iChem Labs

The Future of Scientific Software

ChemDoodle v8.0
User Guide
 Copyright c 2006-2016 iChemLabs, LLC.

All Rights Reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means,
electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of iChemLabs.

ChemDoodle and MolGrabber are trademarks of iChemLabs, LLC.

All other trademarks are the property of their respective holders.

Contents

INTRODUCTION 2

CHEMDOODLE BASICS 12

DRAWING CHEMICAL STRUCTURES 55

WIDGETS 82

SHAPES 116

CONTENT MANAGEMENT TOOLS 141

CHEMINFORMATICS 158

REACTIONS 194

SPECTRA 203

VISUAL SPECIFICATIONS 212

SHARING INFORMATION 233

APPENDICES 252

i
List of Figures

2.1 ChemDoodle Graphical User Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

2.2 The Doodle Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
2.3 Tab Tray . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
2.4 Undisplayed Tabs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
2.5 Files Toolbar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
2.6 Formatting + Strokes Toolbar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
2.7 Content Toolbar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
2.8 Labels Palette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
2.9 Common Labels Palette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
2.10 Bonds Palette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
2.11 Rings Palette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
2.12 Orbitals Palette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
2.13 Arrows Palette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
2.14 Shapes Palette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
2.15 Brackets Palette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
2.16 Creating a New Formatted Document . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
2.17 The file chooser on Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
2.18 The file chooser on Linux . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
2.19 The file chooser on Mac OS X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
2.20 ChemDoodle’s Mac OS X Quick Look plugin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
3.1 Hovering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
3.2 Trailing Carbon Atom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
3.3 A Hovered Atom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
3.4 A Selected Atom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
3.5 Only Interpret Chemically button is enabled by default . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
3.6 Stacked atom label tokens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
3.7 Applying a custom format to an atom label . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
3.8 New Bond Placement Preview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
3.9 Carbon Chains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
3.10 New Ring Placement Preview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
3.11 New Template Placement Preview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
3.12 Nitrogen atom attribute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
3.13 A Hovered Attribute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
3.14 A Selected Attribute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
3.15 A Charge Attribute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
3.16 A Symbol Attribute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
3.17 Carbon-13 Isotope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
3.18 Orbital and Anchors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
4.1 Widget Window on Windows/Linux . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
4.2 Widget Expansion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
4.3 Widget Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
4.4 Elemental Analysis Widget . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
4.5 History Widget . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
4.6 Line Notation Pad Widget . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90

ii
4.7 MolGrabber Widget . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
4.8 Multiplet Tool Widget . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
4.9 Multiplet Input Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
4.10 Real-Time Sliders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
4.11 Multiplet Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
4.12 NMR SignalSeek Widget . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
4.13 NMR Simulation Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
4.14 In-depth Simulation Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
4.15 Properties Widget Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
4.16 Search Widget . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
4.17 Search Settings for the Search Widget . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
4.18 Statistics Widget . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
4.19 Symbols Widget . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
4.20 Symbol Preview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
4.21 Unicode Character Selector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
4.22 Templates Widget . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
4.23 TLC Canvas Widget . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
4.24 Format Spot Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
5.1 Control Anchors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
5.2 Corner/Edge Anchors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
5.3 Line Shape and Anchors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
5.4 Arc Shape and Anchors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
5.5 Arrow Shape and Anchors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
5.6 Rectangle Shape and Anchors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
5.7 Oval Shape and Anchors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
5.8 Bracket Shape and Anchors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
5.9 Pen and Polyline Control Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
5.10 Bezier Control Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
5.11 Ruler Shape and Anchors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
5.12 Editing a Text Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
5.13 An Updating Label . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
6.1 Selected Content . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
6.2 Color Button Layout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
6.3 Quick Colors Palette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
6.4 ChemDoodle’s Pinwheel Color Chooser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
7.1 Aromatic Ring Circle (Rotated Perspective) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
7.2 Aromatic Ring Circles Mold to any Shape . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
7.3 Hidden Carbon Labels Displayed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
7.4 Chemical Warnings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
7.5 Glassware Clipart Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
7.6 Glassware Setup with Altered Colors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
7.7 Beaker with and without Solution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
7.8 Glassware Figure Containing Tubing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
7.9 BioArt Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
7.10 Hydrogens Added as Atoms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
7.11 Hydrogens Added as Text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
7.12 Kekulizing a Single Bond Frame to Generate Corannulene . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
7.13 Kekulizing Aromatic Rings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
7.14 Condensed vs. Expanded Atom Labels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
7.15 Abbreviations in Atom Labels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
7.16 ChemDoodle Expansion of a Molecular Formula . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
7.17 Lewis Dot Structures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
7.18 Carbon Nanotube Geometry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
7.19 Building a Prism Geometry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188

iii
7.20 A Half-completed Newman Projection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
7.21 A Completed Newman Projection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
7.22 A Wrapped Sequence for Crambin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
8.1 Edit Reaction Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
8.2 Reaction Visual Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
8.3 A Stacked Wide Reaction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
9.1 An NMR Spectrum Loaded from a JCAMP File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
9.2 An IR Spectrum Loaded from a JCAMP File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
9.3 An MS Spectrum Loaded from a JCAMP File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
9.4 ChemDoodle could not understand the spectrum in the JCAMP file. . . . . . . . . . . . . 206
9.5 Hovering Over a Spectrum to Display its Anchor Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
9.6 The Spectrum Edit Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208
9.7 A Grid Displayed Over a Spectrum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
9.8 An Integration Line Calculated Over an NMR Multiplet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210
10.1 Visual Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
10.2 Anti-aliasing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227
10.3 Stroke Control Set to Pure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230
10.4 Stroke Control Set to Normalize . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230
11.1 Copy Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
11.2 Bitmap Image vs. Vector Image . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236
11.3 Paste Special Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239
11.4 An Activated ChemDoodle Embedded Object (Microsoft Word 2010) . . . . . . . . . . . 244
11.5 OLE Server Installation Corruption . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245
11.6 Roundtrip Editing: Workarounds for iWork Pages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246
11.7 Roundtrip Editing: Linux . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247
11.8 OLE Object. . . Menu Item . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248
11.9 Selecting ChemDoodle Embedded Object . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248
A.1 The iChemLabs Updater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255
A.2 The Update Available Window with the Skip this Update Button . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256
B.1 File Annotations Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261
B.2 Chemical File Conversion Utility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 262
D.1 ChemDoodle’s References List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270
D.2 The Interactive Periodic Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270
D.3 Focusing on a Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 271
D.4 Element Format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 271
D.5 States of Matter Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272
F.1 Generate ChemDoodle Web Component Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 277
F.2 Previewing the Web Component (Apple Safari shown) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 278
F.3 The Optimize PDB to JSON Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 279
H.1 Contact Customer Service Menu Item . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 287

iv
List of Tables

1.1 Typographical Conventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

2.2 Elements of ChemDoodle GUI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
2.3 Widgets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
2.4 Mouse Cursors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
3.5 Customizing Formatting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
4.6 Widgets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
4.7 Line Notation Pad Widget Buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
4.8 MolGrabber Widget Buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
4.9 Multiplet Widget Buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
4.10 NMR SignalSeek Widget Buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
4.11 Search Widget Buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
4.12 TLC Plate Widget Buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
5.13 Available Custom Shapes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132

v
vi
CHAPTER 1
Introduction
2 Chapter 1: INTRODUCTION

Contents
ABOUT CHEMDOODLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

WHAT’S NEW IN CHEMDOODLE 8.0 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

ABOUT THIS MANUAL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

TYPOGRAPHICAL CONVENTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
HOW TO USE THIS MANUAL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

INSTALLATION AND SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

MICROSOFT WINDOWS SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
MACINTOSH OS X SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
LINUX SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

MULTIPLE USERS ON A SINGLE COMPUTER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

WINDOWS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
MAC OS X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
LINUX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

CHEMDOODLE FOLDERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
INSTALLATION FOLDER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
SETTINGS FOLDER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

PROGRAM ACTIVATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
USER LICENSES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
SITE LICENSES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

RESTRICTED USE VERSIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

FREE TRIAL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
STUDENT VERSION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

CONNECTION ISSUES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
FIREWALL ISSUES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
PROXY ISSUES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

UNAUTHORIZED USE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

ATTRIBUTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

REFERENCING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Chapter 1: INTRODUCTION 3

ABOUT CHEMDOODLE

ChemDoodle is a desktop software tool for drawing chemical structures, diagrams and figures. It is a richly
featured, multi-platform (Windows, Mac OS X, Linux) graphical user interface containing many features for
working with chemical information and graphics.
ChemDoodle is integrated with the following iChemLabs Products:
ChemDoodle 3D - A desktop software tool for creating 3D scientific graphics.
https://www.chemdoodle3d.com
ChemDoodle Web Components - A pure Javascript chemical graphics and cheminformatics library.
https://web.chemdoodle.com
ChemDoodle Mobile - A companion mobile app to the desktop software.
https://mobile.chemdoodle.com

WHAT’S NEW IN CHEMDOODLE 8.0

ChemDoodle 8.0 includes significant new features and improvements. Among the changes are:
• The graphics system has been improved even beyond current industry standards for graphics. Every
bond merge and pixel was scrutinized. Chemical structures have never looked better. ChemDoodle
provides the best graphics in chemistry, everything else is a waste of money.
• Major IUPAC naming improvements, including very advanced ring systems.
• Full support for Retina display Macs and support for high-DPI Windows hardware.
• A new query structure system for defining sets of molecules and for searching partner services.
• New powerful tools for drawing arbitrary rings and crown ethers to atoms and bonds.
• Superscript and subscript merging to easily create atomic notations and other chemical text.
• More specific cleaning tool for adjusting only a selection of a structure.
• Text output options and improvements for EPS and SVG files in addition to PDF.
• A dramatically improved Templates widget with new and more aesthetic templates.
• Read in NTUPLES (multiple spectra) from JCAMP files.
• Added support for both the SketchEl (el) and Crystallographic Information Format (cif) filetypes.
• More support for working with the ChemDoodle Web Components.
• Dozens of new BioArt graphics.
• Performance improvements for faster work.
• Dozens more new features: two new bond types, implicit hydrogen control, automatic IUPAC locant
labelling, vastly improved condensed labels, search files based on query structures, recursive SMARTS,
metric support for document aids and rulers, a new precise form for scaling a specific bond, many
interface improvements and so much more.
4 Chapter 1: INTRODUCTION

ABOUT THIS MANUAL

This User Guide contains information for the ChemDoodle application for the Windows, Mac OS X and
Linux operating systems. It assumes you are familiar with the basics of your operating system. If necessary,
please review your operating system manual before using ChemDoodle.

TYPOGRAPHICAL CONVENTIONS

The following typographical conventions are used in this manual:

Table 1.1: Typographical Conventions

Item Convention Example

Toolbar buttons, menu items, and other Bold Select the Clear button or use the Edit
interface components menu
Series of menu items in a specific order Vertical bar | File|New means from the File drop-
down menu choose New
Figure/Table captions Italicize Figure 1.4: The Doodle Board
Folder and File locations Monospaced In the ChemDoodleSettings folder
Product Names Brown Mac OS X
Internal link within the document Dark Green In the ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
section
External link to the internet Underlined Blue https://www.chemdoodle.com
Keyboard input Key icon To undo an action, press ctrl + Z

Important additional information

Caution! / Warning!

HOW TO USE THIS MANUAL

It is not necessary to read this entire manual before proceeding to use ChemDoodle; however, it is rec-
ommended that you skim the table of contents and read INTRODUCTION. Once you have the program
installed, read CHEMDOODLE BASICS. Subsequent chapters can be consulted as questions arise during
use of the program. This user’s guide can be found by clicking on Help|User Guide in the application
menu at the top of the program screen.
Chapter 1: INTRODUCTION 5

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Additional information about ChemDoodle and its use and related software can be found by following any
of the links in the table below.

ChemDoodle Help Pages https://www.chemdoodle.com/support

ChemDoodle Videos https://www.chemdoodle.com/videos
ChemDoodle 3D https://www.chemdoodle3d.com
ChemDoodle Web Components https://web.chemdoodle.com
ChemDoodle Mobile https://mobile.chemdoodle.com
iChemLabs Customer Support https://support.ichemlabs.com
iChemLabs Sales https://www.ichemlabs.com/contact-us
iChemLabs Website https://www.ichemlabs.com

You can also find information about ChemDoodle and iChemLabs on social media.

iChemLabs on Twitter https://www.twitter.com/ichemlabs

ChemDoodle on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Chemdoodle/
iChemLabs Youtube Channel https://www.youtube.com/user/ichemlabs
iChemLabs on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/ichemlabs
6 Chapter 1: INTRODUCTION

INSTALLATION AND SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

ChemDoodle is a Java based application. A Java runtime environment (JRE) is bundled into
the ChemDoodle application as required by Oracle best practices. So while you do not have
to install Java to run ChemDoodle, you may still see system warnings and messages about
allowing Java to run to use ChemDoodle. Accept these prompts.

MICROSOFT WINDOWS SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

• Windows Vista, 7, 8, or 10+

• A minimum of 1GB of memory
ChemDoodle on Windows works with both 32 and 64-bit Windows.

MACINTOSH OS X SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

• Mac OS X 10.7+ (Lion, Mountain Lion, Mavericks, Yosemite, El Capitan or more recent)
• A minimum of 1GB of memory

LINUX SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

• Any version of Linux (we test with Mint, Fedora, Debian and OpenSUSE Linux)
• Any working GUI, although we recommend and test with GNOME
• A minimum of 1GB of memory

MULTIPLE USERS ON A SINGLE COMPUTER

Several users can set up licenses for ChemDoodle on a single computer if all users have separate operating
system accounts. All preferences and settings files are user-specific and associated with the named operating
system user account. Each account that wishes to use ChemDoodle must be licensed. Licensing is done
by inputting an activation code. Instructions for installing ChemDoodle for multiple users are operating-
system-dependent and specifics for each operating system are given in the following subsections.

WINDOWS

During the installation, keep the install folder in C:\Program Files\. All users will be able to execute
ChemDoodle from within this folder.
There will be periodic updates to ChemDoodle. ChemDoodle requires administrator privileges to update.
Updates are performed only once on a given computer; all users then have access to the updated program.
Chapter 1: INTRODUCTION 7

MAC OS X

During the installation, drag the ChemDoodle folder to the /Applications folder as instructed. All users
will be able to execute ChemDoodle from within this folder.
There will be periodic updates to ChemDoodle. Only superusers are able to update ChemDoodle. Updates
are performed only once on a given computer; all users then have access to the updated program.

LINUX

Run the Linux BIN in a folder that all users have rights to execute binaries from. After the installation,
verify that all users that will be using ChemDoodle have the necessary permissions to do so.
There will be periodic updates to ChemDoodle. You may want to restrict write privileges to the ChemDoodle
installation folder to a single user. This user will then need to update ChemDoodle as root on the computer.
This only needs to be done once for the computer, and all users will then have access to the updated program.

CHEMDOODLE FOLDERS

There are two folders that the ChemDoodle application uses: the main ChemDoodle installation folder and
the ChemDoodleSettings folder.

INSTALLATION FOLDER

The contents of the main ChemDoodle installation folder are specified in the table below:

Name Type Description of Contents

ChemDoodle application Program ChemDoodle.exe on Windows, ChemDoodle.app on Mac OS

X, and the ChemDoodle shell script on Linux
config directory Folder Various configuration files, such as proxy.config, for setting
ChemDoodle to use your proxy. It also contains the site license
configuration file for site licenses.
docs directory Folder Documentation, such as this user guide.
external directory Folder Required packages that ChemDoodle needs to start up and run
properly. Any licenses associated with these packages are also
provided.
jre directory Folder This folder contains the Oracle JRE that ChemDoodle runs
on. Do not alter or edit this JRE.
resources directory Folder Native application icons, product images and other resources
such as the auto-updater, native plugins and the ChemDoodle
Web Components library.
ChemDoodle.jar File Executable Java jar of ChemDoodle. DO NOT REMOVE
THIS FILE! This jar is not present in the Mac OS X distri-
bution of ChemDoodle.
ChemDoodle.ini File Contains parameters for the Java virtual machine. On Win-
dows, this file is named ChemDoodle.l4j.ini.
8 Chapter 1: INTRODUCTION

Do not remove or alter the contents of the ChemDoodle installation folder or unex-
pected behavior may occur. To move the application, you must move the entire ChemDoodle
folder.

SETTINGS FOLDER

The ChemDoodleSettings folder can be found in the operating system’s standard Documents folder. The
location of the standard operating system Documents folder for the different platforms on which ChemDoodle
runs are indicated below:

Windows Vista/7/8/10+ C:\Users\[username]\My Documents

Mac OS X /Users/[username]/Documents
Linux /Users/[username]/Documents

PROGRAM ACTIVATION

USER LICENSES

Activation occurs when a purchased activation code is used to associate a license with the ChemDoodle
application for a given user account.
Activation is achieved in one of two ways: (1) the activation code is entered in the activation screen after
first opening ChemDoodle and accepting the license (this can be done before a trial is started or after a trial
has completed), or (2) the user clicks on the Purchase|Activate ChemDoodle menu item while a trial is
active and entering the activation code.
The activation code may be manually typed into the activation form or copied and pasted (in its entirety)
from the receipt into the form. Once activated with a purchased license, all restrictions from the trial are
removed. Student licenses will be subject to additional restrictions, see STUDENT VERSION.
Activation requires an active internet connection. Our server is sent the activation code, which is then
validated and grants permission to create the license file.

SITE LICENSES

For a site license, each member of the site will receive his/her own unique activation code to activate Chem-
Doodle on personal computers. An additional campus configuration capability which will allow use without
individual activation by any users that log into campus computers is also provided. Campus configurations
are set up globally for a ChemDoodle installation and are typically done by IT staff at the institution owning
the site license.
To configure ChemDoodle for campus use, place the provided site license.config file in the config
subfolder inside the ChemDoodle installation folder. Do this wherever you install ChemDoodle on campus.
Then no matter where you open ChemDoodle on campus, if a configured ChemDoodle is used, ChemDoodle
will open without activation. This procedure works on Windows, Mac OS X and Linux.
Chapter 1: INTRODUCTION 9

Individual activation codes can be obtained by the user by inputing their institution affiliated email address
into the site license form on the ChemDoodle website:

https://www.chemdoodle.com/support/request-site-code/

RESTRICTED USE VERSIONS

FREE TRIAL

A free trial may be initiated by clicking the Free Trial button on the activation screen when ChemDoodle
is opened. Trials will remain active for 14 days and cannot be renewed. Once you have activated a trial for
ChemDoodle on your user account, you will not be able to activate any further trials of ChemDoodle until
a new major version of ChemDoodle is released. So if you started a trial for ChemDoodle version 1, for
instance, you will be able to start a new trial of ChemDoodle version 2 and subsequent versions when they
are released.
The trial is intended to provide the user with access to the application for evaluation purposes only. Output
from the trial will contain watermarks and should not be used for other purposes.
Free trials are subject to the following restrictions:
• Documents show a watermark at the top and will render a background texture.
• The Save..., Save as Image... and Convert... functions are disabled.
• Only images and ChemDoodle data can be pasted from ChemDoodle.
• IUPAC naming is disabled.
• All copied and printed content will contain a watermark.
• Templates cannot be saved.
• ChemDoodle Web Components cannot be previewed or generated.

STUDENT VERSION

The student version of ChemDoodle is a subscription and the activation code expires at the end of the
subscription. The student version of ChemDoodle is subject to the following restrictions:
• Round-trip editing is not enabled.
• Images output from ChemDoodle will not contain chemical metadata.
• Formatted documents and publishing style sheets are not available.
• Import/Export of style sheets is disabled.
• Only ChemDoodle Documents can be saved.
• There is no conversion utility available.
• ChemDoodle Web Components cannot be previewed or generated.
• The only chemical data format you can copy is the ChemDoodle format.
• Tweets from ChemDoodle will be appended with the hashtag #ChemDoodle.
10 Chapter 1: INTRODUCTION

CONNECTION ISSUES

Connectivity issues may arise during activation. These are most likely to occur in corporate environments
and are usually related to the firewall or the proxy server.

FIREWALL ISSUES

If your firewall blocks internet connections from Java applications, then ChemDoodle will not be allowed to
connect to the internet. An administrator should set up a special exception to allow ChemDoodle to connect
to the internet, at least for activation.

PROXY ISSUES

If you use a proxy to access the internet, ChemDoodle will use the default system proxy information to
connect to the internet. If that fails, then you will need to manually define the proxy settings in the
proxy.config file that can be found in the config folder in the ChemDoodle installation folder.

UNAUTHORIZED USE

Using ChemDoodle to output the glassware graphics or the BioArt graphics for the sole purpose of publishing,
selling, or distributing them individually or as a set is forbidden.

ATTRIBUTIONS

Attribution of graphics and output to ChemDoodle is appreciated but not required.

REFERENCING

ChemDoodle can be referenced in publications. In the Help|References menu item, a copyable reference
template is provided for your use. You can also reference published reviews of ChemDoodle, which are found
in the opened references list.
CHAPTER 2
ChemDoodle Basics
12 Chapter 2: CHEMDOODLE BASICS

Contents
THE CHEMDOODLE GRAPHICAL USER INTERFACE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
DOODLE BOARD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Ruler Guides . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Scrollbars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Tab Tray . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
APPLICATION MENU BAR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
ChemDoodle Menu (Mac OS X Only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
File Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Edit Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
View Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Content Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Structure Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Reaction Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Spectrum Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Window Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Purchase Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Help Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
GENERAL TOOLBARS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Files Toolbar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Formatting + Strokes Toolbar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Content Toolbar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
MAIN TOOLBAR TOOLS AND PALETTES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Elemental Labels Palette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Bonds Palette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Rings Palette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Carbon Chain Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Macromolecular Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Chemical Attributes Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Orbitals Palette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Arrows Palette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Shapes Palette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Brackets Palette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Pen Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
WIDGETS AND THE WIDGET MENU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
THE WORKSPACE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Resizing the Workspace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Resetting to the Default Workspace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Reverting to the Last Saved Workspace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Saving the Current Workspace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

INTERFACE OPTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
DRAWING CONTROLS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Drawing Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Optimize Zone Size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Hover Distance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Snap to Grid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Single Bond Behavior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Increment Past Triple . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Chapter 2: CHEMDOODLE BASICS 13

Delete Bond Behavior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Auto-connect Rings and Templates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Fix Bond Lengths . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Fix Bond Angles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Require Starting Atom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Rotate Atom Text with Structures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Bonds are Focusable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
3D Rotation Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
APPEARANCE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Interface Scale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Place recently opened files in a discrete menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Application Font Family . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Application Font Size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Application Color . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Highlight Color . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Selected Color . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Lasso Color . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Preview Color . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Error Color . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
DECORATIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Show Unfixed Drawing Measurements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Show Transform Measurements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
View Crawling Ants Effect When Lassoing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
View Shimmer Effect on Button Hover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
View Mouse Position on Rulers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
View Selection Bounds on Rulers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Render Page Shadows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
FILECHOOSER SETTINGS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Unified FileChooser Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Include Previews in FileChooser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
OTHER SETTINGS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Ruler Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Document Alignment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Hide Dialogs on Switching Applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Widgets Update with Latest Drawing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
WORKING WITH DOCUMENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
CREATING A DOCUMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
OPENING A DOCUMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
FILE CHOOSER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
File Chooser Previews . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Mac OS X Quick Look Plugin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
CHANGING DOCUMENT SIZE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
DISCARD RECENT CHANGES TO A DOCUMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
SAVING DOCUMENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
AUTOSAVING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
REVERSING ACTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
MOUSE CURSORS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
SELECTED CONTENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
14 Chapter 2: CHEMDOODLE BASICS

THE CHEMDOODLE GRAPHICAL USER INTERFACE

Although the Windows, Mac OS X and Linux versions of the ChemDoodle graphical user interface (GUI)
differ slightly, the main elements of the GUI are consistent across platforms. The common elements of the
GUI are shown in Figure 2.1.

Figure 2.1: ChemDoodle Graphical User Interface

ChemDoodle’s functions are accessed through interaction with several types of components as indicated in
Table 2.2 below.

Table 2.2: Elements of ChemDoodle GUI

Component Description

Doodle Board The main drawing window: DOODLE BOARD

Menus Core application functions: APPLICATION MENU
BAR
Toolbars and Palettes Quickly access functions and modify how mouse ges-
tures interact with the Doodle Board: GENERAL
TOOLBARS
Widgets Mini applications within ChemDoodle that provide
specific functionality: WIDGETS
Chapter 2: CHEMDOODLE BASICS 15

DOODLE BOARD

The Doodle Board is the main drawing window and contains all of the documents you create and edit.
You may use mouse and keyboard gestures to interact with the Doodle Board and to draw your figures.
Figure 2.2 displays the main components of the Doodle Board.

