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.

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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 ring_conformations.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 ring_conformations.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 ring_conformations.gcd can be found under Refcode Lists. To view a structure select the corresponding refcode.