Is a Crystal Structure Enough? Reflecting on the Reliability of SCXRD in the Age of Automation

Abstract

Unequivocally establishing chemical connectivity and ultimately chemical identity is of central importance to all branches of science and particularly chemistry. Accordingly, the determination of a crystal structure is often considered the “gold standard” as this technique can unambiguously establish both the connectivity and identity of a compound. Crystal structure data, however, are prone to misinterpretation, and the increasing development of automatic data processing and verification has the potential to result in an epidemic of incorrectly modeled crystal structures. Here, we present a series of case studies where structures were modeled to current publication standards with the incorrect chemical composition. It is essential that researchers, referees, editors, and the scientific community be vigilant in upholding the scientific method.