Anthracene (2a) is a very common motif in organic chemistry. The distortion from regular planar structure resulting from decaphenyl-(2b) or similar substitution around the anthracene periphery has Au characterand predictably yields a near-D2 conformation where the aromatic frame is twisted (SI 3.2). Other types of side groups (e.g., sulfur decoration) or other distortion-inducing patterns (alkyl strapping) intermolecular interactions, chemical modifications or inclusions in large cycles, can influence atom displacement in distinct ways, each with a characteristic SCSD footprint. A researcher may compare their novel determination with all anthracene-containing structures in the CCDC-CSD to determine most-similar structures, for example, or to draw a substitution-distortion relationship.