Ruler Guides

There are two rulers aligned with the currently displayed document on the Doodle Board. The ruler to
the left of the document allows for vertical measurements and the ruler to the top of the document allows
for horizontal measurements.
When the document rendering scale is changed, the ruler scale will also change to match the new dimensions.
When the scrollbars are used to focus on a different area of the document, the rulers will also scroll to match
the new location.
The ruler displays full ticks at each inch, half-ticks at each half-inch, and quarter-ticks every eighth of an
inch. The ruler units can be set to metric mode for centimeter ticks instead of inches in the Preferences
window under the General tab.
Several colored ticks and areas are also present on the rulers for visual feedback as described below. These
feedback tips can be disabled in the Preferences window under the General tab.
• Margin Areas - Margins are highlighted in a yellow color.
• Mouse Pointer Ticks - Mouse pointer locations are ticked on the rules with a red color.
• Selection Dimension Area - Marks the bounds of the currently selected content. This is denoted
by an amber area. This area corresponds to the internal coordinates of the content and not the visual
bounds. For example, it will denote the bounding box given the atom coordinates, but will ignore the
dimensions of the labels for those atoms.

Scrollbars

Scrollbars will appear to the right and bottom of the document if the height and width, respectively, of the
document are too large to fit on the Doodle Board. You can click and drag the scroll bars to change which
area of the document is displayed on the Doodle Board. You can also use the mouse scroll gesture to
translate the view. Horizontal mouse scrolling is only supported on Mac OS X.

If the alt key is held down while vertical scrolling over the current document, the document
scale will be altered accordingly.

Tab Tray

The Doodle Board stores all drawing content and organizes it into documents that can be saved as files or
images. Each document has a corresponding tab, located at the bottom of the Doodle Board in the tab
tray. When a tab is pressed, the corresponding document will be selected and viewed. This allows you to
manage a large number of files at once, without having to manage a large number of windows.
The number of tabs present in the tab tray will change depending on how many documents are open. If only
a single document is present, then only one tab is displayed and will be selected. Selected tabs are brighter
and shown popped forward (see Figure 2.3a). When multiple documents are open, multiple tabs will be
 Margin Areas - Margins are highlighted in a yellow color.
Mouse Pointer Ticks - Mouse pointer locations are ticked on the rules with a red color.
Selection Dimension Area - Marks the bounds of the currently selected content. This is
denoted by an amber area. This area corresponds to the internal coordinates of the content
16
and not the visual bounds. For example, it will denote theChapter
bounding box given the atom
2: CHEMDOODLE BASICS
coordinates, but will ignore the dimensions of the labels for those atoms.

Figure
Figure2.2:
2.2: The
The Doodle Board
Doodle Board

displayed in the tab tray. The tab corresponding to the currently selected document will appear brighter
and forward of the other tabs (see Figure 2.3b).

(a) Single Tab (b) Multiple Tabs

CHAPTER 2: CHEMDOODLE BASICS Page 24
Figure 2.3: Tab Tray

If there are more tabs than can fit in the tab tray, not all the tabs will be displayed in the tray. Only the
most recently viewed tabs will be displayed. Two right-oriented chevrons and a number are displayed to the
right of the last tab to notify you that there are undisplayed tabs (see Figure 2.4a).
Click on the chevrons and number to open a popup menu that lists the undisplayed tabs (see Figure 2.4b).
Click on an item in the list to select that document.

(a) Single Undisplayed Tab (b) List of Undisplayed Tabs

Figure 2.4: Undisplayed Tabs

The name of the file is displayed on the tab. If the name is too long, it may be cropped and appended with
an ellipsis (. . .). You may also see an asterisk (∗) and/or a caret (ˆ) displayed before a file name in a tab.
Chapter 2: CHEMDOODLE BASICS 17

The asterisk is a reminder that the file has been changed since the last save, and the caret marks it as an
online file.
Tab specific functions that can be accessed by right-clicking on any given tab are:
• Close - Close the current tab. This option is only enabled if multiple tabs are present.
• Close Others - Close the other tabs, but leave the current one open. This option is only enabled if
multiple tabs are present.
• New Document - Create a new document and tab.
• Restore - If the corresponding document was created by opening a file, then this function will be
enabled, allowing you to undo all of your changes and reload the file.

APPLICATION MENU BAR

Menus are located on the top of the ChemDoodle application. On Mac OS X, the ChemDoodle menu bar is
displayed as the screen menu bar. For menu item keyboard shortcuts, consult the KeyboardShortcuts.pdf
document in the docs folder in the ChemDoodle installation folder.
There are 9 menus in the menu bar (10 on Mac OS X), not including the Purchase menu that is present
during the free trial:
• ChemDoodle - This is a Mac OS X specific menu bar and contains access to several Mac OS X
specific tasks as well as the About, Preferences and Quit menu items.
• File - This menu handles all input and output of data, as well as file specific functions such as
Annotations. . .. You also have access to your iChemLabs account through this menu and the Quit
menu item is located here on non-Mac OS X platforms.
• Edit - Standard global document functions are located here including Cut, Copy and Paste.
• View - Functions for changing how documents are shown are located here as well as access to the
elemental and chemical data provided with ChemDoodle. The dynamic periodic table is also accessible
through this menu.
• Content - Contains all non-chemical functions for editing content in the current document.
• Structure - Contains all functions related to editing and analyzing molecules.
• Reaction - Contains all functions related to editing and analyzing reactions.
• Spectrum - Contains all functions related to editing and analyzing spectra.
• Window - Manage your workspace and the entire ChemDoodle application window.
• Purchase - This menu is only present during the free trial and provides functions for purchasing and
activating licenses for ChemDoodle.
• Help - This menu contains several functions to access this user guide, list references, contact customer
service and other common help items.
18 Chapter 2: CHEMDOODLE BASICS

ChemDoodle Menu (Mac OS X Only)

This is a Mac OS X specific menu bar and provides access to several Mac OS X specific tasks as well as the
About, Preferences and Quit menu items.

About ChemDoodle1 - Display information about ChemDoo-

dle, your activation code and your license.
Preferences. . . - Open the Preferences window to edit Chem-
Doodle preferences.
Services - Standard Mac OS X submenu that will likely be empty.
Hide ChemDoodle - Hide the ChemDoodle application.
Hide Others - Hide other applications.
Show All - Show all hidden applications.
Quit ChemDoodle - Quit the ChemDoodle application.

File Menu

New - Add a new blank document to the Doodle Board.

New Formatted Document. . . - Add a new blank formatted
document to the Doodle Board.
Open. . . - Open a recognized chemical file that you locate with a
file chooser.
Open Recent > - The 10 most recently opened chemical files
are listed here. Click a file to open it.
Insert Image. . . - Add a recognized image file to the current
document that you locate with a file chooser.
Close - Close the current document. This function is only enabled
if two or more documents are present.
Close Others - Close all but the current document. This function
is only enabled if two or more documents are present.
Restore - Restores a file from its last save. This function will
only be enabled for files that have been previously saved or were
opened from a preexisting file.
Annotations - Associate annotations with the current document
or view previously set annotations.
Save - Saves the current file with the present save settings deter-
mined when opening the file or by previously saving it.
Save As. . . - Saves the current document as a new file or over-
writes an existing file.
Save As Image. . . - Save the current document as an image.
Several bitmap and vector image types are supported.

1 This menu item is in the Help menu on Windows and Linux.

Chapter 2: CHEMDOODLE BASICS 19

Save Selection As Image. . . - Saves the currently selected objects as an image. Several bitmap and vector
image types are supported. This menu item is disabled if no objects are selected.
Convert. . . - Displays a window to convert chemical files to different chemical file types that ChemDoodle
interprets. Nothing is loaded to the Doodle Board, as output is written directly to a new file that is
created.
Generate Web Component. . . - Generate a ChemDoodle Web Component. An entire window will
appear for you to define and edit the ChemDoodle Web Component, as well as preview and generate
the Javascript for it. More information on this feature is covered in APPENDIX: CHEMDOODLE WEB
COMPONENTS .
Sync with Online Account. . . - Login to your iChemLabs Account to access special online features in
ChemDoodle.
Open Online File > - our online files will be listed in this submenu. Click on a file to open it on the
Doodle Board.
Save As Online File - Save your file online. This is useful for using ChemDoodle efficiently on several
computers or for interacting with iChemLabs cloud services. This feature also allows you to transfer
structures drawn on your desktop to ChemDoodle Mobile on your phone.
Refresh - Revalidate the menus and re-sync your information with your online account. This should be
done when you transfer a new file into your account from a source other than ChemDoodle desktop.
Logout - Logout from your iChemLabs account.
Interfaces > - This submenu provides access to third party interfaces, including ChemExper, LabArchives,
and Twitter.

ChemExper - Functions for communicating with ChemExper.

Substructure Match - Find chemical suppliers for the selected structure by substructure search.
Exact Match - Find chemical suppliers for the selected structure by exact match.

LabArchives - Functions for communicating with LabArchives.

Post Selected Content - Post the selected content to your LabArchives account.

Twitter - Functions for communicating with Twitter.

Tweet Selected Content - Tweet the selected content to your Twitter account.
@iChemLabs - Visit iChemLabs on Twitter.
Page Setup. . . - Display the operating system specific window for selecting initial print settings.
Print Preview - View the current document in its entirety on the screen as it would appear on a printed
page.
Print. . . - Print the current document.
Exit - Exits ChemDoodle. On Mac OS X this menu item is listed as Quit ChemDoodle and is found in
the ChemDoodle menu.
20 Chapter 2: CHEMDOODLE BASICS

Edit Menu

Undo - Undo the last action.

Redo - Redo the last undone action.
Cut - Copy the selected objects to the system clipboard in addi-
tion to removing them from the document.
Copy - Copy the selected objects to the system clipboard.
Copy As > - Contains convenience functions for quickly placing
specific data on the system clipboard as text and as a chemical to
be transferred to a range of 3rd party applications that use that
data type. This submenu is only enabled if content is selected.
Daylight SMILES - Place a SMILES string for the cur-
rently selected content on the system clipboard as text and
as a chemical.
ChemDoodle JSON - Place ChemDoodle JSON for the cur-
rently selected content on the system clipboard as text.
IUPAC InChI - Place an InChI string for the currently
selected content on the system clipboard as text and as a
chemical.
MDL MOLFile - Place a complete molfile for the currently
selected content on the system clipboard as text and as a
chemical.
Tripos SLN - Place a SLN string for the currently selected
content on the system clipboard as text and as a chemical.

Paste - Paste the system clipboard data of highest priority into the document.
Paste and Match Style - Paste the system clipboard data of highest priority into the document and match
the style to the current style sheet.
Paste Text as Chemical > - Pastes the current text on the clipboard, interpreted as chemical data, as
any of the options provided in the submenu.
Beilstein ROSDAL - Paste text as ROSDAL.
ChemDoodle JSON - Paste text as ChemDoodle JSON.
Daylight SMILES - Paste text as SMILES.
IUPAC InChI - Paste text as InChI.
Tripos SLN - Paste text as SLN.
XYZ-Like Data - Paste text as a chemical, interpreted from a text blob where XYZ-like data is
parseable.
Guess Chemical Format - Paste text as chemical, where the format is guessed from the content. If
the data is ambiguous or a parsing issue occurs, an appropriate message will be displayed.
Paste Special. . . - Lists all data that ChemDoodle can interpret from the system clipboard. You may then
choose the data of choice to be pasted into the document. This function is useful, for instance, when you
would like to paste SMILES string text instead of a structure into the document. A structure has higher
priority than text.
Delete - Remove the currently selected content from the current document.
Chapter 2: CHEMDOODLE BASICS 21

Clear - Remove all content from the current document.

Number of Pages. . . - Change the number of pages in the document. You can change the number of pages
arranged in rows and columns.
Resize Document. . . - Resize the current document. You may also change the page margins in the
Preferences window under the Visuals tab under the Page tab.
Conform Document. . . - Conform all objects in the current document to a selected style sheet. This
function will also change all fonts and scale all objects if you choose to do so.
Remember Document Settings. . . - Save the current document settings of the workspace to the default
settings. New unformatted documents will open with these settings.
Export Document Settings. . . - Export the current document settings to a ChemDoodle Document
Settings file in the ChemDoodleSettings/presets folder.
Purge Clipboard - This function clears the system clipboard.
Purge History - This function clears the undo/redo history, which will reset the History widget. This
may be convenient if the action list gets so long that it becomes unmanageable and causes memory issues,
or if you would like to prevent yourself from undoing past a certain action.
Preferences. . .2 - Open the Preferences window to edit ChemDoodle preferences.

View Menu

Hide Warnings - Hide all the warnings in the document.

Drawing Aids > - Display various guides to help whendrawing
figures.
Atoms > - Display guides associated with atoms.

Show Circular Guidelines - Display circular guides around

atoms with radii equal to the current bond length document
setting.
Show Orthogonal Guidelines - Display vertical and hor-
izontal guidelines that intersect through the atom for aiding
in alignment tasks.
Bonds > - Display guides associated with bonds.
Show Parallel Guidelines - Display a line that goes
through the bonds to extrapolate where they point to.
Rings > - Display guides associated with rings.
Color in Rings - Color in rings with a color associated with
the size of the ring.

Molecules > - Display guides associated with molecules.

Show Bounds - Draw rectangular bounding guides around molecules to show their visual bounds.
Show Orthogonal Guidelines - Displays vertical and horizontal guidelines that intersect through the
center of the molecule for aiding in alignment tasks.
Background > - Displays guides associated with the page.

2 This menu item is in the ChemDoodle menu on Mac OS X.

22 Chapter 2: CHEMDOODLE BASICS

Show Crosshair - Displays a crosshair.

Grid > - Displays grids.
Every Quarter-Inch - Displays a grid with quarter-inch spacing.
Every Half-Inch - Displays a grid with half-inch spacing.
Every Inch - Displays a grid with inch spacing.
Every Centimeter - Displays a grid with centimeter spacing.
Show Margin Guidelines - Displays a rectangular region that specifies the printable area of the page.
Switch Off All Drawing Aids - Turn off all currently enabled drawing aids.
Unique IDs > - Associates ID attributes with objects.
On Atoms > - Associate IDs with atoms.
Incremental - Associate incremental IDs with atoms. The atoms are numbered in chronological order
from time of creation.
Morgan Indices - Associate Morgan indices with atoms.
IUPAC Locants - Associate atoms with their respective IUPAC locant designation; this is the index
they are defined in an IUPAC name.
On Bonds > - Associate IDs with bonds.
Incremental - Associate incremental IDs with bonds. The bonds are numbered in chronological order
from time of creation.
Elemental Data - View the entire elemental database packaged in ChemDoodle that is used for all calcu-
lations and cheminformatics functions. The data is displayed in a dynamic table.
Ionization Energies - View ionization energies of the elements in a dynamic table. This data is part of
ChemDoodle’s elemental database.
Isotopes - View isotope data for the elements in a dynamic table. This data is part of ChemDoodle’s
elemental database.
Interactive Periodic Table - View an interactive periodic table that can be customized and printed. You
may also use its dynamic features to create nice demonstrations.
Actual Size - Negate any zoom effects.
Current Selection - Center the current selection on the Doodle Board. This function is useful if the
document perspective is zoomed in and it is difficult to locate selected content.
Zoom Out - Zoom out and decrease the document scale, you may also use the drop down selection provided
in the Files + Formatting toolbar.
Zoom In - Zoom in and increase the document scale, you may also use the drop down selection provided
in the Files + Formatting toolbar.
Chapter 2: CHEMDOODLE BASICS 23

Content Menu

Select > - Contains various tools for selecting content.

All - Select all content in the current document.
Inverse - Select all content in the current document that isn’t
currently selected while deselecting all content in the current
document that is currently selected.
Next Molecule - Select the next molecule in the docu-
ment. This function will traverse chronologically through the
molecules in the current document based on the time they were
drawn. If a molecule isn’t currently selected, it will first select
the last molecule drawn.
Next Shape - Select the next shape in the document. This
function will traverse chronologically through the shapes in the
current document based on the time they were drawn. If a
shape isn’t currently selected, it will first select the last shape
drawn.
SMARTS. . . - A text field will appear. Type in the desired
SMARTS pattern here and then click the Accept button. Any
content in the current document that matches the SMARTS
pattern will be selected.
Deselect - Deselect all content that is currently selected. This
function is only enabled if content is currently selected.

Reselect - Reselect the last content that was selected. This function is only enabled if no content is currently
selected. This function may not work as expected when content is removed. For instance, if you selected
content and then deleted it, then pressing reselect will have no action because the content to be reselected
no longer exists.

Center > - Contains various functions for centering content.

All on Page - Center all content on the page.
Selection on Page - Center only the currently selected content on the page.
Selection Horizontally - Horizontally center only the currently selected content.
Selection Vertically - Vertically center only the currently selected content.
Flip > - Contains functions for flipping selected content.
Horizontally - Flip the currently selected content horizontally over its midpoint.
Vertically - Flip the currently selected content vertically over its midpoint.
Rotate > - Contains various functions for rotating selected content.
90◦ CW - Rotate selected content clockwise by 90 degrees.
90◦ CCW - Rotate selected content counterclockwise by 90 degrees.
180◦ - Rotate selected content by 180 degrees.
Arbitrary. . . - Rotate selected content by an arbitrary angle that you input.
24 Chapter 2: CHEMDOODLE BASICS

Scale. . . - Scale the currently selected objects. You will be presented with a window to set various options
to define how the content will be scaled. You can even choose to scale all molecules individually, to set them
all to a common bond length for instance.

Align Bond > - Contains functions for aligning a single selected bond, rotating the molecule it is contained
in. This function is enabled when only a single bond is selected.
Up - Align bond up.
Right - Align bond right.
Down - Align bond down.
Left - Align bond left.
Flip Bond Orientation - Flip the orientation of the bond. This switches the start and end atoms of the
bond. Non-symmetrical bonds will face the other direction.
Torsion Bond - Flip the orientation of atoms and bonds connected to the bond, as if the bond was rotating
on its own axis.
Scale Bond. . . - Scale the currently selected bond. This function is enabled when only a single bond is
selected. You will be presented with a window to set various options to define how the bond will be scaled.

Align > - Contains functions for aligning selected content.

Left Edges - Align all selected content by the left edges of their visual bounds.
Centers Vertically - Align all selected content by the horizontal centers of their visual bounds.
Right Edges - Align all selected content by the right edges of their visual bounds.

Top Edges - Align all selected content by the top edges of their visual bounds.
Centers Horizontally - Align all selected content by the vertical centers of their visual bounds.
Bottom Edges - Align all selected content by the bottom edges of their visual bounds.
Distribute > - Contains functions for distributing selected content.
Horizontally on Page - Distribute selected content horizontally on the page such that they are evenly
distributed based on their visual bounds and fit within the page margins.
Vertically on Page - Distribute selected content vertically on the page such that they are evenly distributed
based on their visual bounds and fit within the page margins.

Horizontally by Buffer Space. . . - Distribute selected content horizontally on the page such that they
are evenly distributed based on their visual bounds by a value that you input.
Vertically by Buffer Space. . . - Distribute selected content vertically on the page such that they are
evenly distributed based on their visual bounds by a value that you input.
Grid All on Page. . . - A numeric field will appear. Select the number of columns or rows to place the
content in, and ChemDoodle will then align all content in a grid with that many rows or columns.
Stack All on Page - Stack all content on the page. Stacking will place all content within the page margins
based on their visual bounds. Stacking proceeds by placing content from left to right, and then top to
bottom, on the page using a small buffer space.
Chapter 2: CHEMDOODLE BASICS 25

Group - Group the currently selected content into a single shape. Single items in grouped content cannot
be edited and transformations will affect the entire group as a whole. Groups can also be grouped into larger
groups.
Ungroup - Ungroup grouped content. Ungrouping is not recursive, so if the group being ungrouped contains
a group, then that inner group will remain grouped.

Join - If two atoms are selected, then they will be joined into a single atom, and their bonds will all point to
the new joined atom. If selected atoms were part of two discrete molecules, then one molecule is translated
to the other. If two bonds are selected, then they will be joined together, and all bonds connected to the
selected bonds will connect to the new joined bond. Two bonds within the same molecule cannot be joined.
One molecule will be translated and rotated to the other to aesthetically display the new joined molecule.
This function is disabled in all other cases.
Flatten - This function will change all z-coordinates of selected atoms to zero, thereby flattening 3D struc-
tures.

Add Frame > - Contains various functions for surrounding selected content with shapes based on their
visual bounds.
Chevrons - Surround selected content with chevrons based on the content’s visual bounds.
Curly Brackets - Surround selected content with curly brackets based on the content’s visual bounds.
Parentheses - Surround selected content with parentheses based on the content’s visual bounds.
Rectangle - Surround selected content with a rectangle based on the content’s visual bounds.
Square Brackets - Surround selected content with square brackets based on the content’s visual bounds.
Measure > - Contains various functions for measuring selected content.
Diagonal - Place one ruler object diagonally over selected content based on its visual bounds to measure
its diagonal. You can change the units of the ruler object.
Width and Height - Place two ruler objects, one vertically to the left and one horizontally below selected
content based on its visual bounds to measure its width and height. You can change the units of the
ruler object.

Conform to Document Settings - Conform all currently selected objects to the current chemical docu-
ment settings, including scaling and changing fonts.
26 Chapter 2: CHEMDOODLE BASICS

Structure Menu

Add/Remove Hydrogens > - Contains functions for adding

hydrogens to structures. Settings for defining how hydrogens will
be added to structures can be set in the Preferences window
under the Visuals tab under the Atoms subtab.
All - Add hydrogens to all structures in the current document.
From Selection - Add hydrogens only to the currently selected
structures.
Add Attribute. . . - Add an attribute to the selected object. This
will only be enabled if a single atom or bond is selected.
Place Formal Charges - Will place formal charges on atoms
based on their valency.

Calculate Covalent Bonds - This function will deduce covalent

bonds in structures based on atomic 3D distances and the covalent
radii present in ChemDoodle’s elemental database. This function
is dependent on the Ångström/Bond Length document setting
present in the Preferences window under the Visuals tab. Only
single bond orders will be placed. This function is very useful for
working with files that may not contain explicit topology, such as
PDB or XYZ files.
Remove Selected Bonds - This function will remove all selected
bonds, leaving the constituent atoms.
Saturate - This function will change the bond orders of all se-
lected bonds to the single bond order.

Kekulize - This function will convert a delocalized substructure (defined with resonance bonds) or a single
bond skeleton to a Kekulé structure with the most delocalized area.
Delocalize - Converts a Kekulé structure to the delocalized equivalent.
Graph Reduction > - Contains several functions for reducing the underlying graph data structures that
represent the selected structures. This is ideal for extracting information about small molecule building
blocks for drug discovery purposes.
Reduce 0◦ (Lone) - This function will remove all 0 degree nodes, so all lone atoms will be removed.
Reduce 1◦ (Terminals) - This function will remove all 1 degree nodes, so all terminal atoms will be
removed.
Repeatedly Reduce 1◦ (Terminals) - This function will repeatedly remove all 1 degree nodes until
none remain, so all isolated chains will be removed.
Reduce 1◦ + 0◦ - This function will remove all 0 and 1 degree nodes, so all lone and terminal atoms will
be removed.

Reduce 2◦ (Chains) - This function will remove all 2 degree nodes, so all inner chain atoms will be
removed.

Reduce 2◦ + 1◦ + 0◦ - This function will remove all 0, 1 and 2 degree nodes, so all lone, terminal and
chain (including non-isolated chains) atoms will be removed.
Chapter 2: CHEMDOODLE BASICS 27

Add Breakers > - Contains several functions for adding atom and bond breakers.
On Atoms - Add a breaker to each selected atom.
On Bonds - Add a breaker to each selected bond.
Collapse to Label - A label field will appear, input the text and styling you wish to display for the collapsed
fragment and close the text input. The selected fragment will be replaced by the newly created collapsed
label.
Expand Labels - Will expand all complex atom labels to their all-atom equivalents.
Rings > - Contains several functions for defining ring sets in selected structures. If a highly overlapping
figure results, just stack the content for a cleaner layout.
Explode Smallest Set of Smallest Rings - Explode out the smallest set of smallest rings (SSSR) for
selected structures. The SSSR is the standard for defining ring sets in flat 2D structures.
Explode Euler Facet Rings - Explode out the Euler facet rings for selected structures. The Euler facet
ring set is better than the SSSR at defining essential rings in 2D depictions of 3D structures.
Explode Hanser (All) Rings - Explode every last graph cycle in selected structures.
Stereochemistry > - Contains several functions for deducing the stereochemistry of selected structures.
Assign R/S (CIP) - Finds and assigns CIP stereochemistry to chiral centers.

Assign E/Z (CIP) - Finds and assigns CIP stereochemistry to stereochemical double bonds.
Assign cis/trans - Finds and assigns cis/ trans stereochemistry to appropriate double bonds.

Attach Updating Label - A window will appear with a drop down to select which description to set to
the label attached to selected molecules. These labels will update as you edit the associated molecule.
Clean > - Contains various functions for optimizing and beautifying selected structures.
2D Optimization - The CCG depiction algorithm is performed on your selected structures to clean them
in 2D.
Build 3D Model (NIH Cactus) - This function will use the Cactus service from the NIH to build a 3D
molecule based on templates. This function is very fast, but requires an internet connection.
Distance Geometry Embedding - Distance geometry is used on the bond distance matrix of the selected
structures to embed them in 3D. This is great for highly connected structures like buckyballs or adaman-
tane and will produce suitable 3D coordinates for figures. It will not work very well on less connected
structures like chains.

