diff --git a/news/get-cif.rst b/news/get-cif.rst
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5ded69e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/news/get-cif.rst
@@ -0,0 +1,23 @@
+**Added:**
+
+* Function that returns a list of cif filenames based on a given chemical formula.
+
+**Changed:**
+
+* <news item>
+
+**Deprecated:**
+
+* <news item>
+
+**Removed:**
+
+* <news item>
+
+**Fixed:**
+
+* <news item>
+
+**Security:**
+
+* <news item>
diff --git a/src/diffpy/utils/tools.py b/src/diffpy/utils/tools.py
index 63e10ba..799aeda 100644
--- a/src/diffpy/utils/tools.py
+++ b/src/diffpy/utils/tools.py
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@
 from pathlib import Path
 
 import numpy as np
+import requests
 from scipy.optimize import dual_annealing
 from scipy.signal import convolve
 from xraydb import material_mu
@@ -214,6 +215,47 @@ def get_package_info(package_names, metadata=None):
     return metadata
 
 
+def fetch_cif_filenames(hill_formula):
+    """Fetches a list of CIF filenames from the Crystallography Open Database
+    (COD) based on the given chemical formula in Hill notation, where elements
+    are separated by whitespace and the count of 1 is omitted (e.g., "Cl Na").
+
+    Parameters
+    ----------
+    hill_formula : str
+        The chemical formula in Hill notation.
+
+    Returns
+    -------
+    list of str
+        A list of CIF filenames (e.g., ["1000041.cif", "2104025.cif"]).
+
+    Raises
+    ------
+    ValueError
+        If no CIF files are found for the given formula.
+    """
+    base_url = "https://www.crystallography.net/cod/result.php"
+    params = {"formula": hill_formula, "format": "json"}
+    response = requests.get(base_url, params=params)
+    if response.status_code != 200:
+        raise Exception(
+            f"Failed to retrieve search results. "
+            f"HTTP status code: {response.status_code}."
+        )
+    data = response.json()
+    cif_filenames = [str(entry["file"]) + ".cif" for entry in data]
+    if len(cif_filenames) == 0:
+        raise ValueError(
+            f"No CIF files found for the given formula: {hill_formula}. "
+            "Please ensure it's in Hill notation (e.g., 'Cl Na'). "
+            "You can use ``to_hill_notation`` for conversion. "
+            "If the formula is correct, it is possible that "
+            "no CIF files are available for this formula in the COD."
+        )
+    return cif_filenames
+
+
 def get_density_from_cloud(sample_composition, mp_token=""):
     """Function to get material density from the MP or COD database.
 
diff --git a/tests/test_tools.py b/tests/test_tools.py
index 6be3870..dfd8581 100644
--- a/tests/test_tools.py
+++ b/tests/test_tools.py
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 import importlib.metadata
 import json
 import os
+import re
 from pathlib import Path
 
 import numpy as np
@@ -11,6 +12,7 @@
     check_and_build_global_config,
     compute_mu_using_xraydb,
     compute_mud,
+    fetch_cif_filenames,
     get_package_info,
     get_user_info,
 )
@@ -270,6 +272,45 @@ def test_get_package_info(monkeypatch, inputs, expected):
     assert actual_metadata == expected
 
 
+def test_fetch_cif_filenames():
+    actual_cif_filenames = fetch_cif_filenames("Cl Na")
+    expected_cif_filenames = [
+        "1000041.cif",
+        "2104025.cif",
+        "2108652.cif",
+        "2311042.cif",
+        "4300180.cif",
+        "4320809.cif",
+        "7132177.cif",
+        "9000629.cif",
+        "9003308.cif",
+        "9003309.cif",
+        "9003310.cif",
+        "9003311.cif",
+        "9003312.cif",
+        "9003313.cif",
+        "9003314.cif",
+        "9006369.cif",
+        "9006370.cif",
+        "9006371.cif",
+        "9006372.cif",
+        "9006373.cif",
+    ]
+    return sorted(actual_cif_filenames) == sorted(expected_cif_filenames)
+
+
+def test_fetch_cif_filenames_bad():
+    expected_error_msg = (
+        "No CIF files found for the given formula: NaCl. "
+        "Please ensure it's in Hill notation (e.g., 'Cl Na'). "
+        "You can use ``to_hill_notation`` for conversion. "
+        "If the formula is correct, it is possible that "
+        "no CIF files are available for this formula in the COD."
+    )
+    with pytest.raises(ValueError, match=re.escape(expected_error_msg)):
+        fetch_cif_filenames("NaCl")
+
+
 @pytest.mark.parametrize(
     "inputs",
     [