Connection Table Generation Extended

There are several ways in which molecular descriptors can be classified. The majority of descriptors are atom-based rather than field-based. The bulk of this review is focused on a discussion of atom-based descriptors. As the name implies, atom-based descriptors are based on individual atoms, with the description extending outward to incorporate information about the atom s environment. The descriptors are typically generated by analysis of 2D or 3D connection tables, and can include ID, 2D, or 3D information about the molecule. Atom-based descriptors include individual atoms, feature counts, substructural fragments, topological indices, atomic properties, pharmacophores (see Chapters 17 and 18 of this book), and calculated physicochemical properties. 

The structure of each compound is stored as a connection table. A molecular models is generated for each stored structure using molecular mechanics model building such as MM2, the semiempirical method MOPAC 6.0, or specialized methods such as a recently developed extended Hiickel method. Three-dimensional structures can also be generated directly from their connection tables by structure generators (see Three-dimensional Structure Generation Automation) such as concord or CORINA. Some approaches to QSPR use only descriptors derived from the topological representation of the molecular structures, and in this case the development of three-dimensional molecular models is not necessary. 

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