What is MIME type "chemical/x-xyz"?

A MIME type is a string that tells browsers and other tools how to handle a particular kind of file.

chemical/x-xyz is a MIME type for files that hold chemical structure data. It marks text files that list atoms and their 3D positions. Each file starts with the number of atoms, followed by a comment line, then lines for each atom’s element and coordinates.
This format helps software read molecular geometries quickly.

• Main use: Storing and sharing molecular structure information.
• Visualization: Many chemistry tools display molecules using these files.
• Simulation: They are used as input in computational chemistry programs.
• Editing: Users can inspect and adjust simple molecular models.

This MIME type is tied to files with the extension XYZ. For more details on chemical file formats and usage, visit Filext.

Associated file extensions

.xyz

Usage Examples

HTTP Header

When serving content with this MIME type, set the Content-Type header:

    Content-Type: chemical/x-xyz
  

HTML

In HTML, you can specify the MIME type in various elements:

    <a href="file.dat" type="chemical/x-xyz">Download file</a>
  

Server-side (Node.js)

Setting the Content-Type header in Node.js:

    const http = require('http');
    
    http.createServer((req, res) => {
      res.setHeader('Content-Type', 'chemical/x-xyz');
      res.end('Content here');
    }).listen(3000);
  

Associated file extensions

.xyz