Create Lewis Dot Structure - This function will create Lewis Dot Structure models from any selected
molecules.
Descriptors > - Contains various functions that will display the named descriptor for the first of the selected
molecules. See CHEMINFORMATICS for further details and the full list of descriptors.
Last Chosen - This menu item is a placeholder that will remember the last chosen descriptor for easy
repeat access.
Constitutional > - Contains any constitutional descriptors; descriptors that are defined by the chemical
makeup of the molecule.
28 Chapter 2: CHEMDOODLE BASICS

Topological > - Contains any topological descriptors; descriptors that are defined by the bond connec-
tivity of the molecule.
Physicochemical > - Contains any physicochemical descriptors; descriptors that are defined by physics
or chemistry of the molecule.
ADME Filters > - Contains descriptors that assess bioactivity.
Generate Line Notation > - Contains functions for generating line notations of selected structures.
Daylight SMILES - Generates simplified molecular input line entry specification (SMILES).
Tripos SLN - Generates Sybyl Line Notation (SLN).
IUPAC InChI - Generates the international chemical identifier (InChI).
Beilstein ROSDAL - Generates the representation of organic structure descriptions arranged linearly
(ROSDAL).
Parse IUPAC Name. . . - A text field will appear. Type or paste in a valid IUPAC name and the structure
will be generated and inserted into the current document.
Structure to IUPAC Name - Generates the IUPAC name for the selected structure, which can then be
pasted into the document or to the system clipboard.

Abbreviations > - Contains functions for maintaining ChemDoodle’s abbreviations database.

Add New. . . - Pops up a window to add a new abbreviation to ChemDoodle’s abbreviations database.
Manage Recognized. . . - Pops up a window to add, edit and delete abbreviations from ChemDoodle’s
abbreviations database.
Manage My Templates. . . - Contains functions for maintaining ChemDoodle’s templates database.

Reaction Menu

Clean - Clean the selected reaction. The reaction must first be

defined using the Build Implied Reaction or Edit Reaction...
functions. This function will align and distribute the reaction as
well as beautify the reaction arrow. Settings to control how reac-
tions are cleaned can be set in the Preferences window, under
the Visuals tab, under the Reaction subtab.

Build Implied Reaction - When an arrow and structures are selected, this function will become enabled.
All selected structures with midpoints to the left of the arrow midpoint become reactants while all selected
structures with midpoints to the right of the arrow midpoint become products.
Edit Reaction. . . - Will open up a window showing all the structures in the current document. Click and
drag structures from the document tray to the reactant and product trays to explicitly define the reaction.
This function is enabled when an arrow is selected.
Dissolve Reaction - Will dissociate any selected reaction data structures.
Chapter 2: CHEMDOODLE BASICS 29

Spectrum Menu

View XY Data - View the XY plot data of the first selected

spectrum. You can copy and paste this data into other programs,
like Excel.

Edit Perspective. . . - Will open up a window showing several

tools for editing the spectrum view and axis. Once closed, the
spectrum in the document will update.
Expand Perspective - Will expand the spectrum perspective to
view the entire domain and range of the plot. This function is
enabled when a spectrum is selected.

Generate > - Contains various functions for generating and simulating spectra.
1
H NMR - Generates a proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectrum of the first selected structure.
13
C NMR - Generates a carbon-13 nuclear magnetic resonance spectrum of the first selected structure.

Mass Parent Peak - Generates a mass parent peak from the mass spectrum of the first selected structure.
This will show the magnitude of the parent ion and the isotopic distribution.

Window Menu

Minimize - Iconify the main ChemDoodle window to the dock

or system tray. ChemDoodle’s menu bar will remain focused on
Mac OS X.
Zoom - Expand the ChemDoodle window to fill the entire screen
without overlapping any docks or system trays.

Select Tab Right - This function is enabled if there are one or

more tabs present in the tab tray. This function will select the tab
to the right of the currently selected tab. If the currently selected
tab it the rightmost tab, then the first tab is selected.
Select Tab Left - This function is enabled if there are one or more
tabs present in the tab tray. This function will select the tab to
the left of the currently selected tab. If the currently selected tab
it the leftmost tab, then the last tab is selected.

Show/Hide Dialogs - Toggle the visibility of all other ChemDoodle windows besides the main window.
Widgets > - Controls which widgets are visible on the screen. Widgets are fully described in WIDGETS.
The available widgets are:
Doodle Statistics
Elemental Analysis
30 Chapter 2: CHEMDOODLE BASICS

History
Line Notation Pad
MolGrabber
Multiplet Tool
NMR SignalSeek
Properties
Search
Symbols
Templates
TLC Canvas
Close All Widgets - Close all currently open widgets.

Collect Windows - Collect all of ChemDoodle’s windows around the main window.
Default Workspace - Return the configuration of windows within the main ChemDoodle window to the
default layout.
Revert Workspace - Revert the ChemDoodle workspace to the last saved workspace.
Save Workspace - Save the current configuration of the windows within the main ChemDoodle window.
This also saves file chooser paths and other workspace settings. This command is executed automatically
when ChemDoodle is closed.

Purchase Menu

Activate ChemDoodle - Displays the activation form to in-

put a purchased activation code and generate the license for the
ChemDoodle application.

Buy an Activation Code - Opens the default internet browser

to the purchase page of the ChemDoodle website.
Chapter 2: CHEMDOODLE BASICS 31

Help Menu

About ChemDoodle - Displays information about ChemDoo-

dle, your activation code and your license expiration, if any. This
menu item is in the ChemDoodle menu on Mac OS X.
ChemDoodle User Guide - View this user guide in the program
most appropriate for opening PDF files.
Quick Start Guide - Provides a basic overview of program func-
tionality. By default the Quick Start Guide appears at startup.
ChemDoodle Keyboard Shortcuts - View a cheat sheet for
all keyboard shortcuts and actions available in ChemDoodle in
the program most appropriate for opening PDF files.
References - View an organized list of references for the data and
algorithms used in ChemDoodle. You can use this list to assess
ChemDoodle’s quality.

View User License - View the user license that you accepted when you activated ChemDoodle.
Deactivate ChemDoodle - ChemDoodle can only be used on the number of computers determined in
your license. To switch from one computer to another, use this function first. This function is also useful if
you need to reinstall your operating system.
Contact Customer Service - Open the iChemLabs customer support form and fill in the appropriate
fields. This is the quickest and easiest way to contact iChemLabs customer service.
iChemLabs Newsfeed - View the iChemLabs newsfeed RSS.

Check for Updates - Check for updates to ChemDoodle. If any are found, you will see the changes listed
and you will be requested to update ChemDoodle. If allowed, ChemDoodle will automatically update itself.
There is no need to redownload or reinstall ChemDoodle for updates.

GENERAL TOOLBARS

The general toolbars are located at the top of the ChemDoodle window (see Figure 2.1). They dain buttons
for quickly accessing menu items and controls for various settings for the document. The bottom most
toolbar (Content Toolbar) in this section contains tools for working with content in the document.

Files Toolbar

Figure 2.5: Files Toolbar

32 Chapter 2: CHEMDOODLE BASICS

Create a new blank document Copy

Create a new blank formatted document Paste

Open a file Document scale

Save a file Zoom In

Change number of pages Zoom Out

Print document Fit to Width

Print preview Fit to Window

Cut Toggle Widget Tray

Formatting + Strokes Toolbar

Figure 2.6: Formatting + Strokes Toolbar

Font Family3 Font Size

Font Style: Bold Font Style: Italics

Quick Colors Button Color button and color se-

lection button

Stroke Parameters: Style,

Width, Texture

3 Font functions affect selected content only.

Chapter 2: CHEMDOODLE BASICS 33

Content Toolbar

Figure 2.7: Content Toolbar

Lasso Selection Tool Optimize Structures in 2D

Lasso Shapes Only Selection Tool Clean Reaction

Rectangular Marquee Selection Tool Conform to Document Settings

Rotate in 3D Fragmentation Tools

Erase Content Attach Auto-updating Labels

Clear Current Document Undo

Add/Remove Hydrogen Redo

MAIN TOOLBAR TOOLS AND PALETTES

The Main Toolbar and palettes are located on the left hand side of the main window and contain tools for
drawing on the document. Many buttons in the Main Toolbar represent a group of drawing tools. When
you click on the button, several options will appear. The option that is chosen becomes the default tool for
that button.
This toolbar can be detached and moved to the desired position while working. Set Atom Label

When selected, will allow you to click on any atom and open a text field. Enter desired text in the
text field and then click on the page or press the escape key to close the text field, thus setting the
selected atom’s label to the contents of the text field.

Set Query to Atom or Bond

When selected, will allow you to click on any atom or bond and open a query field for that object.
Enter the desired query or use the query toolbar to set the query and press the escape key to set
the query. Query structures are covered in the QUERY STRUCTURES chapter.
34 Chapter 2: CHEMDOODLE BASICS

Elemental Labels Palette

Click on the element label to see a full periodic table. Select an element label to attach it to any atom in
the drawing.

Figure 2.8: Labels Palette

Right click on the elemental labels button to see the common labels palette as shown in Figure 2.9.

Figure 2.9: Common Labels Palette

Chapter 2: CHEMDOODLE BASICS 35

Bonds Palette

Figure 2.10: Bonds Palette

Zero Order / Half bond Zigzag bond Wavy bond

Hydrogen/Ionic bond

Single bond Bold Dashed Bold Single Bold Hollow bond

bond bond

Resonance bond Recessed bond Protruding Ambiguous Stereo

bond bond

Double bond Double Bold and Thin Ambiguous Double

Dashed bond Double bond bond

Triple bond Quadruple Quintuple Sextuple bond

bond bond

Covalent
Two Electron bond Any Order Unknown bond
bond4
bond

To place bonds of a specified type, click on the desired type of bond and the drawing mode will change to
place a bond of that type. Clicking on a hovered bond will change that bond’s current bond type to the
selected bond type.
The single bond order will add to other bond orders by default. So clicking on a single bond will change it
to a double bond, clicking on a double bond will change it to a triple bond, etc. Clicking on a triple bond
will change it to a single bond. Clicking on decorated bond orders (protruding, ambiguous double, etc.) will
convert it to a single bond before incrementing it. To stop single bond orders from adding to bonds, you
can set the single bond behavior to always override other bond orders in the Preferences window under
the General tab.

4 The covalent bond is coordinate covalent by default but can be changed to polar covalent.
36 Chapter 2: CHEMDOODLE BASICS

Rings Palette

Figure 2.11: Rings Palette

cyclopropane ring cyclobutane ring

cyclopentane ring cyclohexane ring

cycloheptane ring cyclooctane ring

cyclobutadiene ring cyclopentadiene ring

benzene ring cycloheptatriene ring

cyclohexane chair conformer 1 cyclohexane chair conformer 2

Carbon Chain Tools

Carbon Chain Tools

Chapter 2: CHEMDOODLE BASICS 37

Linear Carbon Fisher Projection Carbon Freeform Carbon

Chain Tool Chain Tool Chain Tool

Macromolecular Tools

Macromolecular Tools

Three Letter Amino Acid Carbon Nanotube

Prism Builder
Sequence Tool Builder

Chemical Attributes Tool

Chemical Attributes

Increase Charge Decrease Charge

Add Positive Dipole Add Negative Dipole

Attribute Attribute

Add Electron Pair Add Single Electron

Chemical Attributes
Attribute Attribute
Toolbar, Expanded
Add Radical Cation Add Radical Anion
Attribute Attribute

Add Electron Pair

(Bar) Attribute

Tag by Roman
Tag by Number
Numeral

Tag by Letter Tag by Greek Letter

38 Chapter 2: CHEMDOODLE BASICS

Orbitals Palette

Figure 2.12: Orbitals Palette

Atomic s orbital fz3 orbital

Atomic px|y|z orbitals Hybrid sp3 orbital

Atomic dxz|yz|xy|x2 −y2 orbitals Hybrid sp lobe orbital

Atomic dz2 orbital Bonding σ orbital

Atomic fxz2 |xy2 |x(x2 −3y2 )|y(3x2 −y2 ) orbitals Bonding π orbital

Arrows Palette

Figure 2.13: Arrows Palette

The top row of the arrows palette consists of three drop-down menus specifying the starting arrow style, the
connector style between arrows and the ending arrow style.

Connector style
Starting arrow style Ending arrow style
between arrows
Chapter 2: CHEMDOODLE BASICS 39

The set of buttons to the left allows you to place an arrow in the
document at a given preset angle. The preset angles, from left to
right, are 270, 180, 120, 90 and 0. At any time, you can change
the arc angle of a placed arc to an arbitrary angle of your choice.

This set of buttons contains presets for common non-standard arrow types,
such as retrosynthetic arrows. The arc angles of these arrows cannot be
changed.

Shapes Palette

Figure 2.14: Shapes Palette

Lines Straight, dotted, wavy, zigzag

Arcs 90◦ , 120◦ , 180◦ , and 270◦

Ovals Plain, dotted, shadowed, and shaded

Plain, dotted, shadowed, shaded, plain rounded,

Rectangles dotted rounded, shadowed rounded and shaded
rounded
40 Chapter 2: CHEMDOODLE BASICS

Brackets Palette

Figure 2.15: Brackets Palette

Square, Parenthesis, Curly

Bracket Sets
Braces, Chevron

Individual Brackets Single versions of the above

Updates to always fit between two

Dynamic Brackets
bonds

Pen Tools

Polylines

Pen Tool Custom Bezier Curve Polyline Tool

Chapter 2: CHEMDOODLE BASICS 41

Rulers Measurement ruler

Place a text area with a background and border

Text Area that can be resized to any dimension and is
associated with text formatting tools.

Opens the laboratory glassware templates window

Laboratory
to build diagrams with glassware clipart.
Glassware

Opens the BioArt templates window to build

BioArt
diagrams with biological clipart.

WIDGETS AND THE WIDGET MENU

Widgets are auxiliary applications that provide added functionality to ChemDoodle. Each widget has its
own unique interface contained within a widget window. A widget window is a simple, movable and re-
sizable window that contains the widget interface and a two buttons in its top bar for closing and for
maximizing/minimizing the widget. A comprehensive guide to the widgets and their use can be found in
the WIDGETS chapter of this manual.

Table 2.3: Widgets

Name Description

Elemental Analysis Calculates molecular masses, elemental analysis and isotopic dis-
tributions for structures
History Provides full access to the undo/redo queue
Line Notation Pad Generates and parses line notations and will also correct your
input
MolGrabber Search databases for chemical structures
Multiplet Tool Simulate multiplets
NMR SignalSeek Simulate nuclear magnetic resonance and associate peaks to nuclei
as well as provide more thorough information about the spectrum
and simulation
Properties Calculates molecular descriptors
Search Search your computer and attached storage devices for chemical
structures
Statistics Displays document and drawing statistics
Symbols Quick access to chemically relevant symbols and the full unicode
range
Templates Organizes chemical structure templates for your use
TLC Canvas Draw thin layer chromatography plates
42 Chapter 2: CHEMDOODLE BASICS

THE WORKSPACE

The ChemDoodle workspace consists of the application’s windows and all interface elements contained within.
You may freely place toolbars, select widgets, change the document scale, select view options, etc., and your
choices will be saved. ChemDoodle also provides several functions for managing your workspace.

Resizing the Workspace

A minimum screen resolution of 1280 by 800 pixels is recommended to neatly fit all of the components in
ChemDoodle on the screen. Slightly smaller resolutions are still acceptable when shrinking the document
scale. For much smaller resolutions, the workspace will display scrollbars to access the entire ChemDoodle
interface.
On devices that just fit the Doodle Board, ChemDoodle will expand to fit the entire screen. On larger
resolution devices, ChemDoodle will open to take only as much room as necessary. At any time, you may
minimize and maximize the application or resize it to your preference. Upon resizing the Doodle Board
will be centered.
The workspace will keep track of the size and location of ChemDoodle when it was last closed.

Resetting to the Default Workspace

To reset to the default workspace that was presented when ChemDoodle was first opened, select the Win-
dow|Default Workspace menu item.

Reverting to the Last Saved Workspace

To revert to the last saved workspace select the Window|Revert Workspace menu item.

Saving the Current Workspace

To save the current workspace, which will override the last saved workspace, execute the following steps:
1. Organize the workspace as desired.
2. Select the Window|Save Workspace menu item.
The current workspace is now saved and can be reverted to.

Upon closing, ChemDoodle will automatically save your current workspace and when it is
opened again the workspace will look exactly as it did when it was closed. Therefore, you
may wish to revert the workspace to your saved workspace before exiting ChemDoodle.
Chapter 2: CHEMDOODLE BASICS 43

INTERFACE OPTIONS
In addition to being a very powerful application for your chemical data, ChemDoodle is readily customizable.
ChemDoodle provides many options for changing the way it looks, how it works, and the visual effects. To
access the interface options, select the Preferences. . . menu item in the Edit menu (in the ChemDoodle
menu on Mac OS X). The General (leftmost) tab contains the interface options.

DRAWING CONTROLS

Drawing Mode

There are two drawing modes, Quick and Control. Quick mode is the default, and actions are performed by
pressing down with the mouse, dragging to set the tool, and then releasing the mouse to finish the action.
In Control mode, the same action is achieved by clicking the mouse once, moving the mouse to set the tool
and then clicking again to complete the action.

Optimize Zone Size

The Optimize Zone is a special component in ChemDoodle for placing bonds in the optimal position around
atoms. It appears as a blue circle when placing bonds and other molecule fragments. To use the Optimize
Zone, just place the mouse pointer in the blue circle. The bond or fragment being placed will automatically
be oriented in the most optimal position. You can change the size of the optimize zone to be Small, Medium
or Large. It is Medium by default.

Hover Distance

The hover distance controls how close the mouse pointer must be to an object for it to be considered hovered.
The default is 10 pixels, but it can be made more sensitive or more pinpoint.

Snap to Grid

By default, coordinates for all objects can be placed anywhere. However, you can set a 5-pixel or 10-pixel
grid for objects to snap to.

Single Bond Behavior

By default, single bonds will increment bond orders. So using the Single bond tool, if you click on a single
bond it will become a double bond and so forth. However, you can change this behavior to instead override
bond orders so any bonds clicked on with the Single bond tool become single bonds.

Increment Past Triple

By default, if the Increment Bond Orders option under Single Bond Behavior is selected, bonds will
not be incremented past triple bonds, instead falling back to being single bonds again. When this option is
enabled, bonds can be incremented all the way to being sextuple bonds before becoming single bonds again.
44 Chapter 2: CHEMDOODLE BASICS

Delete Bond Behavior

By default, using delete functions when a bond is hovered will remove that bond entirely. However, you can
change this behavior to instead decrement bond orders.

Auto-connect Rings and Templates

This option is enabled by default and will have the atoms placed by ring and template tools automatically
merge with any overlapping atoms present in the document.

Fix Bond Lengths

This option is enabled by default and fixes the bond lengths of the drawing tools. You can quickly modify
this setting when drawing by holding down the shift key.

Fix Bond Angles

This option is enabled by default and fixes the bond angles of the drawing tools. You can quickly modify
this setting when drawing by holding down the alt key.

Require Starting Atom

Many chemical sketchers have the bond as the smallest building block. ChemDoodle uses atoms as the
smallest building blocks, and all drawing functions require a starting atom. You can disable this requirement
and allow new bonds to be placed with a single mouse click.

Rotate Atom Text with Structures

By default, text does not rotate when you rotate structures. This setting enables atom text rotation when
structures are rotated.

Bonds are Focusable

If you are working only with atoms or you don’t want to touch bonds, enabling this setting will make editing
easier. When disabled, bonds cannot be hovered or selected.

3D Rotation Mode

When using the structure perspective tool, mouse movements will correspond to x- and y-axis movements
during 3-D rotation. You can change this to correspond to a quaternion rotation if desired.
Chapter 2: CHEMDOODLE BASICS 45

APPEARANCE

Interface Scale

You can choose to have ChemDoodle increase the size of it’s text and components with this setting. This
is useful for accessibility purposes or if you are having difficulty using the application. The recommended
scales are 1.5x and 2x.

Place recently opened files in a discrete menu

Recently opened files can be displayed at the bottom of the File menu, or in a submenu in the File menu.
By default they are displayed in a submenu, but you may wish to switch this option for quicker access if you
have a tall screen.

Application Font Family

If you prefer a different font from the standard sans-serif font that ChemDoodle uses, you can change it here.
This is also helpful if you need to switch to a different font that supports characters for another language.

Application Font Size

If you prefer a different font size from the standard size that ChemDoodle uses, you can change it here. This
is also helpful if you have trouble reading the labels in the program.

Application Color

If you prefer a color other than the default light green color, you can choose to change this here. Light, pale
color choices are easiest on the eyes and are least distracting.

Highlight Color

This color is used for hovered decorations and some selected highlights. It is pale brown by default.

Selected Color

This color is used for selected objects and the lasso bounds. It is pure blue by default.

Lasso Color

This color is used for the selection anchors and other lasso decorations. It is a dark blue by default.
46 Chapter 2: CHEMDOODLE BASICS

Preview Color

This color is used for preview feedback while using the drawing tools. It is a neon green by default.

Error Color

This color is used to highlight errors and other problems. It is a brick red by default.

DECORATIONS

Show Unfixed Drawing Measurements

When enabled, statistics are rendered to show lengths and angles if they are not fixed.

Show Transform Measurements

When enabled, statistics are rendered to show how lasso functions alter your figures.

View Crawling Ants Effect When Lassoing

When enabled, the lasso outline will exhibit a crawling ants effect.

View Shimmer Effect on Button Hover

When enabled, buttons will display a shimmer effect when you hover the mouse cursor over them. This
makes it easy to detect which button you are pressing.

View Mouse Position on Rulers

When enabled, the mouse position will be ticked on the document’s rulers in red.

View Selection Bounds on Rulers

When enabled, the lasso selection will be highlighted on the document’s rulers in amber.

Render Page Shadows

When enabled, an aesthetically pleasing drop shadow is displayed under the document pages.
Chapter 2: CHEMDOODLE BASICS 47

FILECHOOSER SETTINGS

Unified FileChooser Memory

By selecting this option, all file choosers, regardless of function will remember the last location of any of the
file choosers. Otherwise, they will each retain their own memory.

Include Previews in FileChooser

When enabled, file chooser previews are shown.

OTHER SETTINGS

Ruler Mode

Set the interface rulers to either Metric or US mode.

Document Alignment

Allows setting the alignment of documents in the main application window between Center and Left.

Hide Dialogs on Switching Applications

Will hide all widgets and other windows when ChemDoodle is not the active application.

Widgets Update with Latest Drawing

The Properties and Elemental Analysis widgets will update with the last modified molecule if no content
is selected.

WORKING WITH DOCUMENTS

The document represents a virtual sheet or sheets of paper. Each document embodies one page or pages of
the chemical structures, objects and figures that you create. The document is fully customizable and also
contains a definition of the styles of the content within it. You can create new blank documents, or read one
from a file that ChemDoodle recognizes.

A style or a visual specification is a definition that stipulates how an object is rendered. For
example, a bond line width is a visual specification for a bond. The terms visual specification,
style, and document setting are all used interchangeably in this document.
48 Chapter 2: CHEMDOODLE BASICS

CREATING A DOCUMENT

You can create a new, blank document using the default ChemDoodle document settings, or use a Chemical
Document Settings file to create a new formatted document. To create a new blank document using the
default style sheet, select the File|New menu item. To create a new blank document using a predefined
style sheet, select the File|New Formatted Document. . . menu item.
ChemDoodle provides built-in Chemical Document Settings files. For example, the ACS Document 1996
style is configured to create documents that are set with the bond lengths, bond width, spacing, and fonts
used in the 2-column format of all American Chemical Society journals. Currently, ChemDoodle provides
the following style sheets:
• ACS Document 1996
• Adv. Synth. Catal Document 20
• J. Chin. Chem. Soc. Document
• J. Het. Chem. Document
• J. Mol. Mod. Document (1 Column)
• J. Mol. Mod. Document (2 Column)
• Phytomedicine Document
• RSC Document (1 Column)
• RSC Document (2 Column)
• Science of Synthesis Document
• SYNTHESIS, SYNLETT Document
• Verlag Helv. Chim. Acta Document
• Wiley Document
These style sheets are available when you create a new formatted document as is shown in Figure 2.16 below.

Figure 2.16: Creating a New Formatted Document

The style sheets are organized into three sections. The first contains just the default style sheet, the second
contains all the built-in style sheets and the last contains custom style sheets. Select the style sheet that you
prefer, set any custom dimensions, and then click the OK button to create your new formatted document.
If you would like to modify the document dimensions of the formatted document, then select the Use
Custom Dimensions checkbox and edit the Page Size and Margins fields.
Chapter 2: CHEMDOODLE BASICS 49

OPENING A DOCUMENT

To open a document, select the File|Open. . . menu item, locate the file you would like to open with the
file chooser that appears and click the Open button.
ChemDoodle can read many file formats, and the default file type the file chooser searches for is a Chem-
Doodle Document. To allow other file types, click on the format drop down selection at the bottom of
the file chooser and select the file type you would like to open, or select the All Files type.

Selecting All Files will allow you to select any file, including files that ChemDoodle cannot
read. If such a file is chosen, you will see a file read error displayed. Otherwise, ChemDoodle
will attempt to open the file by analyzing the file extension and file content to determine its
type.

To open a recently opened document, enter the Open Recent submenu in the File menu and select the
document you would like to open. The ten most recently opened files are remembered.

