Mechanical manipulation of chemical structure: Molform computation and substructure searching of organic structures by the use of cipherdirected, extended and random matrices

Abstract General methods have been devised for generating mechanically (a) from the IUPAC cipher, and (b) from random-numbered structures, three types of matrix from which the molecular formula (molform) of a structure can be computed, and machine searches made for any conceivable substructure or combination of substructures. The machine/matrix language is independent of the generating cipher; such cipher, and other ciphers depending on exact structural delineation can be regenerated from the machine/matrix. This enables the latter to be used as a feasible common language between notations.