The molecule is built on a pyridine ring, a six-membered aromatic ring with one nitrogen atom.
- At the carbon meta to the ring nitrogen, the ring bears a fluorine atom.
- At the carbon para to the ring nitrogen, the ring is bonded through a single bond to a carbon, which in turn is double-bonded to an sp2 carbon atom (denoted C*). No stereochemistry (E/Z) is specified for this double bond.

C* carries two substituents:
1. A nitrile group, consisting of a carbon triple-bonded to a nitrogen (-C#N).
2. A methyl ester, where C* is bonded to a carbonyl carbon (C=O) that also carries a methoxy group (-OCH3).