FILE CHOOSER

The file choosers that you use to open your files will closely resemble the standard file choosers of the
operating system. However, there are some enhancements. One addition is chemical file previews.

File Chooser Previews

On all operating systems, you will see a preview of chemical files that you select in file choosers. On Windows
and Linux, the file chooser will show a preview of the entire document to the right as shown in Figures 2.17
and 2.18. If you place your mouse over the document preview, that part of the preview will be zoomed in
for a closer inspection.

Figure 2.17: The file chooser on Windows showing the file preview
50 Chapter 2: CHEMDOODLE BASICS

Figure 2.18: The file chooser on Linux showing the file preview

Figure 2.19: The file chooser on Mac OS X showing the file preview and preview tray

On Mac OS X, a tray is added to the bottom of the file chooser to list the individual molecules present in
the file as shown in Figure 2.19. A Quick Look plugin is also provided on Mac OS X, for you to quickly
preview any files ChemDoodle recognizes using Quick Look functionality in Finder.
You can disable file chooser previews in the Preferences window, under the General tab in the Filechooser
Settings section.

Mac OS X Quick Look Plugin

Quick Look is a feature of the Mac OS X platform that allows you to quickly preview files in Finder.
ChemDoodle contains a Quick Look plugin to provide Quick Look previews for all the compatible chemical
file types recognized by ChemDoodle.

On slower Macs, it may take up to 15 seconds to generate a preview for complex files.

To register the plugin with Mac OS X, run the ChemDoodle application once. It may take a few minutes for
the operating system to fully register the plugin. Please keep in mind that the Quick Look functionality
Chapter 2: CHEMDOODLE BASICS 51

will only work for an actively licensed copy of ChemDoodle (trial or purchased license). If you did not
activate ChemDoodle or your trial has expired, the Quick Look function will stop working.
To view a Quick Look preview in Finder for a compatible file, execute the following steps:
1. Locate the file you would like to see a Quick Look preview for.
2. Click on the file and press the space key, or right-click on the file and select the Quick Look “file-
name” menu item.
A preview will pop up in a preview window as shown in Figure 2.20. Previews will also appear in the side
panel and Get Info windows for compatible file types.

Figure 2.20: ChemDoodle’s Mac OS X Quick Look plugin

CHANGING DOCUMENT SIZE

To change the size of the current document, execute the following steps:
1. Choose the Edit|Resize Document. . . menu item.
2. Use the form to select a preset document size or manually type in the desired document dimensions.
3. Click the OK button to resize the document.

DISCARD RECENT CHANGES TO A DOCUMENT

To retrieve the last saved version of a file without using Undo functions, select the File|Restore menu
item. All changes made to the file since it was last saved are discarded and the saved version of the file will
appear.

SAVING DOCUMENTS

To save your document as a file, select the Save or Save As. . . menu items from the File menu. Save will
automatically save the document to the file it is associated with, while Save As. . . will allow you to save
that file to a new location or overwrite another file. If there is no file associated with a document, the Save
function is identical to the Save As. . . function.
When saving a new file or using the Save As. . . function, a file chooser will appear. Select the location to
save the document to and type a preferred file name or accept the default name. You do not need to type
in an extension.
52 Chapter 2: CHEMDOODLE BASICS

Only the ChemDoodle Document can store your document with 100% accuracy. Other
file types, designed for other purposes, may not accurately or fully describe the objects and
properties in ChemDoodle. A warning will pop up when saving to a file type other than a
ChemDoodle Document. These warnings can be disabled in the Preferences window
under the Saving tab.

After selecting the file type to be used, press the Save button to save your document as a file.

AUTOSAVING

ChemDoodle will automatically save unsaved content for you at regular intervals. If your computer shuts off
unexpectedly, the next time ChemDoodle opens, all autosaved content will be displayed. You can turn off
autosaving in the Preferences window under the Saving tab. You can also specify the autosave interval
in the same section. The default autosave interval is five minutes.

REVERSING ACTIONS

ChemDoodle keeps track of the actions you perform. You can reverse actions one at a time by selecting the
Edit|Undo menu then restore them with the Edit|Redo menu item. Once you close your document, the
undo queue is reset.
More advanced undo/redo functionality is associated with the History widget.

MOUSE CURSORS

The mouse pointer is context sensitive and will change when hovered over the document to display visual
feedback about the current mouse gestures that can be performed. The different mouse cursors are described
in Table 2.4.

Table 2.4: Mouse Cursors

Cursor Function

Clicking and dragging perform the usual functions.

This is the lasso cursor. Clicking and dragging will generate an outline following the drag
path. All content within the drag path will be selected.

This pinpoints the exact location that your click will hit. This enhances accuracy when
using the rectangular marquee or when placing shapes.

This signifies that a single object may be selected.

This means that content can be grabbed. Individual objects or selected content can be
grabbed.
Chapter 2: CHEMDOODLE BASICS 53

This means that content has been grabbed and dragging gestures will perform appropriate
actions.
This cursor only appears when rotating structures in 3D. It means that content can be
grabbed.

This cursor only appears when rotating structures in 3D. It means that content has been
grabbed and drag gestures will perform appropriate actions.

This cursor signifies that resize actions can be performed by clicking and dragging. This
cursor will also appear when translating the rotation anchor.

This cursor signifies that rotation actions can be performed by clicking and dragging.

SELECTED CONTENT

Content that is selected will be bordered by a dashed blue line. Selected content can be used in functions
and sent to other components. A crawling ants effect is on by default to help the user keep track of selected
content. The crawling ants effect can be disabled in the Preferences window under the General tab.
For instructions on selecting and editing content, see CONTENT MANAGEMENT TOOLS.
 CHAPTER 3
Drawing Chemical Structures
Chapter 3: DRAWING CHEMICAL STRUCTURES 55

Contents
BASIC STRUCTURE DRAWING TOOLS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Keyboard Shortcuts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Hovering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
ATOMS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Placing Carbon Atoms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Placing Other Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Placing Atoms with Non-elemental Labels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Hovering Atoms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Selecting Atoms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Changing Atom Labels to Other Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Sprouting Bonds to Labels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Changing Atom Labels to Nonelemental Text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Repeating the Most Recently Typed Atom Label . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Moving an Atom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Deleting an Atom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
CHEMICAL LABELS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Atom Label Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Atom Label Token Stacking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Atom Label Orientation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Formatting Atom Labels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
BONDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Single Bonds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Placing Bonds other than Single Bonds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Optimize Zone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Placing Bonds with Fixed Lengths and Angles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Placing Bonds at Non-fixed Lengths . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Placing Bonds at Non-fixed Angles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Placing Bonds at Non-fixed Lengths and Non-fixed Angles . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Connecting two Atoms with a New Bond . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Hovering Bonds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Selecting Bonds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Changing a Bond Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Changing Selected Bonds to Single Bonds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Incrementing a Bond Order . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Deleting a Bond . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Decrementing a Bond Order . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Deleting Bonds Around Atoms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Changing the Z-Order of Bonds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
CHAINS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Placing Chains at Fixed Angles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Placing Chains at Non-fixed Angles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Forcing the Placement of Chains Vertically and Horizontally . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Inverting Carbon Chains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
RINGS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Placing a Ring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Optimize Zone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Placing Rings with Fixed Lengths and Angles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
56 Chapter 3: DRAWING CHEMICAL STRUCTURES

Placing Rings at Non-fixed Lengths . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

Placing Rings at Non-fixed Angles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Placing Rings at Non-fixed Lengths and Non-fixed Angles . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Adding Rings to Bonds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
TEMPLATES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Selecting a Template for Use . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Placing a Template . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Optimize Zone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Placing Templates with Fixed Lengths and Angles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Placing Templates at Non-fixed Lengths . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Placing Templates at Non-fixed Angles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Placing Templates at Non-fixed Lengths and Non-fixed Angles . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Saving a New Template . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Managing your Templates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
ATTRIBUTES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Adding Attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Hovering Attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Selecting Attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Editing Attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Moving Attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Removing Attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
CHARGES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Adding Charges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Incrementing and Decrementing Charges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Removing Charges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Placing Circles around Charges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
SYMBOLS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Adding Symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Removing Symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
ISOTOPES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Setting Published Isotope Mass Numbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Setting Arbitrary Isotope Mass Numbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Removing Mass Numbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
ORBITALS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Placing Orbitals at Fixed Lengths and Angles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Placing Orbitals at Non-fixed lengths or Angles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Forcing Orbitals to be Drawn Vertically and Horizontally . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Moving Orbitals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Resizing Orbitals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Removing Orbitals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Chapter 3: DRAWING CHEMICAL STRUCTURES 57

BASIC STRUCTURE DRAWING TOOLS

This chapter introduces the new user to the basic structure drawing tools within ChemDoodle. The topics
covered in this chapter include:
• Atoms
• Chemical Labels
• Bonds and bond orders
• Chains
• Rings
• Templates
• Attributes
• Isotopes
• Orbitals

Keyboard Shortcuts

There are many keyboard shortcuts to help you draw structures quickly and efficiently. The full list of
keyboard shortcuts is given in the KeyboardShortcuts.pdf file located in the docs folder in the main
ChemDoodle installation folder.

Hovering

Atoms, bonds, and attributes can be hovered in ChemDoodle. To hover an atom, bond or attribute simply
move the mouse close enough to the atom, bond or attribute that an amber circle (for atoms or attributes)
or amber semicircles (for bonds) enclose the object. See Figure 3.1 below. Once an atom, bond or attribute
is hovered further actions pertaining to it can be performed.

(a) A Hovered Atom (b) A Hovered Bond (c) A Hovered Attribute

Figure 3.1: Hovering

ATOMS

Atoms are the basic building blocks in chemistry and are the basic building blocks in ChemDoodle. Before
any other chemical objects can be drawn, an atom must be present as the starting point.
58 Chapter 3: DRAWING CHEMICAL STRUCTURES

Placing Carbon Atoms

When you first open ChemDoodle, a gray dot follows your mouse pointer on the Doodle Board as shown
in Figure 3.2.

Figure 3.2: Trailing Carbon Atom

To set a carbon atom at the current location of the mouse pointer, just click the mouse. After a carbon
atom has been set structures can be grown from it.
At any time while drawing chemical structures, if there is no hovered atom to grow from, a carbon atom will
trail your mouse and once placed can be used to grow a new structure.

More advanced users may find it inconvenient to always require a starting atom to draw
structures. You can turn off this restriction in the Preferences window under the General
tab, by check the Require Starting Atom checkbox. Clicks with the bond tools will then
immediately place those bonds and rings, templates and chains will not require a starting
atom.

Placing Other Elements

To place atoms with element symbols other than carbon, use the Elemental Labels Palette or the Ele-
ments panel in the Symbols widget. Just click on the desired element symbol and the mouse cursor will
change to be that symbol with a small arrow in the bottom-left corner of the symbol. To place an atom of
the selected element, move the bottom-left arrow to the desired location and click.
If you click while hovering over an atom of a different element, then that atom’s label will change to the
currently selected element symbol.

Placing Atoms with Non-elemental Labels

To place atoms with any text you desire, click on the Set Atom Label tool ( ) located on the Drawing
Toolbar. Then click on the Doodle Board in the desired location to place the new atom and to open an
atom label text field. Type the desired atom label text into the text field and then click elsewhere on the
Doodle Board or press the esc key to close the text field and set the atom.
If you select Set Atom Label and then hover over any existing atom on the Doodle Board, an editable
text field for that atom’s label appears.
Chapter 3: DRAWING CHEMICAL STRUCTURES 59

Hovering Atoms

Atoms can be hovered with most tools in ChemDoodle. Exceptions include the shape tools, such as when
drawing rectangles. Once an atom is hovered further actions pertaining to it can be performed.

Figure 3.3: A Hovered Atom

Selecting Atoms

To select an atom, first hover one and then press and hold the mouse down. The amber circle indicating
hovering will turn into a blue circle. The blue circle is actually a special component called the Optimize
Zone, which will be discussed in the BONDS section of this chapter.

Figure 3.4: A Selected Atom

To deselect atoms, just release the mouse.

Changing Atom Labels to Other Elements

To change an atom’s label to another element symbol, use the Labels palette or the Elements panel in
the Symbols widget. Just click on the desired element symbol, and the mouse cursor will change to be
that symbol with a small arrow at the bottom-left. Once you have hovered the atom with the label to be
changed, just click to set the new label.
Additionally, when an atom is hovered, you can press any of the letter keys on the keyboard to cycle through
the element symbols that begin with that letter. For instance, if you hover a carbon atom and press the N
key, the atom’s element will be changed to nitrogen.

Sprouting Bonds to Labels

While placing labels using element symbols or other label tool presets, the Optimize Zone (blue circle, see
Figure 3.4) appears while pressing and holding the mouse down. If you then drag the label outside of the
Optimize Zone, you will sprout a new bond to the selected label. If you then move the mouse back close
to the center of the atom, it will revert back to modifying the label of that atom.
Sprouting the bond follows the same conventions as placing a new bond while using the Optimize Zone.
60 Chapter 3: DRAWING CHEMICAL STRUCTURES

Changing Atom Labels to Nonelemental Text

To change an atom’s label to any text you desire, click on the Set Atom Label tool ( ) located on the
Drawing Toolbar. Then hover the atom with the label to be changed and click to open up its atom label
text field. Type the desired atom label text into the text field and then click elsewhere on the Doodle
Board or press the esc key to close the text field and set the new label. Additionally, you can hover the
atom in any mode and then press the space key to open the atom’s label text field.

Repeating the Most Recently Typed Atom Label

To reuse a complex atom label for other atoms, hover the other atoms with labels to be changed and press
the enter key. The hovered atom’s label will be set to the most recently typed label.
You can also define the label text to be used when you press the enter key by opening up a previously
typed atom label text box and then closing it.

Moving an Atom

To move an atom, first select one of the selection tools discussed in CONTENT MANAGEMENT TOOLS.
Make sure that no content is currently selected by emptying the lasso. Then execute the following steps:
1. Hover the atom to be moved.
2. Press the mouse down to select the atom.
3. Drag the mouse to move the atom.
4. Release the mouse to finish the move action.
If the atom is a terminal atom in a molecule, then the above instructions will move the atom and bond with
fixed angles and lengths as described in the BONDS section of this chapter.
If the atom is part of a molecule and not a terminal atom, the above instructions will move that entire
molecule. Hold down the shift key while executing the above instructions to move just the atom itself.

Deleting an Atom

To delete an atom, hover it and then press the delete or backspace key. All attached bonds will also be
removed, leaving the adjacent atoms.

CHEMICAL LABELS

The last section described how to use the atom label tool to assign any arbitrary text to an atom. This
text is chemically interpreted; a label of CH3 will be interpreted as one carbon atom with three hydrogen
atoms attached to it. Much more advanced labels can be written and parsed. More information on chemical
interpretation, and expanding these labels, is described in the CHEMINFORMATICS chapter.
In addition to chemical interpretation, the label will automatically be formatted for display; the CH3 label
will display as CH3 . Stacking will also be applied, so as bond overlap with labels is kept to a minimum. You
can override ChemDoodle’s chemical interpretation and apply your own formatting to more advanced labels
such as for rendering isopropyl groups (iPr and i Pr) or adding indexes to carbon chain groups (R10 ).
Chapter 3: DRAWING CHEMICAL STRUCTURES 61

Atom Label Tool

When opening an atom label field, a format toolbar will appear above it containing several controls. The
only enabled button will be the Interpret Chemically button, which is selected by default as shown in
Figure 3.5.

Figure 3.5: Only Interpret Chemically button is enabled by default

Without further editing, closing this label will assign an ethyl group to the atom and the text will be
automatically formatted as CH2 CH3 .

Atom Label Token Stacking

When labels are chemically interpreted, they will be split up into tokens that describe each discrete unit. For
instance, NH will be split into (N)(H) and CCH2COOH will be split into (C)(CH2)(COOH). More about
this is covered in CONTENT MANAGEMENT TOOLS. ChemDoodle will automatically stack tokens in
atom labels such that they overlap with surrounding bonds as little as possible, as shown in Figure 3.6.

Figure 3.6: Stacked atom label tokens with minimal bond overlapping

By default, if not on a terminal atom, the second token and all subsequent tokens will be stacked to the next
line. There are two visual specifications for more precise control over this behavior: Stack Lone/Terminal
and Token Stacking.

You can set this checkbox to determine if lone and terminal labels will also
stack labels.

You can set this option to declare whether token

stacking occurs for all individual tokens, for only the
second token or never for any token.

In addition to the token behavior settings, you also have full control of the spacing between tokens. All of
these settings are present in the Preferences window in the Visuals tab in the Atoms section under the
Labels subsection.
62 Chapter 3: DRAWING CHEMICAL STRUCTURES

Atom Label Orientation

By default, atom label tokens will orient themselves in the direction of least overlap with the rest of the
structure. It may be necessary, on occasion, to force the label to flush in a specific direction. To do so,
execute the following steps:
1. Hover the atom with label to orient.
2. Right-click on the atom and expand the Label Orientation submenu.
3. Choose the direction to orient the label. Choose Auto if you want ChemDoodle to automatically
determine the best orientation.

Formatting Atom Labels

If a different formatting for the atom label is desired, just deselect the Interpret Chemically button and
the formatting options will be enabled as shown in Figure 3.7.

Figure 3.7: Applying a custom format to an atom label

Use the controls in the toolbar that appears above the atom label field to explicitly format the atom label.
The attributes that can be changed are listed in the table below. In the third column of the table are
descriptions of how to change the attribute.
Chapter 3: DRAWING CHEMICAL STRUCTURES 63

Table 3.5: Customizing Formatting

Button Attribute Control

Bold
Select the text to be bold and press the Bold button.

Italics
Select the text to be italicized and press the Italics button.

Underline Select the text to be underlined and press the Underline

button.
Select the text to display the strikethrough and press the
Strikethrough Strikethrough button.

Superscript Select the text to be superscript and press the Superscript

button.
Subscript Select the text to be superscript and press the Subscript
button.
Script Merge Select the superscripted and subscripted text to be merged and
press the Merge Script button.
The entire label will be aligned according to the selection of the
Alignment Align Left, Align Center or Align Right buttons.

Select the text to be colored and press the Choose Color

Color button. Then select the desired color.
Select the text to change the font family of and then use the
Font Family font chooser in the Formatting toolbar to select the font.

Select the text to change the font size of and then use the size
Font Size chooser in the Formatting toolbar to select the font size.

When chemical interpretation is disabled the label loses all chemical significance, is not ex-
pandable or suitable for any chemical algorithms.

BONDS

Bonds are the second most important building blocks in chemistry. Bonds in ChemDoodle are graphical
connectors between atoms. There are many options for bond types and for defining how they look.
64 Chapter 3: DRAWING CHEMICAL STRUCTURES

Single Bonds

To place a single bond, click the Single Bond tool ( ) in the Drawing Toolbar. By default, this tool
will be selected when ChemDoodle is opened. Then hover over an atom and press and hold the mouse down.
A preview of the new bond and atom will be drawn as shown in Figure 3.8.

Figure 3.8: New Bond Placement Preview

Drag the mouse and use the techniques discussed in the following subsections to place the bond in the
preferred orientation. Then release the mouse to set the bond.

Placing Bonds other than Single Bonds

To place bond types other than single bonds, just click on the desired bond type in the Bonds palette. Then
follow the instructions for placing a single bond.

Optimize Zone

The Optimize Zone is a special component in ChemDoodle to help you place bonds in the optimal position
around atoms. It is the blue circle that appears when placing bonds and other molecule fragments. To use
the Optimize Zone, just place the mouse pointer in the blue circle. The bond or fragment being placed
will automatically be oriented in the most optimal position.
The Optimize Zone size can be changed in the Preferences window under the General tab.

Placing Bonds with Fixed Lengths and Angles

By default, fixed widths and fixed angles are enforced when drawing structures. To place a bond with these
constraints, hover over an atom and press the mouse down with a bond tool. You will see the Optimize
Zone appear.
Drag the mouse pointer out of the Optimize Zone. The new bond placement will now orient towards the
mouse pointer.
The default fixed length is defined by the Bond Length visual specification in the Preferences window
under the Visuals tab under the Bonds subtab. Angles are fixed every 30◦ starting at 0◦ .
You can set whether fixed lengths and/or fixed angles are on by default in the Preferences window under
the General tab.
Chapter 3: DRAWING CHEMICAL STRUCTURES 65

Placing Bonds at Non-fixed Lengths

When placing bonds, fixed lengths will be enforced. To break from fixed lengths, hold down the shift key
while placing the bond.
You may turn off fixed lengths in the Preferences window under the General tab. In this case, the shift
key will then enforce fixed lengths.

Placing Bonds at Non-fixed Angles

When placing bonds, fixed angles will be enforced. To break from fixed angles, hold down the alt key
while placing the bond.
You may turn off fixed angles in the Preferences window under the General tab. In this case, the alt
key will then enforce fixed angles.

Placing Bonds at Non-fixed Lengths and Non-fixed Angles

When placing bonds outside of the Optimize Zone, fixed angles and fixed lengths will be enforced. To
break from fixed lengths and fixed angles at the same time, hold down both the shift and alt keys while
placing the bond.
You may turn off fixed lengths and fixed angles in the Preferences window under the General tab. In this
case, holding down both the shift and alt keys will enforce fixed lengths and angles.

Connecting two Atoms with a New Bond

If two atoms are already present in the document and you want to connect them with a bond, just initiate
drawing a new bond from one atom and without releasing the mouse, drag over the second atom until it is
highlighted with a red circle. Then release the mouse and the new bond will be formed.

Hovering Bonds

Bonds can be hovered with some tools in ChemDoodle. Once a bond is hovered further actions pertaining
to it can be performed.

Selecting Bonds

Bonds can only be selected when using the selection tools discussed in CONTENT MANAGEMENT TOOLS.
To select bonds, first hover them and then press and hold the mouse down. The amber semicircles will turn
a blue color, indicating that the bond has been selected.

Changing a Bond Type

To change a bond type, first select the bond type you would like to change the bond to in the Bonds palette.
Then hover the bond with the type that you would like to change and click the mouse. The new bond type
will override the old type.
66 Chapter 3: DRAWING CHEMICAL STRUCTURES

Changing Selected Bonds to Single Bonds

To change the bond types of a large number of bonds to all be single bonds, execute the following steps:
1. Select the bonds to be changed to single bonds using a selection tool as discussed in CONTENT
MANAGEMENT TOOLS.
2. Click on the Structure|Saturate menu item.

Incrementing a Bond Order

When using the Single Bond tool, clicking on hovered bonds will not override other bond types. Instead
the Single Bond tool will increment the bond order. For example, clicking on a double bond will change it
to a triple bond and clicking on the triple bond will change it back to a single bond.
This functionality can be disabled so that the Single Bond tool overrides bond types in the Preferences
window under the General tab. Also in the General tab is the option to allow bonds to be incremented
past triple; if this option is enabled, bonds will be incremented all the way up to sextuple bonds before
reverting back to a single bond.

Deleting a Bond

To delete a bond, hover it and then press the delete or backspace keys. The constituent atoms will remain.

Decrementing a Bond Order

By default, the delete or backspace keys will remove a bond. You can change this behavior to instead
decrement bond orders. You can enable this behavior in the Preferences window under the General tab,
by setting the Delete Bond Behavior setting to Decrements Bond Orders.
If you select Decrements Bond Orders, press the delete or backspace keys or use the eraser tool while
a bond is hovered. A triple bond will change to a double bond, a double bond will change to a single bond,
and a single bond will simply be removed.

Deleting Bonds Around Atoms

To delete many bonds, but retain the atoms contained in the bonds, execute the following steps:
1. Select the bonds to be removed using a selection tool as discussed in CONTENT MANAGEMENT
TOOLS.
2. Press the Structure|Remove Selected Bonds menu item.
All selected bonds will be removed, but their atoms will remain.

Changing the Z-Order of Bonds

When bonds overlap, one bond will be rendered in front of the other. For structures with 3D coordinates,
the bond with the most positive z-coordinates will be rendered on top. Without z-coordinates, the bonds
will be rendered in chronological order such that the last bond drawn will be rendered on top.
To change the z-order of bonds when z-coordinates are present, execute the following steps:
1. Select the structure with the z-orders to be changed.
Chapter 3: DRAWING CHEMICAL STRUCTURES 67

2. Select the Rotate in 3D tool in the Content toolbar.

3. Click and drag the mouse to rotate the structure in 3D so the desired bond is placed on top.
4. Release the mouse to stop the rotation and set the new coordinates.
To change the z-order of bonds when z-coordinates are not present, execute the following steps:
1. Delete the bond that is to be rendered on top.
2. Redraw the bond.

CHAINS

Chains are a group of carbon atoms, linked linearly by bonds. Three types of chains are provided in
ChemDoodle:

A consistent linear carbon chain, with all chain angles

Linear Chain
alternating at ±120◦ as shown in Figure 3.9(a).

A straight carbon chain, with all chain angles at 180◦ . All

Fisher Projection non-terminal chain atoms also have two additional carbon
Chain atoms depicted perpendicular to the chain orientation as
shown in Figure 3.9(b).

A carbon chain where all chain angles are at 120◦ , but the
Random Chain chain itself can deviate in any direction as shown in
Figure 3.9(c).

