maintenance Group, a COMCIFS subcommittee responsible for the maintenance of the Core dictionary, may be reviewed for indications of current areas of evolution within the dictionary.

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Updated 23 June 2022