Two molecules have different SMILES strings. What can we say for certain?

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Two molecules have different SMILES strings. What can we say for certain?
Option 1: None of the other answers listed here are certainly true.
The key point about SMILES is that they are a representation of a molecule, and multiple valid SMILES strings can describe the same chemical structure, especially when stereochemistry, tautomerism, or different bonding representations are involved. Therefore, many of the other statements cannot be asserted with certainty based solely on the fact that two SMILES strings differ.
Option 2: They are the same molecule.
This is not guaranteed. Different SMILES strings can depict the same molecule, but they can also describe different molecules or stereoisomers. Without additional information (such as canonicalization or unambiguous structural data), we cannot conclude identity from differing SMILES alone.
Option 3: They are different molecules.
Similarly, this is not guaranteed. While it is possible that two different SMILES encode distinct structures, there exist cases where distinct SMILES instances nonetheless correspond to the same molecule. The lack of a one-to-one mapping means this cannot be asserted with certainty.
Option 4: The SMILES strings must be canonical.
This is not a universal requirement. SMILES can be non-canonical; canonical SMILES are a convention used by some tools to obtain a unique string, but many valid SMILES representations are non-canonical. Therefore, the claim that they must be canonical is incorrect as a general rule.
In summary, given only that two SMILES strings are different, the only statement that is certainly true is that none of the other listed assertions are guaranteed true in all cases.

2254 BIOSC 1544 SEC1000 Exam #2

Two molecules have different SMILES strings. What can we say for certain?

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