(a) Linear (b) Fisher Projection (c) Random

Figure 3.9: Carbon Chains

Placing Chains at Fixed Angles

To place chains at fixed angles, execute the following steps:

1. Select a chain tool on the Shapes palette using the Chain Tool group button ( )
2. Choose a starting atom to sprout the chain from by hovering it. If you do not want to start the chain
from any existing atoms, create an atom in a new place by clicking on the Doodle Board where no
atoms are hovered.
3. Press and hold the mouse down on the hovered atom.
4. Drag the mouse to the desired length of the chain. When using the Random chain, drag the mouse
in the outline of the chain you would like to draw and the chain will grow following that path.
5. Release the mouse to set the chain.
68 Chapter 3: DRAWING CHEMICAL STRUCTURES

By default, the chains will be oriented at fixed angles every 15◦ starting at 0◦ . All bond lengths are defined
by the Bond Length visual specification in the Preferences window under the Visuals tab under the
Bonds subtab.

Placing Chains at Non-fixed Angles

To place chains at non-fixed angles, hold down the alt key while dragging the mouse when defining the
chain to break from the fixed chain orientation angles.

Forcing the Placement of Chains Vertically and Horizontally

To place chains oriented vertically or horizontally, hold down the shift key while dragging the mouse when
defining the chain. The chain preview will then automatically orient vertically or horizontally depending on
the angle from the starting atom to the current mouse cursor position.

Inverting Carbon Chains

Carbon chains can be inverted by holding down the slash key / while placing. The preview will update
accordingly.

RINGS

Rings are chains of carbon atoms in which the last atom in the chain connects to the first.
There may be bond types other than single bonds in rings. Currently the following rings can be drawn
quickly from the Rings palette, with additional ring choices in the Templates widget:

cyclopropane ring cyclobutane ring

cyclopentane ring cyclohexane ring

cycloheptane ring cyclooctane ring

cyclobutadiene ring cyclopentadiene ring

benzene ring cycloheptatriene ring

cyclohexane chair conformer 1 cyclohexane chair conformer 2

Chapter 3: DRAWING CHEMICAL STRUCTURES 69

Placing a Ring

To place a ring execute the following steps:

1. Click the preferred ring tool in the Rings palette.
2. Hover over an atom and press the mouse down. A preview of the new ring will be drawn as shown in
Figure 3.10.
3. Drag the mouse and use the techniques discussed in the following subsections to place the ring in the
preferred orientation.
4. Release the mouse to set the ring.

Figure 3.10: New Ring Placement Preview

Optimize Zone

The Optimize Zone can be used to optimize ring placement as described earlier in the BONDS section of
this chapter.

Placing Rings with Fixed Lengths and Angles

By default, fixed widths and fixed angles are enforced when drawing rings. To place a ring within these
constraints, hover over an atom and press and hold the mouse down with a bond tool. You will see the
Optimize Zone appear.
Drag the mouse pointer out of the Optimize Zone. The new ring placement will now orient towards the
mouse pointer.
The default fixed length is defined by the Bond Length visual specification in the Preferences window
under the Visuals tab under the Bonds subtab. Angles are fixed at 30◦ intervals starting with 0◦ .
You can specify whether fixed lengths and/or fixed angles are turned on by default in the Preferences
window under the General tab.

Placing Rings at Non-fixed Lengths

When placing rings outside of the Optimize Zone, fixed lengths will be enforced. To break from fixed
lengths, hold down the shift key while placing the bond.
You can turn off fixed lengths in the Preferences window under the General tab. In this case, the shift
key will then enforce fixed lengths.
70 Chapter 3: DRAWING CHEMICAL STRUCTURES

Placing Rings at Non-fixed Angles

When placing rings outside of the Optimize Zone, fixed angles will be enforced. To break from fixed angles,
hold down the alt key while placing the bond.
You can turn off fixed angles in the Preferences window under the General tab. In this case, the alt
key will then enforce fixed angles.

Placing Rings at Non-fixed Lengths and Non-fixed Angles

When placing rings outside of the Optimize Zone, fixed angles and fixed lengths will be enforced. To break
from fixed lengths and fixed angles at the same time, hold down both the shift and alt key while placing
the bond.
You can turn off fixed lengths and fixed angles in the Preferences window under the General tab. In this
case, holding the shift and alt keys will then enforce fixed lengths and angles.

Adding Rings to Bonds

When adding rings to atoms, it is sometimes difficult to achieve an aesthetic fuse angle. To correct for this
problem, add the ring to a bond instead of an atom. The ring will automatically align to the bond to which
it is being added.
To add rings to bonds, execute the following steps:
1. Select a ring tool from the Rings palette.
2. Hover the bond to which a ring will be added.
3. Click and drag the mouse pointer to the side of the bond to which the ring should be added.
4. Release the mouse to set the ring.
When the mouse pointer is close to the bond the ring is sprouting from, ChemDoodle will automatically
select the optimal side of the bond to add to.

TEMPLATES

ChemDoodle contains a very advanced structure templates system. Several sets of predefined templates are
already packaged with ChemDoodle and can be accessed through the Templates widget. Currently, the
following template sets are provided:

Amino Acids Fullerenes Nucleotides Ring Conformers

Cyclic Terpenes Functional Groups Other Stereocenters and Geometries

Cycloalkanes Sugars Platonic Solids Vitamins

Chapter 3: DRAWING CHEMICAL STRUCTURES 71

Selecting a Template for Use

The Templates widget organizes your templates and allows you to easily use them. Execute the following
steps to select a template for use:
1. Activate the Templates widget by clicking on the Templates widget button.
2. Choose a template group from the drop-down menu.
3. Click on a template choice to choose a template from the list.
4. Define a substitution atom by clicking on the preferred atom in the main structure panel. The substi-
tution point will overlap with the atom used as the growth position.
Note this will not place the template into the document; please see the following sections for template
placement instructions.

Placing a Template

To place a template, set up a template as described above and choose a substitution atom in the Templates
widget. Then hover over the atom in the document to which you are attaching the template and press and
hold the mouse down. A preview of the template will be depicted as in Figure 3.11.

Figure 3.11: New Template Placement Preview

Drag the mouse and use the techniques discussed in the following subsections to place the template in the
preferred orientation. Then release the mouse to set the template.

Optimize Zone

The Optimize Zone can be used to optimize template placement as described in the Bonds section of this
chapter.

Placing Templates with Fixed Lengths and Angles

By default, fixed widths and fixed angles are enforced when drawing structures. To place a template within
these constraints, hover over an atom and press and hold the mouse down with a template selected. You will
see the Optimize Zone appear. Drag the mouse pointer out of the Optimize Zone. The new template
placement will now orient towards the mouse pointer.
The default fixed length is defined by the Bond Length visual specification in the Preferences window
under the Visuals tab under the Bonds subtab. Angles are fixed at 30◦ intervals starting at 0◦ .
You can set whether fixed lengths and/or fixed angles are on by default in the Preferences window under
the General tab.
72 Chapter 3: DRAWING CHEMICAL STRUCTURES

Placing Templates at Non-fixed Lengths

When placing templates outside of the Optimize Zone, fixed lengths will be enforced. To break from fixed
lengths, hold down the shift key while placing the template.
You can turn off fixed lengths in the Preferences window under the General tab. In this case, the shift
key will then enforce fixed lengths.

Placing Templates at Non-fixed Angles

When placing templates outside of the Optimize Zone, fixed angles will be enforced. To break from fixed
angles, hold down the alt key while placing the template.
You can turn off fixed angles in the Preferences window under the General tab. In this case, the alt
key will then enforce fixed angles.

Placing Templates at Non-fixed Lengths and Non-fixed Angles

When placing templates outside of the Optimize Zone, fixed angles and fixed lengths will be enforced. To
break from fixed lengths and fixed angles at the same time, hold down both the shift and alt keys while
placing the template.
You can turn off fixed lengths and fixed angles in the Preferences window under the General tab. In this
case, holding the shift and alt keys will then enforce fixed lengths and angles.

Saving a New Template

To save a template into the Templates widget library, execute the following steps:
1. Draw the desired template on the Doodle Board.
2. Select the template with the selection tools discussed in CONTENT MANAGEMENT TOOLS. Only
a single structure can be used in any template.
3. Right-click after selecting the structure.
4. Press the Add Fragment as Template. . . menu item to pop up the Add Template window.
5. Type in a name for the template in the Template Name text field.
6. Choose a template group to add the template to using the drop down selection. You can create a new
template group using the Add Group button.
7. Click the Done button to add the template.
All of your templates are stored in the templates folder in the ChemDoodleSettings folder located in
your operating system’s standard Documents folder. You may distribute your template groups to other
ChemDoodle users or place third party template groups in this folder to use them in ChemDoodle. If
ChemDoodle is open when manually placing template groups in the templates folder, you must close and
then restart ChemDoodle for them to be registered.
Chapter 3: DRAWING CHEMICAL STRUCTURES 73

Managing your Templates

To manage your templates, click on the Structure|Manage My Templates. . . menu item.

ATTRIBUTES

Attributes are special objects in ChemDoodle that are associated with other chemical objects. These include
charges, symbols and ids on atoms and ids on bonds. They are both spatially and semantically linked to the
chemical object that they describe. Any number of attributes can be added to a single chemical object.
In addition to the standard attributes provided in ChemDoodle, you can add your own text-based attributes
as shown in Figure 3.12.

Figure 3.12: Nitrogen atom attribute with “attribute” as the display text.

Adding Attributes

To add a custom attribute, execute the following steps:

1. Hover the atom to which the attribute is to be added.
2. Right-click on the hovered atom.
3. Select the Add Attribute. . . menu item.
4. Type in the text to be displayed in the Display text field.
5. Type in an identifying name for the attribute in the Name text field. This value is used for the internal
classification and is not rendered.
6. Press the Add button to set the attribute.

Hovering Attributes

You can hover attributes by using any of the selection tools. First, make sure the current selection is empty
and then move the mouse cursor close to the center of the attribute so that it is closer to the attribute
than any other chemical objects. The attribute will then be defined as hovered and an amber circle will be
rendered on top of it as shown in Figure 3.13.

Figure 3.13: A Hovered Attribute

To help identify which object the attribute describes, a transparent amber circle is drawn over that object
(the nitrogen atom in Figure 3.13).
74 Chapter 3: DRAWING CHEMICAL STRUCTURES

Selecting Attributes

Attributes can only be selected when using the selection tools discussed in CONTENT MANAGEMENT
TOOLS. To select attributes, first hover them and then press and hold the mouse down. The amber circle
indicating hovering will turn into a blue circle as shown in Figure 3.14.

Figure 3.14: A Selected Attribute

Editing Attributes

The display text and names of custom attributes can be edited at any time by executing the following steps:
1. Hover the attribute to be edited.
2. Right-click on the hovered attribute.
3. Press the Format Attribute. . . menu item. In the visual specifications window that appears, change
the Name and Display text to the new values.
4. Click the Done button to set the new text values.

Moving Attributes

To move attributes, execute the following steps:

1. Hover the attribute to be moved.
2. Press and hold the mouse down to select the hovered attribute.
3. Drag the attribute to the new preferred location.
4. Release the mouse to set the new position.
Attributes are locked a certain distance from the object that they describe. This distance is specified by
the Optimal Distance visual specification in the Preferences window under the Visuals tab under the
Attributes tab. Change this to suit your needs.
Just as with moving terminal atoms, if you hold down the shift key while moving attributes, locked distances
will be released; if you hold down the alt key while moving attributes, locked angles will be released.

Removing Attributes

To remove an attribute, use the Eraser tool and click on the hovered symbol or hover the symbol with the
selection tools and press the delete or backspace key.
Chapter 3: DRAWING CHEMICAL STRUCTURES 75

CHARGES

Charges are attributes that can be associated with any atoms as shown in Figure 3.15. Both positive and
negative values can be used.

Figure 3.15: A Charge Attribute

Adding Charges

To add charge to an atom, execute the following steps:

1. Select the Increase Charge ( ) or Decrease Charge ( ) tools in the Attributes palette.
2. Hover the atom to add charge to.
3. Press and hold the mouse down to add the charge.
4. If you prefer to have the charge placed elsewhere, then before releasing the mouse, drag the pointer to
the desired location. This will work identically to placing bonds with the optimize zone. Hold down
the shift key to break from standard lengths, and hold down the alt key to break from standard
angles.
5. Release the mouse to set the charge.

Incrementing and Decrementing Charges

To change the charge of an atom, execute the following steps:

1. Select the Increase Charge ( ) or Decrease Charge ( ) tools in the Attributes palette.
2. Hover the atom to with the charge to be changed.
3. Click the mouse down to increment or decrement the charge.
The + and − keys on the keyboard can also be used to increment and decrement charge values when
the associated atom is hovered.

Removing Charges

Removing charges can be done is several ways:

• Decrement or increment the charge value to 0 using the Increase Charge and Decrease Charge
tools.
• Select the Eraser tool and click on a hovered charge to remove it.
• Hover the charge using the selection tools and press the delete or backspace key.
76 Chapter 3: DRAWING CHEMICAL STRUCTURES

Placing Circles around Charges

Circles can be placed around charges globally for the document, or individually for the charge attribute.
Circles will only surround the charge symbol, and not any magnitude numbers.
To add circles around all charges in the document, execute the following steps:
1. Select all the content in the document.
2. In the Preferences window, select the Visuals tab and then select the Attributes subtab.
3. In the Charges section, enable the Surround with a Circle option.
To add a circle to an individual charge attribute, execute the following steps:
1. Hover the charge that you would like to surround with a circle with a selection tool while nothing is
selected.
2. Right-click on the hovered charge and select the Format Charge. . . menu item, or press the comma
, key.

3. In the Charges section, enable the Surround with a Circle option.

SYMBOLS

Symbols are standard types of atom decorations that can be associated with any atoms such as the radical
cation symbol shown in Figure 3.16.

Figure 3.16: A Symbol Attribute

Positive Dipole Negative Dipole

Electron Pair aka Non-bonding

Single Electron
Pair, Lone Pair

Radical Cation Radical Anion

Electron Pair (Bar) Asterisk

Chapter 3: DRAWING CHEMICAL STRUCTURES 77

Adding Symbols

To add a symbol to an atom, execute the following steps:

1. Select the desired symbol tool in the Attributes palette.
2. Hover the atom to which the symbol is to be added.
3. Press the mouse down to add the symbol.
4. If you prefer to have the symbol placed elsewhere, then before releasing the mouse, drag the pointer to
the desired location. This will work identically to placing bonds with the optimize zone. Hold down
the shift key to break from standard lengths, and hold down the alt key to break from standard
angles.
5. Release the mouse to set the symbol.

Removing Symbols

To remove a symbol, use the Eraser tool and click on the hovered symbol or hover the symbol with the
selection tools and press the delete or backspace key.

ISOTOPES

Mass numbers can be associated with atoms with element symbols as their label to designate isotopes. All
mass numbers are displayed in superscript format to the left of element symbols as shown in Figure 3.17.

Figure 3.17: Carbon-13 Isotope

If you later change an atom’s label and there is a mass number associated with that atom, then the mass
number will be removed.

Setting Published Isotope Mass Numbers

To set a published mass number to an elemental atom, execute the following steps:
1. Hover the atom with the mass number to be set.
2. Right-click on the hovered atom.
3. Expand the Mass Number submenu.
4. Press any of the listed values to set the mass number of the isotope.
78 Chapter 3: DRAWING CHEMICAL STRUCTURES

Setting Arbitrary Isotope Mass Numbers

To set an arbitrary mass number to an element atom, execute the following steps:
1. Hover the atom with the mass number to be set.
2. Right-click on the hovered atom.
3. Expand the Mass Number submenu.
4. Press the Other. . . menu item.
5. Type in an integer value into the text field that appears.
6. Click the Accept button to set the mass number.

Removing Mass Numbers

To remove a mass number from an atom execute the following steps:

1. Hover the atom with the mass number to be removed.
2. Right-click on the hovered atom.
3. Expand the Mass Number submenu.
4. Press the Remove Mass Number menu item to remove the mass number.

ORBITALS

2D graphics for various orbital shapes can be placed directly into the document or attached onto structures.
Use them to show more detailed chemical figures. Each orbital shape has several different shading and fill
styles.
The following orbital types are provided:

Atomic s orbitals fz3 orbitals

Atomic px|y|z orbitals Hybrid sp3 orbitals

Atomic dxz|yz|xy|x2 −y2 orbitals Hybrid sp lobe orbitals

Atomic dz2 orbitals Bonding σ orbitals

Atomic fxz2 |xy2 |x(x2 −3y2 )|y(3x2 −y2 ) orbitals Bonding π orbitals
Chapter 3: DRAWING CHEMICAL STRUCTURES 79

Orbitals are defined by two anchor points as shown in Figure 3.18. The first anchor point defines the center
of the orbital while the second anchor point defines the extent of the orbital.

Figure 3.18: Orbital and Anchors

Placing Orbitals at Fixed Lengths and Angles

To place an orbital, execute the following steps:

1. Select an orbital tool by clicking any Orbital button in the Orbitals palette.
2. Press and hold the mouse down on the Doodle Board to set the center of the orbital.
3. Drag the mouse to preview the placement of the extent of the orbital. A dotted green outline of the
orbital will be shown.
4. Release the mouse to set the orbital.
In Step 2 of the above procedure, you may want to attach the orbital to an atom or bond center. ChemDoodle
will automatically lock onto atoms and bonds when placing orbitals if the mouse pointer gets close enough
to them. Once the atom or bond has been highlighted, continue through Step 2 to place the orbital and set
the center to be the atom or bond center.

Placing Orbitals at Non-fixed lengths or Angles

To place orbitals at non-fixed lengths or angles, hold down the alt key while dragging the mouse when
defining the orbital to break from the fixed lengths and angle orientations.

Forcing Orbitals to be Drawn Vertically and Horizontally

To place orbitals oriented vertically or horizontally, hold down the shift key while dragging the mouse when
defining the orbital. The orbital preview will then automatically orient vertically or horizontally depending
on the angle from the start point to the current mouse cursor position.
80 Chapter 3: DRAWING CHEMICAL STRUCTURES

Moving Orbitals

To move orbitals, use a selection tool, either the lasso or the rectangular marquee. Make sure that no content
is currently selected by emptying the current selection. Execute the following steps:
1. Hover the mouse pointer over the orbital so an open hand mouse cursor appears and the rectangle
anchor points are drawn as shown in Figure 3.18 above.
2. Press and hold the mouse down and drag without selecting an anchor point to move the orbital.
3. Release the mouse to finish the edit.

Resizing Orbitals

To resize orbitals, use a selection tool, either the lasso or the rectangular marquee. Make sure that no content
is currently selected by emptying the current selection. Execute the following steps:
1. Hover the mouse pointer over the orbital so an open hand mouse cursor appears and the rectangle
anchor points are drawn as shown in Figure 3.18 above.
2. Move the mouse pointer over one of the two end anchor points so that anchor point is filled in with an
amber color.
3. Press the mouse down so the anchor point is filled with a blue color.
4. Drag the anchor point to resize the orbital.
5. Release the mouse to finish the resize action.

Removing Orbitals

Orbitals can be removed in a number of ways. You can do the following:

• Use a selection tool to hover the mouse pointer over the orbital so an open hand mouse cursor appears
and the rectangle anchor points are drawn as shown in Figure 3.18 above. Then press the backspace
or delete key.
• Use the Eraser tool to hover the mouse pointer over the orbital so the orbital anchor points are drawn.
Then click with the mouse.
CHAPTER 4
Widgets
82 Chapter 4: WIDGETS

Contents
WIDGET WINDOWS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84

WIDGET EXPANSION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85

WIDGET LIST . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85

WIDGET MENU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87

AVAILABLE WIDGETS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
ELEMENTAL ANALYSIS WIDGET . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Purpose . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
HISTORY WIDGET . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Purpose . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
LINE NOTATION PAD WIDGET . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Purpose . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
MOLGRABBER WIDGET . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Purpose . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Directing to the Online Database . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Database Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
ChemExper Disclaimer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
ChemSpider Disclaimer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
PubChem User Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
MULTIPLET TOOL WIDGET . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Purpose . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Simulating Multiplets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Setting up the Multiplet Figure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Editing Multiplets from the Doodle Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Memory and Runtime Issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
NMR SIGNALSEEK WIDGET . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Purpose . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Simulating NMR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Analyzing the Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
How NMR is Simulated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
PROPERTIES WIDGET . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Purpose . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
SEARCH WIDGET . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Purpose . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Search Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
STATISTICS WIDGET . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Purpose . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Chapter 4: WIDGETS 83

SYMBOLS WIDGET . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107

Purpose . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
TEMPLATES WIDGET . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Purpose . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Using Templates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
TLC CANVAS WIDGET . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Purpose . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Drawing TLC Plates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Editing TLC Plates from the Doodle Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
84 Chapter 4: WIDGETS

Widgets are auxiliary applications that provide added functionality to ChemDoodle. Each
widget has its own unique interface contained within a widget window.

WIDGET WINDOWS
A widget window is a simple, movable and resizable window that contains the widget interface and two
buttons in its top bar for maximizing/unmaximizing the widget and closing the widget as shown in Figure 4.1.

Figure 4.1: Widget Window on Windows/Linux5

The top bar contains a button for maximizing the widget to fill the entire ChemDoodle application window.
Clicking on this button again when the widget is maximized will return it to its original size. You can also
use the drag anchors to resize widgets.
Clicking on the close button in the top bar will close the widget.
To move widgets, click and drag the top bar.
The entire widget interface is presented in the rest of the widget window below the title, which is displayed
below the top bar.

5 Widget window decorations (drag anchor, maximize/unmaximize button) have a slightly different appearance

on Mac OS X.
Chapter 4: WIDGETS 85

WIDGET EXPANSION
Some widgets are initially in a collapsed state. Each collapsed widget will have some method to expand it.
For example, the MolGrabber widget is initially collapsed. Type a search term in the text field and press
the enter key to expand it as shown in Figure 4.2. Every collapsible widget will also have a collapse button
to collapse it.

(a) Collapsed MolGrabber Widget (b) Expanded MolGrabber Widget

Figure 4.2: Widget Expansion

WIDGET LIST
There are currently 12 widgets provided in ChemDoodle: Brief descriptions are given in Table 4.6.
In addition to selecting widgets, icons may also perform additional functions. For instance, if you drag a
structure onto the Line Notation Pad widget icon, that structure will be loaded into the widget. Infor-
mation on these additional functions is provided in the subsequent sections of this chapter.
86 Chapter 4: WIDGETS

Table 4.6: Widgets

Name Description

Elemental Analysis Calculates molecular masses, elemental analysis and isotopic dis-
tributions for structures
History Provides full access to the undo/redo queue
Line Notation Pad Generates and parses line notations and will also correct your
input
MolGrabber Search databases for chemical structures
Multiplet Tool Simulate multiplets
NMR SignalSeek Simulate nuclear magnetic resonance and associate peaks to nuclei
as well as provide more thorough information about the spectrum
and simulation
Properties Calculates molecular descriptors
Search Search your computer and attached storage devices for chemical
structures
Statistics Displays document and drawing statistics
Symbols Quick access to chemically relevant symbols and the full unicode
range
Templates Organizes chemical structure templates for your use
TLC Canvas Draw thin layer chromatography plates

By default, the Doodle Statistics, History and MolGrabber widgets are shown. You can toggle which
widgets are shown by using the Widget menu or the Widget Tray.
Chapter 4: WIDGETS 87

WIDGET MENU
The Widget menu is a submenu under the Window menu and appears as shown in Figure 4.3.

Figure 4.3: Widget Menu

Clicking on an unchecked menu item will show the corresponding widget. Clicking a checked menu item will
hide the corresponding widget.
88 Chapter 4: WIDGETS

AVAILABLE WIDGETS

ELEMENTAL ANALYSIS WIDGET

Figure 4.4: Elemental Analysis Widget

Purpose

This widget calculates formulas and masses, performs elemental analysis, and simulates isotopic distributions.

Interface

The interface consists of four sections (see Figure 4.4). From top to bottom, the first section displays the
molecular formula, molecular mass and monoisotopic mass. The second section shows the elemental analysis;
each element shown with its percent composition. The third section lists the isotopic distribution, with mass
values and intensities. The fourth section shows an interactive spectrum of the isotopic distribution. The
Decimals component at the top will allow you to control the resolution of the calculations.
Chapter 4: WIDGETS 89

HISTORY WIDGET

Figure 4.5: History Widget

Purpose

The History widget is an advanced undo/redo tool and provides access to the complete log of all actions
performed since the document was created or opened. Click on a given action to jump back and forth to the
document state when that action was performed.

Interface

The interface consists of a single list in a scrolling pane as shown in Figure 4.5. The current state of the
document is signified with a green highlight over the left side of the latest action. Any actions performed
earlier are undecorated and listed above the current state, while any actions that have been undone are
highlighted in an amber color and are listed below the current state. By clicking on any actions above the
current state, the document will revert back to that action, undoing all actions between the current state
and the action clicked. By clicking on any actions below the current state, the document will redo all actions
between the current state and the action clicked. Therefore, the History widget allows you to easily revert
and restore any actions performed during the edit history of the document.
90 Chapter 4: WIDGETS

LINE NOTATION PAD WIDGET

Figure 4.6: Line Notation Pad Widget

Purpose

The Line Notation Pad widget can interpret and generate SMILES, SLN, InChI and ROSDAL chemical
line notation formats as well as convert between them with ease.

