GETTING STARTED

•	If you do not subscribe to the Cambridge Structural Database (CSD) System:

•	Open free Mercury (the free version of Mercury can be downloaded from http://www.ccdc.cam.ac.uk/free_services/mercury/)

•	Open the free teaching subset of the CSD (downloadable from http://www.ccdc.cam.ac.uk/free_services/teaching/downloads) by selecting File from the top-level menu, followed by Open in the resulting menu, and then selecting the database file teaching_subset.ind

•	Database reference codes (refcodes) of the structures in the teaching database will appear in a list on the right hand side of the main Mercury window. To view a structure select the corresponding refcode in the list.

•	Once the teaching database has been loaded Mercury can then read text files containing lists of database reference codes (refcodes). To read in a file containing just those structures required for this tutorial hit File in the top-level menu, followed by Open, then select the file vsepr.gcd.

•	If you subscribe to the Cambridge Structural Database (CSD) System:

•	Open MercuryCSD.

•	The full database should be detected and opened within the Structure Navigator on the right hand side of the main Mercury window.

•	Once a database has been loaded Mercury can then read text files containing lists of database reference codes (refcodes). To read in a file containing just those structures required for this tutorial hit File in the top-level menu, followed by Open, then select the file vsepr.gcd.

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Within the Structure Navigator loaded crystal structures are presented in a hierarchical tree organised first by file type (Databases, Structures, Refcode Lists, ConQuest Hits, or Mercury Files) and subsequently by filename and then by individual refcode. The file vsepr.gcd can be found under Refcode Lists. To view a structure select the corresponding refcode.