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Cage Types Reference

Clavis detects and color-codes hydrate cage polyhedra by their face signature. This page provides a complete reference.

Face Signature Notation

Cages are described by their polyhedral face composition. For example:
  • 5^12 means 12 pentagonal faces (dodecahedron)
  • 5^12·6^2 means 12 pentagons + 2 hexagons (tetrakaidecahedron)
  • 4^1·5^10·6^2 means 1 square + 10 pentagons + 2 hexagons

SEC Cage Types (Standard Edge-saturated Cages)

These are complete cages satisfying the Euler relation F - E + V = 2.
Face SignatureCommon NameStructureColor
5^12DodecahedronsI/sII smallCyan #06b6d4
5^12·6^2TetrakaidecahedronsI largePurple #8b5cf6
5^12·6^3--Amber #f59e0b
5^12·6^4HexakaidecahedronsII largeRed #ef4444
5^12·6^5--Green #22c55e
5^12·6^6--Pink #ec4899
5^12·6^8IcosahedronsH largeBlue #3b82f6
4^1·5^10·6^2--Teal #14b8a6
4^1·5^10·6^3--Sky #0ea5e9
4^1·5^10·6^4--Indigo #6366f1
4^1·5^10·6^5--Violet #a78bfa
4^2·5^8·6^1--Orange #f97316
4^2·5^8·6^2--Light Orange #fb923c
4^2·5^8·6^3--Fuchsia #d946ef
4^2·5^8·6^4--Rose #f43f5e
4^3·5^6·6^3-sH mediumLime #84cc16
4^3·5^6·6^4--Dark Lime #65a30d
OtherUnclassified-Gray #9ca3af

Incomplete Cages (IC)

Incomplete cages are partially formed structures missing some faces. They are rendered with pastel colors.
LabelDescriptionColor
IC:5^12Incomplete dodecahedronLight Steel Blue #b0c4de
IC:5^12·6^2Incomplete tetrakaidecahedronLavender #c9b8d1
IC:5^12·6^4Incomplete hexakaidecahedronMint #b8d4c9
IC:unknownUnidentified incomplete cageLight Gray #d4d4d4

Non-SEC Cages (nSEC)

Non-standard cages that form closed polyhedra but have unusual topology (e.g., odd ring sizes, non-planar faces).
LabelDescriptionColor
nSEC:5^12Non-standard dodecahedronSky Blue #87ceeb
nSEC:5^12·6^2Non-standard tetrakaidecahedronPlum #dda0dd
nSEC:5^12·6^4Non-standard hexakaidecahedronAqua #98d8c8
nSEC:unknownUnidentified non-standard cageSilver #c0c0c0

HTR Ring Types

When using the HTR algorithm, individual primitive rings are also visualized:
Ring TypeColor
4-ringYellow #fbbf24
5-ringCyan #06b6d4
6-ringPurple #a855f7

Quality Levels

Each detected cage is assigned a quality level:
QualityCodeMeaning
SEC2Standard edge-saturated cage with valid Euler topology
nSEC1Closed polyhedron with non-standard topology
IC0Incomplete cage, missing faces or edges