Interface

The interface for the Line Notation Pad widget is shown in Figure 4.6. The interface, from top to bottom,
consists of a Format drop-down menu, a String text field for inputting and outputting the line notation,
a column of buttons for performing various functions, the main structure panel and the input analysis list.
Initially, the interface is collapsed. Drag a structure onto the Line Notation Pad widget button or type
in a line notation in the String text field and press the enter key to expand it.
From the Format drop-down menu you can choose any of the line notations available to set the current
line notation format. If content is present in the text field, then that content will be converted into the new
format.
The String text field will display the generated line notation when a structure is dropped on the main
structure panel or the Line Notation Pad widget button. You may also explicitly type your line notation
in this component and then press the enter key or the View in 2D button to interpret it and display the
corresponding structure in the main structure panel.
The buttons to the left of the main structure panel perform functions as described in Table 4.7 below.
Chapter 4: WIDGETS 91

Table 4.7: Line Notation Pad Widget Buttons

Icon Function Description

Search Begins a search query using the search term input into the
Search text field and restricts it to matching the field selected
in the Source drop-down selections.

Add to the Doodle Board Places the current structure in the main structure panel onto the
current document. Alternatively, you can click on the main
structure panel and drag onto the document to place it.

Choose Start Point Allows you to click on an atom in the main structure panel to
denote it as the start point for the generation of the line
notation. If the line notation format is canonical or if such an
option is set, then setting the starting point will have no effect.

Copy to System Clipboard Copies the current text in the String text field onto the system
as Text clipboard as plain text. For MIME-type specific clipboard
contents, set the appropriate options in the Advanced tab of
the Preferences window, then copy from the Doodle Board.

Clear
Clears the current contents and collapses the widget.

The main structure panel displays the structure associated with the line notation in the String text field.
You can generate a line notation for a structure on the Doodle Board by selecting the structure and then
by clicking and dragging that structure onto the main structure panel of the Line Notation Pad widget.
Structures from the main drawing panel can also be dragged onto the Doodle Board.
The final component of the interface is a scrollable list. Any errors or warnings perceived when interpreting
the line notation will be listed here. Use these suggestions to help correct malformed strings
92 Chapter 4: WIDGETS

MOLGRABBER WIDGET

Figure 4.7: MolGrabber Widget

Purpose

MolGrabber is a web application for obtaining pre-drawn molecular structures and properties from online
databases. The interface is shown in Figure 4.7. Currently, MolGrabber interfaces with the following
databases:
• ChemExper - http://www.chemexper.com/
• ChemSpider - http://www.chemspider.com/
• PubChem - http://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/

Because MolGrabber connects to online databases, it requires an active internet connection

for its use.

Interface

The interface for the MolGrabber widget consists of, from top to bottom, buttons for performing functions,
a Search text field for inputting a search term, a Source drop-down selection for choosing the database
to search through followed by a second drop-down selection to restrict the search, a progress spinner to the
right of those three components to notify you that a search is currently being performed, a main structure
panel with a button column to the left of it for performing various functions, a scrollable list to hold all
search results and, at the bottom, statistics about the search result with traversal buttons for navigating
through large numbers of results.
Initially, the interface is collapsed. Type a search term in the Search text field and press the enter key
to expand it. This can be any search term that the associated database can handle. After pressing the
Chapter 4: WIDGETS 93

return key, the progress spinner will activate to notify you that it is performing the search. After the search
completes, the progress spinner will deactivate, the results will populate the result list, and the first result
will appear in the main structure panel.
The Source drop-down selection can be used to select which database to search. The second drop-down
selection will restrict your search to a specific data field type supported by the database. Choose a specific
field and the search will only match results in that field for the input search term.
The buttons on the top of the widget perform functions as described in Table 4.8 below.

Table 4.8: MolGrabber Widget Buttons

Icon Function Description

Search Begins a search query using the search term input into the
Search text field and restricts it to matching the field selected
in the Source drop-down selections.

Add to the Doodle Board Places the current structure in the main structure panel onto the
current document. Alternatively, you can click on the main
structure panel and drag onto the document to place it.

Show/Hide Hydrogen Adds and removes hydrogen atoms from the structure in the
main structure panel based on the coordinates for the hydrogen
atoms provided by the database. Some databases may not
provide hydrogen coordinates and in those cases this function
will have no effect.
Show Associated Data Displays all associated database data for the structure displayed
in the main structure panel.

Clear
Clears the current contents and collapses the widget.

The main structure panel will display the structure for the selected result. Once the desired structure is
displayed on the main structure panel, it can be dragged and dropped onto the Doodle Board.
Below the main structure panel is the search result list. This list will display a maximum of 20 results with
the following format for each entry:
Name (Molecular Formula) [Molecular Mass amu]
Click on any of the items in the list to display them in the main structure panel.
Below the search results is a label to inform you of which search results are presented in the current result
set along with traversal buttons to navigate through large numbers of results. Press the left and right arrows
to view the previous 20 and next 20 results respectively. If there are no previous or no next results, then the
corresponding arrow will be disabled.

ChemSpider does not currently support pagination of results, so care must be taken with
generic queries as they may return many, many results and may take a long time to complete.
94 Chapter 4: WIDGETS

Directing to the Online Database

After a molecule has been loaded, clicking on the Show Associated Data button will list associated data
from that database. The top item will be the specific database id as a hyperlink. The link will open up your
default browser to the selected database’s page for the current result.

Database Notes

ChemDoodle only provides an interface to the databases supported in the MolGrabber

widget. It is important to be aware of any restrictions regarding copyrights, disclaimers and
warranty information before using these databases.

ChemExper Disclaimer

http://www.chemexper.com/’main=ccd/disclaimer.html
***** USE AT YOUR OWN RISK *****
ChemExper compiles chemical information from many sources.
THIS DATA IS PROVIDED “AS IS” AND IN NO EVENT SHALL CHEMEXPER BE LIABLE
FOR ANY DAMAGES, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, DAMAGES RESULTING
FROM LOST DATA OR LOST PROFITS OR REVENUE, THE COSTS OF RECOVERING
SUCH DATA, CLAIMS BY THIRD PARTIES OR FOR OTHER SIMILAR COSTS, OR ANY
SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, ARISING OUT OF THE
USE OF THE DATA.
The accuracy or reliability of the data is not guaranteed or warranted in any way and the Providers dis-
claim liability of any kind whatsoever, including, without limitation, liability for quality, performance, mer-
chantability and fitness for a particular purpose arising out of the use, or inability to use the data.

ChemSpider Disclaimer

http://www.chemspider.com/Disclaimer.aspx

General

The ChemSpider website is maintained by The Royal Society of Chemistry on behalf of its wholly owned
subsidiary RSC Worldwide Ltd. RSC Worldwide Ltd does not warrant or assume any legal liability or
responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any documents, data, software, apparatus,
product, process, or other information on the ChemSpider website. You should not rely on any information
on the website for any assessment of the risks of any specific experiment, procedure or process that you wish
to carry out; you should always carry out your own risk assessment for such purposes. The information on
this website may not be correct or appropriate for local regulations, legal codes, practices or policies. The
information may be out of date. RSC Worldwide Ltd takes no responsibility for any injury, loss, or damage
caused in any manner whatsoever by the use of the information on this website.

Some ChemSpider webpages link to pages on other websites, for the convenience of users. RSC Worldwide
Ltd is not responsible for the availability of content on these webpages. Nor does it endorse or warrant the
services, products or information offered on these other pages, unless explicitly stated.

For site security purposes software programs and algorithms are used to monitor traffic and to identify
unauthorized attempts to upload or change information or otherwise cause damage to the ChemSpider
Chapter 4: WIDGETS 95

service. In the event of unauthorized activities utilizing information on the ChemSpider website information
from these sources may be used to help identify an individual for prosecution.

Data

The data on the ChemSpider website are sourced from a number of contributors and collaborators. The
majority of data were originally sourced from the NCBI-PubChem website and are made available under
the explicit statements and disclaimers provided by National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI).
NCBI places no restrictions on the use or distribution of the data contained within their database. RSC
Worldwide Ltd has abided by the assumptions of NCBI. These are as follows: “While some submitters of
the original data (or the country of origin of such data) may claim patent, copyright, or other intellectual
property rights in all or a portion of the data (that has been submitted), NCBI is not in a position to assess
the validity of such claims and, therefore, cannot provide comment or unrestricted permission concerning the
use, copying, or distribution of the information contained in the molecular databases.” In this regard should
any contributors to the NCBIPubChem database wish to have their data removed from the ChemSpider
website please send a detailed request to [email protected].

Data on ChemSpider, including structures and spectra, are sourced also from individuals. In depositing
these data to the ChemSpider website, these individuals undertake that they have the rights to do so, and
that the rights do not reside with any third party.

PubChem User Requirements

http://eutils.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query/static/eutils_help.html

Do not overload NCBI’s systems. Users intending to send numerous queries and/or retrieve large numbers
of records from Entrez should comply with the following:

• Run retrieval scripts on weekends or between 9 pm and 5 am Eastern Time weekdays for any series of
more than 100 requests.

• Make no more than one request every 3 seconds.

• NCBI’s Disclaimer and Copyright notice must be evident to users of your service. NLM does not claim
the copyright on the abstracts in PubMed; however, journal publishers or authors may. NLM provides
no legal advice concerning distribution of copyrighted materials, consult your legal counsel.
96 Chapter 4: WIDGETS

MULTIPLET TOOL WIDGET

Figure 4.8: Multiplet Tool Widget

Purpose

The Multiplet Tool widget is a comprehensive tool for generating multiplet trees, simulating signals and
producing their figures. It is perfectly suited for simulating nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) or electron
paramagnetic resonance (EPR, aka ESR) signals. The interface is shown in Figure 4.8.

Interface

The interface for the Multiplet Tool widget consists of, from top to bottom, a row of buttons for performing
various functions and the main multiplet panel.

Use the buttons to set up the simulation and layout of the multiplet. The buttons perform functions as
described in Table 4.9.
Chapter 4: WIDGETS 97

Table 4.9: Multiplet Widget Buttons

Icon Function Description

Add to the Doodle Board Places the current multiplet from the main multiplet panel into
the current document.
Input Parameters Pops up a window for you to define parameters for the
simulation including the number of neighboring nuclei, their spin
and coupling magnitude.

Real-Time Sliders Provides a window with sliders for each parameter. Changing
the sliders will affect the simulation in real time.
Settings Displays a window to define how the simulation is performed
and how the multiplet figure is laid out and displayed.

After completing your simulation, drag and drop the multiplet from the main multiplet panel onto the
Doodle Board.

Simulating Multiplets

To simulate multiplets, define the parameters in the Input Parameters window that appears after clicking
the Input Parameters button and then click the Calculate button as shown in Figure 4.9. Press the reset
button in this window to reset all parameters.

Figure 4.9: Multiplet Input Parameters

To tweak the input parameters to analyze their effect on the simulation, use the Real-Time Sliders button
and change the values slowly in the window that appears as shown in Figure 4.10. When you are satisfied
with the simulation, press the Done button. The Reset button will reset the parameters to their initial
values before the window was opened.

Figure 4.10: Real-Time Sliders

98 Chapter 4: WIDGETS

Setting up the Multiplet Figure

To define how the simulation is performed and how the multiplet figure is displayed, click on the Settings
button to display the Multiplet Settings window (see Figure 4.11).

Figure 4.11: Multiplet Settings

Editing Multiplets from the Doodle Board

To edit a multiplet from the Doodle Board, select it and then drag and drop it onto the Multiplet Tool
widget button or onto the main multiplet panel. A copy will be made and can be edited using the Multiplet
Tool widget. Add this new edited multiplet to the Doodle Board and delete the old one.

Memory and Runtime Issues

A nucleus of any spin may be used, including hypothetical spins, however more complex simulations require
more memory and processor power leading to longer runtimes. Some extremely complex simulations may
cause memory issues.
Chapter 4: WIDGETS 99

NMR SIGNALSEEK WIDGET

Figure 4.12: NMR SignalSeek Widget

Purpose

The NMR SignalSeek widget simulates 1 H and 13 C nuclear magnetic resonance and also associates peaks
with nuclei. Full information about each simulation is provided for in-depth analysis.

Interface

The interface for the NMR SignalSeek widget is shown in Figure 4.12. The interface consists of the main
structure panel above which are two buttons for performing various functions, and to the right is a set of
panels for displaying the simulated NMR spectra with 13 C displayed on top and 1 H displayed on the bottom.

The main structure panel displays the structure being analyzed and is interactive. The spectra are also
interactive and display the simulation results. Use the buttons to set up the simulation and copy content to
the Doodle Board. The buttons perform functions as described in Table 4.10.

Table 4.10: NMR SignalSeek Widget Buttons

Icon Function Description

Add to the Doodle Board Places both the simulated 1 H and 13

C spectra onto the current
document.
Settings
Displays a window to define how the simulation is performed.
100 Chapter 4: WIDGETS

Simulating NMR

To simulate NMR spectra for a structure, drag and drop that structure from the Doodle Board onto the
NMR SignalSeek widget button or the main structure panel. The 1 H and 13 C NMR spectra are instantly
generated and displayed.

All variables for the simulation can be customized. To define the variables, click on the Settings button to
display a window containing the parameters, as shown in Figure 4.13.

Figure 4.13: NMR Simulation Settings

When you are finished defining the variables, click the Simulate button to recalculate the spectra. Adjust
these parameters to match an experimental spectrum for correlated figures on the Doodle Board. Settings
include:

• TMS - Display or hide the reference peak.

• Roof Effects - Simulate roof effects.

• Line Shape - Lorentzian or Gaussian.

• Pulse Frequency - The spectrum resolution. The value is appropriate for 1 H NMR. 13 C NMR
will be simulated to a resolution of a quarter of this value to remain consistent with experimental
spectrometers.

• Line Width - Control the line width.

• Dilution - Affect the solvent/solute intensity ratio.

• Temperature - Change the simulation temperature.

• Solvent - Choose a solvent. Splitting is fully calculated with the appropriate spin of the nuclei
(Deuterium has a spin of 1 and you will see this splitting correctly in the solvent peaks).
Chapter 4: WIDGETS 101

Analyzing the Results

The spectra are completely interactive. You can easily change the view of the spectrum by clicking and
dragging to zoom in on the x-axis. Double clicking on the spectrum will revert it to the full view. Scrolling
will change the scale of the y-axis.

Peaks and nuclei are hoverable. Hovering over a peak will highlight the corresponding nuclei and vice versa.
The chemical shift of the nuclei is displayed above the structure in the main structure panel.

Clicking on a highlighted peak or nuclei set will display further data from the simulation, including the shift
prediction, splitting nuclei and j-constant predictions as shown in Figure 4.14.

Figure 4.14: In-depth Simulation Information

The NMR SignalSeek widget is initially small to conserve space. But as with all widgets, you can resize
or maximize them if you desire more interaction space.

How NMR is Simulated

The simulations in the NMR SignalSeek widget are based on empirical algorithms, with a database of
incremental constants compiled from publications and some unpublished work. These references are listed
by clicking the References menu item in the Help menu. Further information on the algorithms used to
simulate NMR is provided in APPENDIX: HOW NMR IS SIMULATED .
102 Chapter 4: WIDGETS

PROPERTIES WIDGET

(a) Single Molecule (b) Multiple Molecules

Figure 4.15: Properties Widget Interface

Purpose

The Properties widget calculates and displays descriptors for molecules. There are two unique interfaces
displayed by the Properties widget depending on the situation. If and only if a single molecule is being
drawn, a table will be displayed. Otherwise, a drop-down tree will be presented to show data for each
of the selected molecules. The Properties widget will automatically update to reflect any changes if the
Auto-update box is checked. The interface displayed when a single molecule is being edited is shown in
Figure 4.15(a), and the interface displayed when multiple molecules are selected is shown in Figure 4.15(b).

Interface

The interface consists of a checkbox and button at the top that control when the widget updates and the
data component at the bottom which displays a table or drop-down tree depending on the situation.

The table is non-interactive and only displays the most important information. For additional descriptors,
select the molecule to display the organized tree. To use the tree, click the arrow to the left of each item, or
double click on the item to expand it.

When the Auto-update checkbox is selected, the Properties widget will refresh automatically when any
content is changed. Deselect the checkbox to improve drawing performance when handling large molecules.
When the Auto-update checkbox is deselected, the Update button will be enabled to manually control
when the widget refreshes.
Chapter 4: WIDGETS 103

Currently, the Properties widget calculates the following properties for each molecule:

• Molecular Formula

– Counts

∗ Atoms

∗ Bonds

∗ Rings

· Frèrejacque Number

· All Rings

∗ Hydrogen Bond Acceptors

∗ Hydrogen Bond Donors

∗ Degree of Unsaturation

∗ Lipinski’s Rule of 5 Violations

∗ Wiener Index

– Calculations

∗ Molar Refractivity

∗ Topological Polar Surface Area

∗ XlogP v2.0

∗ Mass

· Molecular

· Monoisotopic

· Elemental Composition

To copy content from the Properties widget, right-click on any item and choose the Copy menu item.

It may take quite a few clicks to access information through the Properties widget. For quicker access to
all molecular descriptors, use the Descriptors submenu of the Structure menu.
104 Chapter 4: WIDGETS

SEARCH WIDGET

Figure 4.16: Search Widget

Purpose

The Search widget allows you to search your hard drive and any attached storage devices for chemical
structures. The Search widget recognizes all formats that ChemDoodle understands, so you will be able to
find the old files you thought you lost a long time ago and edit them in ChemDoodle.

Interface

The Search widget interface is shown in Figure 4.16. The interface consists of, from top to bottom, a Folder
button to select the root directory of the search, Match and Multiple options to define how the search
is performed, a small drop panel to drop the structures to be searched for and to notify you that a search
is currently being performed, a column of buttons for various functions with a main structure panel to the
right of them, a list of search results and then labels to notify you of search progress.

The top section will allow you to select a root folder for the search. Click on the Folder button and use
the file chooser that appears to select a folder. Be as exclusive as possible when choosing a root folder, as
searching your entire hard drive can take a very long time and may cause memory issues. The Match and
Multiple options will affect how the search is performed. Setting Match to Entire will guarantee that all
results are exact matches of the query structures, while selecting Substructure will match any structures
where the query structures are matched exactly or contained within larger structures. Setting Multiple to
Chapter 4: WIDGETS 105

AND will ensure that all query structures are matched in a file for that file to be considered a result, while
selecting OR will allow any matched query structure to qualify the file as a result.

Initially, the interface is collapsed. Drag and drop a structure or group of structures from the Doodle
Board onto the small drop panel or onto the Search widget button to expand it and set the query structure
content.

The buttons to the left of the main structure panel perform functions as described in the Table 4.11 below.

Table 4.11: Search Widget Buttons

Icon Function Description

Search Begins the search query using the query structure(s) dropped
onto the Search widget button with the specified search options.

Settings Allows you to control search parameters and improve

performance.

Open
Opens the currently selected result on the Doodle Board.

Add to the Doodle Board Places the current structure in the main structure panel onto the
current document. Alternatively, you can click on the main
structure panel and drag onto the document to place it.

Clear
Clears the current contents and collapses the widget.

While the search is being performed, a pulsing stop sign will become visible on top of the small drop-down
panel to notify you of search progress. Clicking on the stop sign will terminate the search. At the bottom
of the interface are two labels. The first label names the file currently being searched, and will display
Finished! when completed. The second label displays statistics about the files searched from the onset of
the search. The statistics have the following format:

Files Matched/Chemical Files Searched/Total Files Searched

Be careful with the search! Searching large numbers of files may cause ChemDoodle to run out of memory,
causing ChemDoodle to respond slowly. Choose the root search folder and the search settings described in
the next section with care.

Once the search is completed, all matched files will be listed in the results list. Click on any result to view
all the structures in that file, one at a time, in the main structure panel. All hits are highlighted in red. If a
file contains multiple structures, clicking the gray arrows that appear to the left and right of the structure
will allow you to browse through them. The total number of structures in the file is noted at the bottom
left of the main structure panel. Once you have found the structure you were looking for, drag and drop the
structure from the main structure panel onto the Doodle Board. You can also use the Open button to
open the entire file on the Doodle Board.
106 Chapter 4: WIDGETS

Search Settings

Search parameters can be defined by clicking on the Settings button. A window with the options will appear
as shown in Figure 4.17.

Figure 4.17: Search Settings for the Search Widget

There are currently three options:

1. Search File Size Restriction - This value determines the maximum file size that the Search widget
will include in its search, to avoid memory issues.

2. Maximum Number of Search Results - This value will control the maximum number of search
results. The search will continue until all the files in the selected root search folder are visited or when
this maximum result value is reached. Keeping it low and providing smaller root search folders will
avoid runtime and memory issues.

3. Exclude PDB Files - Many times, PDB files are very large and contain molecular dynamics trajec-
tories or Monte Carlo distributions. To avoid all of these files and the subsequent runtime and memory
issues, keep this option selected. If you need to search through PDB files, turn this option off.

STATISTICS WIDGET

Figure 4.18: Statistics Widget

Chapter 4: WIDGETS 107

Purpose

The Statistics widget will display information about the current document and hovered or selected items.
Use it to help with drawing and placement tasks.

Interface

The interface is separated into three sections as shown in Figure 4.18. The top section displays information
about the document, the middle section displays information about the content, and the final section displays
specific information about hovered or selected objects.

SYMBOLS WIDGET

(a) Abbreviations Tab (b) Arrows Tab (c) Elements Tab

Figure 4.19: Symbols Widget

Purpose

The Symbols widget is a complement to the Labels toolbar. This widget contains an abbreviation library,
a periodic table of elements, arrows, Greek letters and many other symbols. A few selected tabs are shown
in Figures 4.19.

Interface

The content in the Symbols widget is small and may be difficult to read. As can be seen in Figure 4.20,
hovering over any symbol will show a larger preview at the top left hand corner of the widget. Hovering for
a few seconds will also display a tooltip description.
108 Chapter 4: WIDGETS

Figure 4.20: Symbol Preview

When abbreviations or elements are chosen, you may modify atoms as described in the labels section. Other
symbols, such as arrows may not be used directly as atom labels. However, you can open up an atom label
text field, and then input the symbol. If you are modifying any text component, clicked symbols will be
inserted into the component’s content.

If you set an atom’s label to one that is not recognized or parsed by ChemDoodle, an unrecognized warning
will appear. You may dismiss this warning or edit the current list of abbreviations to allow unrecognized
tokens by selecting the Add New. . . menu item in the Structure menu in the Abbreviations submenu.

All possible symbols available are accessible in the Symbols widget, even if they are not displayed immedi-
ately in the tab sets. click the Unicode Character Selection button at the bottom of the widget to view
the unicode character selector shown in Figure 4.21.
Chapter 4: WIDGETS 109

Figure 4.21: The Unicode Character Selector

Using hex, you can traverse the entire unicode range and easily insert any desired symbols into text compo-
nents. Note that not all fonts will have character glyphs assigned to each hex value. In these cases, a blank
space or empty rectangle will appear in your text component and in the unsupported symbol button.

Some programs use the Symbol font to display symbols. This is an archaic solution and the
standard is to now use unicode characters, which ChemDoodle fully supports. ChemDoodle
will try to recognize and correct such cases when reading in files from other programs.
110 Chapter 4: WIDGETS

TEMPLATES WIDGET

Figure 4.22: Templates Widget

Purpose

The Templates widget organizes your templates and allows you to easily use them. The interface is shown
in Figure 4.22.

Interface

The interface consists of, from top to bottom, a main structure panel, a drop down selection for selecting a
template group and a scrollable list for selecting a template.

The main structure panel displays the selected template. An atom can be set to be the substitution point
by clicking on it. The substitution point is the atom that will be overlapped with the atom the template is
connected to. Note that selecting the substitution point does not place the template into the document, you
will still need to follow the directions in DRAWING CHEMICAL STRUCTURES to use the template.

The template group drop-down selection will allow you to select a group of templates to browse. After
selecting a template group, the template list will populate with templates from that group. Click on a
Chapter 4: WIDGETS 111

template to display it in the main structure panel for use.

Using Templates

Drawing with templates and creating templates is discussed in detail in DRAWING CHEMICAL STRUC-
TURES.

TLC CANVAS WIDGET

Figure 4.23: TLC Canvas Widget

Purpose

The TLC Canvas widget provides a tool for creating graphics of thin-layer chromatography (TLC) plates.
The interface is shown in Figure 4.23.
112 Chapter 4: WIDGETS

Interface

The interface consists of, from left to right, a column of buttons for spot types, the main TLC panel for
drawing the TLC plate. Above them both are a row of buttons for performing various functions.

The top button in the spot type column sets the color of spots. Beneath the color button are six different
shapes of spots:

• Compact Spot - a small dot

• Expanded Spot - a circle

• Trailing Spot - a small dot with a trail

• Widened Spot - an oval aligned horizontally

• Crescent Spot - a crescent shape with bowl facing downwards

• Custom Spot - a splatter shape that can be changed

Click on any of the spot types to set the drawing mode to place the spot.

