ChEBI FAQs

Question 1

Is an API key required to use the ChEBI API?

Accepted Answer

No, the ChEBI API utilizes the public EBI OLS4 API, so no API key is required to access its functionalities.

Question 2

What are the main capabilities of the ChEBI API?

Accepted Answer

The ChEBI API allows you to search chemical entities by name, retrieve full entity details, navigate the ChEBI ontology (parent/child terms), and classify compounds by their biological, chemical, and pharmaceutical roles.

Question 3

How can I classify a compound using this tool?

Accepted Answer

You can use the `classify_compound` method with a compound's name or query. It returns comprehensive details including its ChEBI ID, pharmaceutical roles, biological roles, and full chemical classification.

Question 4

What is ChEBI?

Accepted Answer

ChEBI (Chemical Entities of Biological Interest) is a freely available database and ontology of molecular entities focusing on 'small' chemical compounds with biological relevance.

Question 5

Can I explore the hierarchy of chemical entities?

Accepted Answer

Yes, the API provides `get_parents` and `get_children` methods, enabling full navigation of the ChEBI ontology hierarchy for any given chemical entity ID.

ChEBI

Key Features

Use Cases

ChEBI

Key Features

Use Cases