Each spot button is a group button. Expand the group button for more spot styles. For each spot there are
three spot styles:

• Solid Style - Solid throughout

• Empty Style - Just a line border

• Diffuse Style - Gradient from the center to the edges

The main TLC panel contains the TLC plate being drawn. You can edit it using the controls to the right.
When finished editing the TLC plate, use the Add to Doodle Board button to place it on the Doodle
Board.

The topmost button column contains function buttons to control how to edit the TLC plate. The buttons
perform functions as described in the table below.
Chapter 4: WIDGETS 113

Table 4.12: TLC Plate Widget Buttons

Icon Function Description

Add to the Doodle Board Places the current TLC plate in the main TLC panel onto the
current document.
Settings Pops up a window to edit the visual specifications of the TLC
plate.

Move Allows you to translate spots along their lanes and allows you to
move the origin and solvent front.

Resize Spots Displays the anchor points for all spots and allows you to click
and drag them to alter spot shapes.

Delete Allows you to remove spots by clicking on them and allow you to
delete lanes by clicking on the lane tick at the origin.

Clear Removes all spots, leaves a single lane, and resets the origin and
solvent front.

Drawing TLC Plates

There are 13 buttons associated with the TLC Canvas. The controls on the left are the simplest. The top
button is the color of the spots; click it to choose a different color. The rest of the buttons in that column
correspond to spot shapes. These are the compact, expanded, trailing, widened, crescent and custom spots,
in that order. Click on a spot button, then hover over the TLC plate for a preview and Rf calculation.
Once you are satisfied with a location, click to place the spot. You can create new lanes by placing spots in
between the existing lanes.

These spot buttons are group buttons and more spot styles will appear when hovered. All of the spots can
be initialized with a solid, hollow or gradient style. The gradient styled spots most closely represent actual
spots.

Using the Move button, you hover over spots to highlight them, and then click and drag to move them
along their lanes. Rf values are displayed while you move spots. You may also click and drag the origin and
solvent front to move them, preserving Rf values.

When spots are hovered, you can right click on them to open a popup menu with the following functions:

• Duplicate Spot - Will produce a duplicate spot of the hovered spot, underneath the hovered spot in
the same lane.

• Remove Spot - Will delete the spot.

• Format Spot - Opens the Format Spot window.

The Format Spot window will provide several options for precisely defining its color, style, display settings
and position as shown in Figure 4.24.
114 Chapter 4: WIDGETS

Figure 4.24: Format Spot Window

To resize and reshape spots on the TLC plate, use the Resize Spots button. Hover over the control points
that appear, and then click and drag to move them. All spots except the custom spot are defined by 4
control points. You may move all four to create different shapes. The custom spot is unique and is defined
by eight control points. You may use custom spots to create much more complicated shapes.

To remove spots and lanes, use the Delete button. Hover over spots to highlight them, then click to remove
them. You may delete a lane by clicking its lane tick at the origin. Deleting a lane will also delete its
contained spots. To clear and reset the entire TLC plate, click the Clear button.

Editing TLC Plates from the Doodle Board

To edit a TLC plate from the Doodle Board, select it and then drag and drop it onto the TLC Canvas
widget button or onto the main TLC panel. A copy will be made and can be edited using the TLC Canvas
widget. Add this new edited TLC plate to the Doodle Board and delete the old one.
CHAPTER 5
Shapes
116 Chapter 5: SHAPES

Contents
OVERVIEW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118

ANCHORS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
CONTROL ANCHORS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
CORNER/EDGE ANCHORS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118

LINES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
DRAWING LINES AT FIXED ANGLES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
DRAWING LINES AT NON-FIXED ANGLES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
FORCING LINES TO BE DRAWN VERTICALLY AND HORIZONTALLY . . . . . . . 120
MOVING LINES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
RESIZING LINES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
REMOVING LINES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120

ARCS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
DRAWING ARCS AT FIXED ANGLES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
DRAWING ARCS AT NON-FIXED ANGLES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
FORCING ARCS TO BE DRAWN VERTICALLY AND HORIZONTALLY . . . . . . . 121
MOVING ARCS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
RESIZING ARCS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
CHANGING ARC ANGLES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
FLIPPING AN ARC’S ORIENTATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
REMOVING ARCS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123

ARROWS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
DRAWING ARROWS AT FIXED ANGLES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
DRAWING ARROWS AT NON-FIXED ANGLES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
FORCING ARROWS TO BE DRAWN VERTICALLY AND HORIZONTALLY . . . . . 124
MOVING ARROWS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
RESIZING ARROWS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
CHANGING ARROW ARC ANGLES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
REMOVING ARROWS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
EDITING ARROWHEADS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125

RECTANGLES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
DRAWING RECTANGLES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
DRAWING SQUARES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
MOVING RECTANGLES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
RESIZING RECTANGLES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
CONVERTING BETWEEN ROUNDED & NON-ROUNDED RECTANGLES . . . . . . 127
REMOVING RECTANGLES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127

OVALS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
DRAWING OVALS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
DRAWING CIRCLES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
MOVING OVALS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
RESIZING OVALS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
REMOVING OVALS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129

BRACKETS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Chapter 5: SHAPES 117

DRAWING BRACKETS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130

DRAWING BRACKETS WITH EQUAL WIDTH AND HEIGHT . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
MOVING BRACKETS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
RESIZING BRACKETS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
EDITING BRACKET LIP PROTRUSION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
REMOVING BRACKETS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
DYNAMIC BRACKETS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131

CUSTOM SHAPES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132

DRAWING WITH THE PEN TOOL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
DRAWING WITH THE POLYLINE TOOL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
MOVING PEN PATHS AND POLYLINES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
MODIFYING PEN PATHS AND POLYLINES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
DRAWING WITH THE BEZIER TOOL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
MODIFYING BEZIER CURVES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
DELETING BEZIER CONTROL POINTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
ADDING ARROWS TO CUSTOM SHAPES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
CLOSING AND OPENING CUSTOM SHAPES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
REMOVING CUSTOM SHAPES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135

RULERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
DRAWING RULERS AT FIXED ANGLES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
DRAWING RULERS AT NON-FIXED ANGLES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
FORCING RULERS TO BE DRAWN VERTICALLY AND HORIZONTALLY . . . . . 136
AUTOMATICALLY MEASURING OBJECT WIDTH AND HEIGHT . . . . . . . . . . 136
AUTOMATICALLY MEASURING OBJECT DIAGONAL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
MOVING RULERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
RESIZING RULERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
SHOWING AND HIDING MAJOR AND MINOR TICKS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
CHANGING THE MEASUREMENT UNIT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
REMOVING RULERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138

TEXT AREAS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138

UPDATING LABELS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139

EDITING UPDATING LABELS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
COPYING TEXT FROM AN UPDATING LABEL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
118 Chapter 5: SHAPES

OVERVIEW
In addition to chemical structures, ChemDoodle provides tools for drawing shapes for advanced figures.

In this chapter the new user is introduced to shapes within ChemDoodle. Topics covered include:

• The different types of shapes.

• How to draw shapes.

• Adding arrows to figures.

• Adding text to figures.

• How to move shapes.

• How to resize shapes.

• How to remove shapes.

• What the anchor decorations mean.

ANCHORS
Anchors are points that define a given shape. By moving them, you modify how the shape appears. There
are two types of anchors, control anchors and corner/edge anchors.

CONTROL ANCHORS

Control anchors represent points that can be moved anywhere and have no relationship to other anchors.
Shapes that are controlled by these achors include in lines, custom shapes or orbitals. They appear as
compass shapes as shown in Figure 5.1.

Figure 5.1: Control Anchors

CORNER/EDGE ANCHORS

Corner edge anchors define corners and edges of shapes. Moving these anchors will change the shape in
relationship to the other anchors. For instance, if you move a left-right pointing anchor, you will not affect
the vertical positioning of the other anchors. These anchors are present for box shaped objects, like rectangles
and ovals. They appear as double sided arrows as shown in Figure 5.2.
Chapter 5: SHAPES 119

Figure 5.2: Corner/Edge Anchors

LINES
Lines are the most basic shape and are defined by two anchors placed at their endpoints as shown in
Figure 5.3. There is also a third anchor at the midpoint for controlling the arc angle. This anchor point is
discussed in the next section (Arcs).

Figure 5.3: Line Shape and Anchors

DRAWING LINES AT FIXED ANGLES

To draw a line at fixed angles, execute the following steps:

1. Select a line tool from the Shapes palette in the main toolbar.

2. Press and hold the mouse down on the Doodle Board to set the start point of the line.

3. Drag the mouse to preview the placement of the end of the line.

4. Release the mouse to set the line.

You can also click the mouse to set the start point then move the mouse and click again to set the end point.

By default, lines will be oriented at fixed angles every 15◦ starting at 0◦ .

DRAWING LINES AT NON-FIXED ANGLES

To place lines at non-fixed angles, hold down the alt key while dragging the mouse when defining the line.
120 Chapter 5: SHAPES

FORCING LINES TO BE DRAWN VERTICALLY AND HORIZONTALLY

To place lines oriented vertically or horizontally, hold down the shift key while dragging the mouse when
defining the line. The line preview will then automatically orient vertically or horizontally depending on the
angle from the start point to the current mouse cursor position.

MOVING LINES

To move lines, use a selection tool, either the lasso or the rectangular marquee. Make sure that no content
is currently selected by emptying the current selection. Execute the following steps:

1. Hover the mouse pointer over the line so an open hand mouse cursor appears and the anchor points
are drawn as shown in Figure 5.3.

2. Press the mouse down and drag to move the line without selecting any of the anchors.

3. Release the mouse to finish the move action.

RESIZING LINES

To resize lines, use a selection tool, either the lasso or the rectangular marquee. Make sure that no content
is currently selected by emptying the current selection. Execute the following steps:

1. Hover the mouse pointer over the line so an open hand mouse cursor appears and the anchor points
are drawn as shown in Figure 5.3.

2. Move the mouse pointer over one of the two end anchor points so that anchor point is filled in with an
amber color.

3. Press the mouse down so the anchor point is filled with a blue color.

4. Drag the anchor point to resize the line.

5. Release the mouse to finish the resize action.

REMOVING LINES

Lines can be removed in a number of ways. You can do the following:

• Use a selection tool to hover the mouse pointer over the line so an open hand mouse cursor appears
and the line anchor points are drawn as shown in Figure 5.3. Then press the backspace or delete
key.

• Use the eraser tool to hover the mouse pointer over the line so the line anchor points are drawn. Then
click with the mouse.
Chapter 5: SHAPES 121

ARCS
Arcs are segments of a circle and are defined by two anchors placed at their endpoints as shown in Figure 5.4.
There is also a third anchor at the middle for controlling the arc angle. Only 90◦ , 120◦ , 180◦ and 270◦ arcs
are directly provided in the Shapes palette, but an arc of any angle can be drawn. The only difference
between the line shape and the arc shape is the angle, and either shape can be converted into the other by
changing this value.

Figure 5.4: Arc Shape and Anchors

DRAWING ARCS AT FIXED ANGLES

To draw an arc at fixed angles, execute the following steps:

1. Select an arc tool by expanding the Shape palette in the main toolbar.

2. Press and hold the mouse down on the Doodle Board to set the start point of the arc.

3. Drag the mouse to preview the placement of the end of the arc.

4. Release the mouse to set the arc.

You can also click the mouse to set the start point then move the mouse and click again to set the end point.

By default, arcs will be oriented at fixed angles every 15◦ starting at 0◦ .

While placing the arc, if the z key is clicked, the arc will flip to the opposite side.

DRAWING ARCS AT NON-FIXED ANGLES

To place arcs at non-fixed angles, break from the fixed orientation angles by holding down the alt key
while dragging the mouse when defining the arc.

FORCING ARCS TO BE DRAWN VERTICALLY AND HORIZONTALLY

To place arcs oriented vertically or horizontally, hold down the shift key while dragging the mouse when
defining the arc. The arc preview will then automatically orient vertically or horizontally depending on the
angle from the start point to the current mouse cursor position.
122 Chapter 5: SHAPES

MOVING ARCS

To move arcs, use a selection tool, either the lasso or the rectangular marquee. Make sure that no content
is currently selected by emptying the current selection. Execute the following steps:

1. Hover the mouse pointer over the arc so an open hand mouse cursor appears and the anchor points
are drawn as shown in Figure 5.4.

2. Press the mouse down and drag to move the arc without selecting any of the anchors.

3. Release the mouse to finish the move action.

RESIZING ARCS

To resize arcs, use a selection tool, either the lasso or the rectangular marquee. Make sure that no content
is currently selected by emptying the current selection. Execute the following steps:

1. Hover the mouse pointer over the arc so an open hand mouse cursor appears and the anchor points
are drawn as shown in Figure 5.4.

2. Move the mouse pointer over one of the two end anchor points so that anchor point is filled in with an
amber color.

3. Press the mouse down so the anchor point is filled with a blue color.

4. Drag the anchor point to resize the arc.

5. Release the mouse to finish the resize action.

CHANGING ARC ANGLES

Arc angles can be changed using the midpoint anchor. Choose a selection tool, either the lasso or the
rectangular marquee. Make sure that no content is currently selected by emptying the current selection.
Execute the following steps:

1. Hover the mouse pointer over the arc so an open hand mouse cursor appears and the arc anchor points
are drawn as shown in Figure 5.4.

2. Move the mouse pointer over the middle anchor point so that anchor point is filled in with an amber
color.

3. Press the mouse down so the anchor point is filled with a blue color.

4. Drag the anchor point to change the arc angle.

5. Release the mouse to set the new arc angle.

While changing the angle of arcs, the arc angle will be displayed below the mouse cursor.
Chapter 5: SHAPES 123

FLIPPING AN ARC’S ORIENTATION

To flip an arc’s orientation, so that the curve faces the opposite direction. use a selection tool, either the
lasso or the rectangular marquee. Make sure that no content is currently selected by emptying the current
selection. Execute the following steps:

1. Hover the mouse pointer over the arc so an open hand mouse cursor appears and the arc anchor points
are drawn as shown in Figure 5.4.

2. Right-click on the hovered arc.

3. Select the Flip Arc menu item to flip the arc’s orientation.

You can also click and drag the midpoint to the other side of the arc to perform this task.

If you are viewing the preview of the arc while drawing it, you can press and release the z key to quickly
flip it in the other direction.

REMOVING ARCS

Arcs can be removed in a number of ways. You can do the following:

• Use a selection tool to hover the mouse pointer over the arc so an open hand mouse cursor appears
and the arc anchor points are drawn as shown in Figure 5.4. Then press the backspace or delete key.

• Use the eraser tool to hover the mouse pointer over the arc so the arc anchor points are drawn. Then
click with the mouse.

ARROWS
Arrows are essential in chemical graphics for many reasons, the most important being for reaction and
mechanism diagrams. Arrows are so important that they have their own unique toolbar. Essentially, arrow
shapes are just lines and arcs with arrowheads as shown in Figure 5.5. Polylines and Bezier curves can also
be used for arrows, and they are discussed in the CUSTOM SHAPES section this chapter.

Figure 5.5: Arrow Shape and Anchors

ChemDoodle also provides advanced features.for building and defining reactions. Reactions are covered in
the REACTIONS chapter.
124 Chapter 5: SHAPES

DRAWING ARROWS AT FIXED ANGLES

To draw an arrow at fixed angles, execute the following steps:

1. Select the desired arrowheads and connector styles in the Arrows toolbar.

2. Click on the line or one of the arc angle buttons in the Arrows toolbar to enter the arrow placement
mode.

3. Press the mouse down on the Doodle Board to set the start point of the arrow.

4. Drag the mouse to preview the placement of the end of the arrow.

5. Release the mouse to set the arrow.

You can also click the mouse to set the start point then move the mouse and click again to set the end point.

By default, arrows will be oriented at fixed angles every 15◦ starting at 0◦ .

DRAWING ARROWS AT NON-FIXED ANGLES

To place arrows at non-fixed angles, break from the fixed orientation angles by holding down the alt key
while dragging the mouse when defining the arrow.

FORCING ARROWS TO BE DRAWN VERTICALLY AND HORIZONTALLY

To place arrows oriented vertically or horizontally, hold down the shift key while dragging the mouse when
defining the arrow. The arrow preview will then automatically orient vertically or horizontally depending
on the angle from the start point to the current mouse cursor position.

MOVING ARROWS

To move arrows, use a selection tool, either the lasso or the rectangular marquee. Make sure that no content
is currently selected by emptying the current selection. Execute the following steps:

1. Hover the mouse pointer over the arrow so an open hand mouse cursor appears and the arrow anchor
points are drawn as shown in Figure 5.5.

2. Press the mouse down without selecting an anchor point and drag to move the arrow.

3. Release the mouse to finish the move action.

RESIZING ARROWS

To resize arrows, use a selection tool, either the lasso or the rectangular marquee. Make sure that no content
is currently selected by emptying the current selection. Execute the following steps:

1. Hover the mouse pointer over the arrow so an open hand mouse cursor appears and the arrow anchor
points are drawn as shown in Figure 5.5.

2. Move the mouse pointer over one of the two end anchor points so that anchor point is filled in with an
amber color.
Chapter 5: SHAPES 125

3. Press the mouse down so the anchor point is filled with a blue color.

4. Drag the anchor point to resize the arrow.

5. Release the mouse to finish the resize action.

CHANGING ARROW ARC ANGLES

Arrow arc angles can be changed using the midpoint anchor. Choose a selection tool, either the lasso or
the rectangular marquee. Make sure that no content is currently selected by emptying the current selection.
Execute the following steps:

1. Hover the mouse pointer over the arrow so an open hand mouse cursor appears and the arrow anchor
points are drawn as shown in Figure 5.5.

2. Move the mouse pointer over the middle anchor point so that anchor point is filled in with an amber
color.

3. Press the mouse down so the anchor point is filled with a blue color.

4. Drag the anchor point to change the arrow arc angle.

5. Release the mouse to set the new arrow arc angle.

While changing the angle of arrow arcs, the arrow arc angle will be displayed below the mouse cursor.

A few special arrow types, such as the retrosynthetic type, are always straight, and you will
not be able to change the arc angles for these types.

REMOVING ARROWS

Arrows can be removed in a number of ways. You can do the following:

• Use a selection tool to hover the mouse pointer over the arrow so an open hand mouse cursor appears
and the arrow anchor points are drawn as shown in Figure 5.5. Then press the backspace or delete
key.

• Use the Eraser tool to hover the mouse pointer over the arrow so the arrow anchor points are drawn.
Then click with the mouse.

EDITING ARROWHEADS

Arrowheads can be added/removed from the ends of the line shape. This can be done before they are drawn,
with the Arrow toolbar, or afterwards by using the Format Arrow menu item in the right-click menu
after hovering an arrow.

There are several settings that control how arrowheads are drawn:

• Indented - When selected, the back end of the arrow will be indented.

• Filled - When selected, the arrow will be filled in; otherwise it will be an outline.
126 Chapter 5: SHAPES

• Chevroned - When selected, the arrow will be drawn as a simple chevron.

• Length - This setting controls the length of the arrow head along the line.

• Angle - This setting controls the angle of the arrow, from one side to the other.

If the arrowhead length is greater than 50% of the length of the line it is on, then the length
will be decreased to 50% of the length of the line it is on.

RECTANGLES
Rectangles can be drawn in several styles and are defined by an anchor box set that controls its dimensions
as shown in Figure 5.6.

Figure 5.6: Rectangle Shape and Anchors

DRAWING RECTANGLES

To draw a rectangle, execute the following steps:

1. Select a rectangle tool from the Shapes palette in the main toolbar.

2. Press the mouse down on the Doodle Board to set one corner of the rectangle.

3. Drag the mouse to preview the placement of the opposite corner along the diagonal of the rectangle.

4. Release the mouse to set the rectangle.

You can also click the mouse to set the start point then move the mouse and click again to set the end point.

DRAWING SQUARES

To draw squares, hold down the shift key while dragging the mouse when defining the rectangle to force
the width and height to be equivalent.
Chapter 5: SHAPES 127

MOVING RECTANGLES

To move rectangles, use a selection tool, either the lasso or the rectangular marquee. Make sure that no
content is currently selected by emptying the current selection. Execute the following steps:

1. Hover the mouse pointer over the rectangle so an open hand mouse cursor appears and the rectangle
anchor points are drawn as shown in Figure 5.6.

2. Press the mouse down without selecting any of the anchor points and drag to move the rectangle.

3. Release the mouse to finish the move action.

RESIZING RECTANGLES

To resize rectangles, use a selection tool, either the lasso or the rectangular marquee. Make sure that no
content is currently selected by emptying the current selection. Execute the following steps:

1. Hover the mouse pointer over the rectangle so an open hand mouse cursor appears and the rectangle
anchor points are drawn as shown in Figure 5.6.

2. Move the mouse pointer over one of the anchor points so that anchor point is filled with an amber
color.

3. Press the mouse down so the anchor point is filled with a blue color.

4. Drag the anchor point to resize the rectangle.

5. Release the mouse to finish the resize action.

CONVERTING BETWEEN ROUNDED & NON-ROUNDED RECTANGLES

To change a rectangle into a rounded rectangle or vice versa, use a selection tool, either the lasso or the
rectangular marquee. Make sure that no content is currently selected by emptying the current selection.
Execute the following steps:

1. Hover the mouse pointer over the rectangle so an open hand mouse cursor appears and the rectangle
anchor points are drawn as shown in Figure 5.6.

2. Right-click on the hovered rectangle and select the Format Rectangle. . . menu item.

3. Scroll to the Rectangle section and use the Rounded on/off choice to set the rectangle to be rounded
or not.

REMOVING RECTANGLES

Rectangles can be removed in a number of ways. You can do the following:

• Use a selection tool to hover the mouse pointer over the rectangle so an open hand mouse cursor
appears and the rectangle anchor points are drawn as shown in Figure 5.6. Then press the backspace
or delete key.

• Use the Eraser tool to hover the mouse pointer over the rectangle so the rectangle anchor points are
drawn. Then click with the mouse.
128 Chapter 5: SHAPES

OVALS
Ovals can be drawn in several styles and are defined by an anchor box set that controls its dimensions as
shown in Figure 5.7.

Figure 5.7: Oval Shape and Anchors

DRAWING OVALS

To draw an oval, execute the following steps:

1. Select an oval tool from the Shapes palette in the main toolbar.

2. Press and hold the mouse on the Doodle Board to set one corner of the circumscribing rectangle.

3. Release the mouse to set the oval.

You can also click the mouse to set the start point then move the mouse and click again to set the end point.

DRAWING CIRCLES

To draw circles, hold down the shift key while dragging the mouse when defining the oval to force the
major and minor axes lengths to be equivalent.

MOVING OVALS

To move ovals, use a selection tool, either the lasso or the rectangular marquee. Make sure that no content
is currently selected by emptying the current selection. Execute the following steps:

1. Hover the mouse pointer over the oval so an open hand mouse cursor appears and the oval anchor
points are drawn as shown in Figure 5.7.

2. Press the mouse down without selecting any of the anchor points and drag to move the oval.

3. Release the mouse to finish the move action.

Chapter 5: SHAPES 129

RESIZING OVALS

To resize ovals, use a selection tool, either the lasso or the rectangular marquee. Make sure that no content
is currently selected by emptying the current selection. Execute the following steps:

1. Hover the mouse pointer over the oval so an open hand mouse cursor appears and the rectangle anchor
points are drawn as shown in Figure 5.7.

2. Move the mouse pointer over one of the anchor points so that anchor point is filled with an amber
color.

3. Press the mouse down so the anchor point is filled with a blue color.

4. Drag the anchor point to resize the oval.

5. Release the mouse to finish the resize action.

REMOVING OVALS

Ovals can be removed in a number of ways. You can do the following:

• Use a selection tool to hover the mouse pointer over the oval so an open hand mouse cursor appears
and the oval anchor points are drawn as shown in Figure 5.7. Then press the backspace or delete
key.

• Use the Eraser tool to hover the mouse pointer over the oval so the oval anchor points are drawn.
Then click with the mouse.

BRACKETS
Brackets can be drawn in several styles and are defined byan anchor box set that controls its dimensions as
shown in Figure 5.8.

Figure 5.8: Bracket Shape and Anchors

There are currently 4 bracket styles:

• Square Brackets - [ ]

• Parentheses - ( )

• Curly Brackets - { }
130 Chapter 5: SHAPES

• Chevrons - < >

DRAWING BRACKETS

To draw a set of brackets, execute the following steps:

1. Select a bracket tool by expanding the Bracket palette in the main toolbar.

2. Press and hold the mouse down on the Doodle Board to set one corner of the bracket.

3. Drag the mouse to preview the placement of the opposite corner along the diagonal of the bracket.

4. Release the mouse to set the bracket.

You can also click the mouse to set the start point then move the mouse and click again to set the end point.

DRAWING BRACKETS WITH EQUAL WIDTH AND HEIGHT

To draw square brackets, hold down the shift key while dragging the mouse when defining the bracket to
force the width and height of the bracket content to be equivalent.

MOVING BRACKETS

To move brackets, use a selection tool, either the lasso or the rectangular marquee. Make sure that no
content is currently selected by emptying the current selection. Execute the following steps:

1. Hover the mouse pointer over the brackets so an open hand mouse cursor appears and the bracket
anchor points are drawn as shown in Figure 5.8.

2. Press the mouse down without selecting an anchor point and drag to move the brackets.

3. Release the mouse to finish the move action.

RESIZING BRACKETS

To resize brackets, use a selection tool, either the lasso or the rectangular marquee. Make sure that no
content is currently selected by emptying the current selection. Execute the following steps:

1. Hover the mouse pointer over the brackets so an open hand mouse cursor appears and the rectangle
anchor points are drawn as shown in Figure 5.8.

2. Move the mouse pointer over one of the two end anchor points so that anchor point is filled with an
amber color.

3. Press the mouse down so the anchor point is filled with a blue color.

4. Drag the anchor point to resize the bracket set.

5. Release the mouse to finish the resize action.

Chapter 5: SHAPES 131

EDITING BRACKET LIP PROTRUSION

To change the widths of the current bracket rendering style, use a selection tool, either the lasso or the
rectangular marquee. Make sure that no content is currently selected by emptying the current selection.
Execute the following steps:

1. Hover the mouse pointer over the brackets so an open hand mouse cursor appears and the rectangle
anchor points are drawn as shown in Figure 5.8.

2. Right-click on the hovered rectangle and select the Format Bracket. . . menu item.

3. Scroll to the Bracket section and use the Wideness number slider to define how protruded bracket
lips are rendered.

REMOVING BRACKETS

Brackets can be removed in a number of ways. You can do the following:

• Use a selection tool to hover the mouse pointer over the brackets so an open hand mouse cursor appears
and the oval anchor points are drawn as shown in Figure 5.8. Then press the backspace or delete
key.

• Use the Eraser tool to hover the mouse pointer over the brackets so the bracket anchor points are
drawn. Then click with the mouse.

DYNAMIC BRACKETS

Dynamic Brackets allow you to define a set of brackets to a pair of bonds. The brackets will automatically
update to fit the appropriate content. You can also add text to the bottom right of dynamic brackets that
will automatically place itself.

To add dynamic brackets, execute the following steps:

1. Select the Dynamic Brackets button in the Bracket group button in the Shapes toolbar.

2. Hover over one of the two bonds you would like to define the brackets to.

3. Press and hold the mouse down, drag to the second of the two bonds you would like to define the
brackets to and release the mouse.

4. A text field will pop up. Input the desired label.

5. Press the return key or click on the document to set the dynamic brackets.

To edit the dynamic brackets, hover over the text with the Dynamic Brackets tool and click. To remove
dynamic brackets, reverse the procedure used to place the dynamic brackets.
132 Chapter 5: SHAPES

CUSTOM SHAPES
In addition to the standard defined shapes previously discussed, ChemDoodle allows you to create custom
shapes. Currently there are three types of custom shapes:

Table 5.13: Available Custom Shapes

Icon Tool Action

Pen Allows you to draw any shape by clicking and dragging an outline.

Bezier Curve Allows you to draw a bezier curve by defining its control points.

Polyline Allows you do draw any polygon shape that can be convex or concave.

Both pen paths and polylines can be open or closed and are defined by their control points, which the shape
will pass through as shown in Figure 5.9.

Figure 5.9: Pen and Polyline Control Points

Bezier curves can be open or closed and are defined by a more complex set of control points as shown in
Figure 5.10.

Figure 5.10: Bezier Control Points

Chapter 5: SHAPES 133

DRAWING WITH THE PEN TOOL

To draw a custom shape with the Pen tool, execute the following steps:

1. Select a Pen tool from the Custom Shapes palette in the main toolbar.

2. Press the mouse down on the Doodle Board to begin drawing.

3. Drag the mouse in an outline of the shape you would like.

4. Release the mouse to set the shape.

ChemDoodle will automatically simplify your path for you and generate a cubic interpolation.

DRAWING WITH THE POLYLINE TOOL

To draw a custom shape with the Polyline tool, execute the following steps:

1. Select a Polyline tool from the Custom Shapes palette in the main toolbar.

2. Press the mouse down on the Doodle Board to set the first point.

3. Move the mouse to the location you prefer the next point to be placed.

4. Click to place the next point. Points will automatically connect to previous points.

5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 until finished.

6. Click on the first point drawn or double-click the last point to complete the shape and set it.

MOVING PEN PATHS AND POLYLINES

To move custom shapes, use a selection tool, either the lasso or the rectangular marquee. Make sure that
no content is currently selected by emptying the current selection. Execute the following steps:

1. Hover the mouse pointer over the custom shape so an open hand mouse cursor appears and the control
points are rendered as shown in Figure 5.9.

2. Press the mouse down without selecting any of the control points and drag to move the custom shape.

3. Release the mouse to finish the move action.

MODIFYING PEN PATHS AND POLYLINES

You can move the control points that define pen paths and polylines. To do so, use a selection tool, either the
lasso or the rectangular marquee. Make sure that no content is currently selected by emptying the current
selection. Execute the following steps:

1. Hover the mouse pointer over the custom shape so an open hand mouse cursor appears and the control
points are drawn as shown in Figure 5.9.

2. Move the mouse pointer over one of the control points that you desire to be moved so that control
point is filled with an amber color.

3. Press the mouse down so the control point is filled with a blue color.
134 Chapter 5: SHAPES

4. Drag the control point to move it.

5. Release the mouse to finish.

DRAWING WITH THE BEZIER TOOL

Bezier curves are defined by pairs of control points. There is a main point which the curve passes through,
and a second control point that describes the tangent line to the curve at the point the curve passes through.
To draw a bezier curve, execute the following steps:

1. Select the Bezier Curve tool from the Custom Shapes palette in the main toolbar.

2. Press the mouse down on the Doodle Board to set the first point.

3. Drag your mouse to set the paired control point that defines the tangent line to the curve at the first
point. The further from the first point you make this paired control point, the tighter the curve will
hug the first point.

4. Release the mouse to set the paired control point.

5. Move the mouse to location you prefer the next point to be placed that the curve will pass through.

6. Press the mouse down to place the next point. Points will automatically connect to previous points.

7. Drag your mouse to set the paired control point that defines the tangent of the curve at the second
point. The further from the second point you make this paired control point, the tighter the curve will
hug the second point.

8. Repeat steps 5 through 7 until finished.

9. Press the escape key to complete the shape and set it.

MODIFYING BEZIER CURVES

You can move the control points that define bezier curves in one of two ways. The first way is by following
the same instructions as in the MODIFYING PEN PATHS AND POLYLINES section. The second is by
using the Bezier Curve tool. Execute the following steps:

1. Select the Bezier Curve tool from the Custom Shapes palette in the main toolbar.

2. Move the mouse pointer over the bezier curve that you desire to be modified so that its control points
are rendered.

3. Click on the bezier curve so that all of its control points are rendered as shown in Figure 5.10.

4. Hover over any of the control points so that an amber color fills the one you wish to move.

5. Press the mouse down and drag the control point to the new desired location.

6. Release the mouse to finish moving the control point.

Chapter 5: SHAPES 135

DELETING BEZIER CONTROL POINTS

Only the control points that have the curve pass through them may be deleted. Deleting one of these control
points will also remove the corresponding paired control point. To delete a bezier control point, execute the
following steps:

1. Select the Bezier Curve tool from the Custom Shapes palette in the main toolbar.

2. Move the mouse pointer over the bezier curve that you desire to be modified so that its control points
are rendered.

3. Click on the bezier curve so that all of its control points are rendered as shown in Figure 5.10.

4. Hover over the control point that you wish to remove so that it is filled with an amber color.

5. Press the backspace or delete key to delete the control point.

ADDING ARROWS TO CUSTOM SHAPES

To add arrows to custom shapes follow the same procedures as discussed for the arrow shapes earlier in
this chapter. Right click on the bezier curve after it is hovered, select the appropriate Format Custom
Shape. . . menu item, and define the arrow sections to your preference.

CLOSING AND OPENING CUSTOM SHAPES

To close or open a custom shape, use a selection tool, either the lasso or the rectangular marquee. Make
sure that no content is currently selected by emptying the current selection. Perform the following steps:

1. Hover the mouse pointer over the custom shape so an open hand mouse cursor appears and the arrow
anchor points are drawn as shown in Figure 5.9.

2. Right-click on the hovered custom shape and select the Format Custom Shape. . . menu item.

3. Scroll to the Path or Bezier Curve section and use the Close on/off choice to specify whether the
custom shape path is closed or not.

If closed, the custom shape can be filled with any desired color.

REMOVING CUSTOM SHAPES

Custom shapes can be removed in a number of ways. You can do the following:

• Use a selection tool to hover the mouse pointer over the custom shape so an open hand mouse cursor
appears and the custom shape anchor points are drawn as shown in Figure 5.9. Then press the
backspace or delete key.

• Use the Eraser tool to hover the mouse pointer over the custom shape so the custom shape anchor
points are drawn. Then click with the mouse.
136 Chapter 5: SHAPES

RULERS
Rulers measure distances in 2 dimensions, and are defined by two anchors placed at their endpoints as shown
in Figure 5.11.

Figure 5.11: Ruler Shape and Anchors

DRAWING RULERS AT FIXED ANGLES

To draw a ruler at fixed angles, execute the following steps:

1. Select the Ruler tool in the main toolbar.

2. Press the mouse down on the Doodle Board to set the start point of the ruler.

3. Drag the mouse to preview the placement of the end of the ruler.

4. Release the mouse to set the ruler.

You can also click the mouse to set the start point then move the mouse and click again to set the end point.

By default, rulers will be oriented at fixed angles every 15◦ starting at 0◦ .

DRAWING RULERS AT NON-FIXED ANGLES

To place rulers at non-fixed angles, hold down the alt key while dragging the mouse when defining the
ruler to break from the fixed chain orientation angles.

FORCING RULERS TO BE DRAWN VERTICALLY AND HORIZONTALLY

To place rulers oriented vertically or horizontally, hold down the shift key while dragging the mouse when
defining the ruler. The ruler preview will then automatically orient vertically or horizontally depending on
angle from the start point to the current mouse cursor position.

AUTOMATICALLY MEASURING OBJECT WIDTH AND HEIGHT

To measure the width and height of selected objects, execute the following procedure:

1. Select the content to be measured using the selection tools.

2. Select the Content|Measure—Width and Height menu item.

Two rulers will be placed to measure the width and height of the selected content.
Chapter 5: SHAPES 137

AUTOMATICALLY MEASURING OBJECT DIAGONAL

To measure the diagonal of selected objects, execute the following procedure:

1. Select the content to be measured using the selection tools.

2. Select the Content|Measure—Diagonal menu item.

A single ruler will be placed across the diagonal of the selected content.

MOVING RULERS

To move rulers, use a selection tool, either the lasso or the rectangular marquee. Make sure that no content
is currently selected by emptying the current selection. Execute the following steps:

1. Hover the mouse pointer over the ruler so an open hand mouse cursor appears and the anchor points
are drawn as shown in Figure 5.11.

2. Press the mouse down without selecting a control point and drag to move the ruler.

3. Release the mouse to finish the move action.

RESIZING RULERS

To resize rulers, use a selection tool, either the lasso or the rectangular marquee. Make sure that no content
is currently selected by emptying the current selection. Execute the following steps:

1. Hover the mouse pointer over the ruler so an open hand mouse cursor appears and the anchor points
are drawn as shown in Figure 5.11.

2. Move the mouse pointer over one of the two end anchor points so that anchor point is filled with an
amber color.

3. Press the mouse down so the anchor point is filled with a blue color.

4. Drag the anchor point to resize the ruler.

5. Release the mouse to finish the resize action.

SHOWING AND HIDING MAJOR AND MINOR TICKS

To show and hide ruler major and minor ticks, use a selection tool, either the lasso or the rectangular
marquee. Make sure that no content is currently selected by emptying the current selection. Execute the
following steps:

1. Hover the mouse pointer over the ruler so an open hand mouse cursor appears and the anchor points
are drawn as shown in Figure 5.11.

2. Right-click on the hovered ruler and select the Format Ruler. . . menu item.

3. Scroll to the Ruler section and use the Show Major Ticks and Show Minor Ticks on/off choices
to set whether major and minor ticks are visible or not.
138 Chapter 5: SHAPES

CHANGING THE MEASUREMENT UNIT

To change the ruler’s measurement unit, use a selection tool, either the lasso or the rectangular marquee.
Make sure that no content is currently selected by emptying the current selection. Execute the following
steps:

1. Hover the mouse pointer over the ruler so an open hand mouse cursor appears and the anchor points
are drawn as shown in Figure 5.11.

2. Right-click on the hovered ruler and select the Format Ruler. . . menu item.

3. Scroll to the Ruler section and use the Unit drop-down selection to select the unit to be displayed.

You can also hide the measurement completely by deselecting the Show Measurement option in this
Ruler Settings window.

REMOVING RULERS

Rulers can be removed in a number of ways. You can do the following:

• Use a selection tool to hover the mouse pointer over the ruler so an open hand mouse cursor appears
and the ruler anchor points are drawn as shown in Figure 5.11. Then press the backspace or delete
key.

• Use the Eraser tool to hover the mouse pointer over the ruler so the ruler anchor points are drawn.
Then click with the mouse.

TEXT AREAS
In addition to atom labels, you can also add blocks of text in text area objects. Text areas can have a border
and can have a background, and can be resized to any dimension.

To place text areas, click on the Text Area ( ) tool in the main toolbar. You can place text areas and edit
them just as you would Rectangle shapes. The text area is resizable and can have a border and background.
It will NOT automatically fit its contained text.

When editing the text area, text format functions will be provided in a toolbar that appears above it as
shown in Figure 5.12.

Figure 5.12: Editing a Text Area

To edit text areas, use the Text Area tool to click on an existing text area, or hover the text area using a
selection tool and double-click.
Chapter 5: SHAPES 139

Text areas are deprecated and will be removed in a future version of ChemDoodle as the atom
label tool is expanded with further functionality. We recommend using the atom label tool
when possible to add text to your figures.

UPDATING LABELS
Updating labels can be attached to structures and defined to update dynamically. This is very convenient for
figures that change often or for dynamically generating IUPAC names or molecular formulas, for instance.

Updating labels automatically move to be placed at the bottom center of the associated structure and do not
present anchor points. If you hover over the label, it will highlight both itself and the associated structure,
as shown in Figure 5.13.

Figure 5.13: An updating label associated with a molecule of aspirin showing its IUPAC name

EDITING UPDATING LABELS

You can move an updating label by hovering the label with a selection tool and clicking and dragging.
Note that once you move the label, it will no longer reorient itself to be placed at the bottom center of the
associated molecule. It will, however, continue to update its content dynamically.

You can edit the content of the label by double clicking on the label with a selection tool. Note that once
you edit the content, it will break from the associated molecule and become a standard label graphic.

COPYING TEXT FROM AN UPDATING LABEL

To copy the text in an updating label to the system clipboard, hover the updating label with a selection
tool and right-click. Select the Copy Text menu item to copy the displayed text and its formatting to the
system clipboard.
 CHAPTER 6
Content Management Tools
Chapter 6: CONTENT MANAGEMENT TOOLS 141

Contents
OVERVIEW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143

SELECTING CONTENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143

SELECTING INDIVIDUAL OBJECTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
SELECTING GROUPS OF OBJECTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
SELECT ALL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
ADDING/REMOVING INDIVIDUAL OBJECTS FROM A SELECTION . . . . . . . . 144
ADDING/REMOVING GROUPS OF OBJECTS FROM A SELECTION . . . . . . . . 144
SELECTING WHOLE MOLECULES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
SELECTING CHEMICAL OBJECTS BY SMARTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
NAVIGATING THROUGH SINGLE SHAPES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
SELECTING ONLY SHAPES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
SELECT THE INVERSE OF THE CURRENT SELECTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
DESELECTING OBJECTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
RESELECTING OBJECTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146

DUPLICATING CONTENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146

COPY AND PASTE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
CUT AND PASTE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146

ORGANIZING CONTENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147

ALIGNING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
ALIGNING BY BOND . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
CENTERING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
DISTRIBUTING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
FLIPPING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
FLIPPING A BOND . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
PLACING IN GRID . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
STACKING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148

FRAMING CONTENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149

EDITING CONTENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149

TRANSLATING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
TRANSLATING HORIZONTALLY OR VERTICALLY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
DUPLICATING CONTENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
ROTATING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
MOVING THE ROTATION ANCHOR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
SCALING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151

DRAWING AIDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151

ATOM AIDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
BOND AIDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
RING AIDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
MOLECULE AIDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
BACKGROUND AIDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
FONTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152

COLORS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
COLOR BUTTON . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
142 Chapter 6: CONTENT MANAGEMENT TOOLS

QUICK COLORS BUTTON . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153

COLOR DETECTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
COLOR CHOOSER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154

MODIFYING THE Z-ORDER OF SHAPES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155

GROUPING CONTENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155

GROUPING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
UNGROUPING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156

REMOVING CONTENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156

REMOVING INDIVIDUAL OBJECTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
REMOVING GROUPS OF OBJECTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
Chapter 6: CONTENT MANAGEMENT TOOLS 143

OVERVIEW
In this chapter the new user is introduced to content management tools within ChemDoodle. It covers the
following topics:

• Selecting content

• Duplicating content

• Editing content

• Organizing content

• Grouping content

• Removing content

SELECTING CONTENT
Content can be selected by using any of the selection tools. There are three types of selection tools provided
in ChemDoodle:

Define an arbitrary boundary that follows the mouse and

Lasso
selects any objects contained within.

Define an arbitrary boundary that follows the mouse and

Lasso Only Shapes
selects only shape objects contained within.

Rectangular Marquee Define a rectangle that selects any objects contained within.

Selected content will be highlighted in amber and will be surrounded by an animated (called a “crawling
ants” effect) blue outline as shown in Figure 6.1.

Figure 6.1: Selected Content

The crawling ants animation can be turned off in the Preferences window under the General tab.
144 Chapter 6: CONTENT MANAGEMENT TOOLS

SELECTING INDIVIDUAL OBJECTS

To select an individual object, first select a lasso tool and make sure no content is currently selected. Then
hover the object to be selected and click. The single object will then be selected.

SELECTING GROUPS OF OBJECTS

To select groups of object, execute the following steps:

1. Select a lasso tool.

2. Click and drag to draw an outline with a lasso or to draw a rectangle with the rectangular marquee to
surround all of the objects you would like to select.

3. Release the mouse to select the contained objects.

It may be difficult to see the full bounds for some shapes, such as large text areas with little
text in them. If you have trouble selecting a shape, make sure to discover where its bounds
are and draw the selection bounds around all anchors.

SELECT ALL

To select all content on a page, select the Content|Select—All menu item. The keyboard shortcut to use
this function is ctrl + A ( command + A on Mac OS X).

ADDING/REMOVING INDIVIDUAL OBJECTS FROM A SELECTION

If a selection has already been made, you can add or remove an individual object from the selection. Hold
down the alt key and hover the object to be added or removed and click the mouse. If that object was
previously selected, it will be removed from the selection, otherwise it will be added to the selection.

ADDING/REMOVING GROUPS OF OBJECTS FROM A SELECTION

If a selection has already been made, you can add or remove groups of objects from the selection. Hold down
the shift key and hover the object to be added or removed and click and drag to draw an outline with a
lasso or to draw a rectangle with the rectangular marquee to surround all of the objects you would like to
select or deselect. Then release the mouse. Any objects contained within the new boundary will be removed
from the selection if they were previously selected, otherwise they will be added to the selection.
Chapter 6: CONTENT MANAGEMENT TOOLS 145

SELECTING WHOLE MOLECULES

Instead of surrounding an entire molecule with the selection tools to select it, the following techniques will
allow you to select individual molecules:

• Using a selection tool, hold down both the alt and shift keys and then click on an atom or bond
in the molecule.

• Press the tab key to navigate through molecules, selecting one at a time, starting at the last drawn
molecule and then navigating through them chronologically.

SELECTING CHEMICAL OBJECTS BY SMARTS

SMARTS is single line, text-based query system for matching chemical objects. Sometimes it is convenient
to select content in documents by SMARTS queries. To do so, execute the following steps:

1. Select the Content|Select—SMARTS. . . menu item.

2. A window will appear prompting you for the SMARTS query. Input your query here and press the
Accept button.

Any content that matches the SMARTS string will then be selected.

NAVIGATING THROUGH SINGLE SHAPES

Instead of surrounding an entire shape with the selection tools to select it or clicking on the shape, you can
also press the tab key while holding down the shift key to navigate through shapes, selecting one at a
time, starting at the last drawn shape and then navigating through them chronologically.

SELECTING ONLY SHAPES

When figures are highly congested, it may be difficult to select shapes from surrounding structures. In this
case, use the Lasso Only Shapes tool which will only recognize shapes. The behavior of the Lasso Only
Shapes tool is identical to that of the Lasso tool, except that it only recognizes shapes.

SELECT THE INVERSE OF THE CURRENT SELECTION

To select the inverse of the current selection on a page, select the Content|Select—Inverse menu item.

DESELECTING OBJECTS

To deselect the current selection, execute one of the following actions:

• Move the mouse cursor away from the selection so that the lasso cursor icon appears. Then click the
mouse.

• When the mouse cursor is within the current selection boundary, double-click the mouse.

• Press the Content|Deselect menu item.

146 Chapter 6: CONTENT MANAGEMENT TOOLS

• Press the space key to deselect the current selection and return to the structure drawing mode.

RESELECTING OBJECTS

If you lost the current selection, you can reselect it by selecting the Content|Reselect menu item.

DUPLICATING CONTENT
Content in ChemDoodle can be duplicated on the Doodle Board in the current document or between
separate documents through copy and paste actions. To have ChemDoodle objects copied and pasted
correctly on the Doodle Board keep ChemDoodle Collage enabled in the Preferences window under
the Advanced tab.

COPY AND PASTE

To duplicate content, execute the following steps:

1. Select the content to be duplicated.

2. Press the Edit|Copy menu item. The keyboard shortcut to use this function is ctrl + C ( command
+ C on Mac OS X).

3. Press the Edit|Paste menu item. The keyboard shortcut to use this function is ctrl + V ( command
+ V on Mac OS X).

CUT AND PASTE

To duplicate content and remove the original, execute the following steps:

1. Select the content to be duplicated.

2. Press the Edit|Cut menu item. The keyboard shortcut to use this function is ctrl + X ( command
+ X on Mac OS X).

3. Press the Edit|Paste menu item. The keyboard shortcut to use this function is ctrl + V ( command
+ V on Mac OS X).
Chapter 6: CONTENT MANAGEMENT TOOLS 147

ORGANIZING CONTENT
ChemDoodle provides several tools for laying out content in the document.

ALIGNING

To align content relative to each other, execute the following steps:

1. Select the content to be aligned.

2. Expand the Content|Align submenu and press the Left Edges, Horizontal Centers, Right Edges,
Top Edges, Vertical Centers or Bottom Edges menu items.

ALIGNING BY BOND

To align an entire molecule by a given bond, execute the following steps:

1. Hover the bond to align the molecule by.

2. Press the ↑ , ↓ , ← or → arrow keys to align the bond from its first to second constituent
atom in the selected direction. This will rotate the entire molecule with the bond.

CENTERING

To center all content on the page, select the Content|Center—All on Page menu item.

To center selected content on the page, execute the following steps:

1. Select the content to be centered.

2. Expand the Content|Center submenu and press the Selection on Page, Selection Horizontally
or Selection Vertically menu items.

DISTRIBUTING

To distribute content across the document, execute the following steps:

1. Select the content to be distributed.

2. Expand the Content|Distribute submenu and press the Horizontally on Page or Vertically on
Page menu items.

To distribute content across the document using a buffer spacing that you provide, execute the following
steps:

1. Select the content to be distributed.

2. Expand the Content|Distribute submenu and press the Horizontally by Buffer Space. . . or
Vertically by Buffer Space. . . menu items.

3. Input a buffer space value into the number field that appears.
148 Chapter 6: CONTENT MANAGEMENT TOOLS

4. Click the Accept button to perform the distribution.

FLIPPING

To flip content horizontally or vertically, execute the following steps:

1. Select the content to be flipped.

2. Expand the Content|Flip submenu and press the Horizontally or Vertically menu item.

FLIPPING A BOND

You may wish to flip non-symmetrical bonds when you need them to face the other direction, such as when
working with wedge bonds. There are a few quick ways to do so:

• Hover the bond and press the F key to flip it.

• Hover the bond, right-click and select Flip Bond Orientation.

• Use the bond tool of that bond type and click on the bond after hovering it. ChemDoodle will detect
the bond is being set to its current bond type and will instead flip the bond.

PLACING IN GRID

To place all content in a grid that covers the document, execute the following steps:

1. Select the Content|Grid All on Page. . . menu item.

2. In the prompt that appears, select whether you want to specify the grid dimensions by columns or by
rows by choosing the corresponding selection from the drop-down menu.

3. Input the dimension of the grid in the number field. The other dimension will be calculated automat-
ically based on the number of objects being placed in the grid.

4. Select the Grid button.

STACKING

Stacking will place all content on the page starting from the top-left of the document to the bottom- right,
such that their visual bounds are separated by a small buffer and that all objects are within the page margins.
To stack all content on the page, press the Content|Stack All on Page menu item.

If content is ever placed outside of the page bounds, red strips will appear at the sides of the page that the
content extends from. Click on the red strip to stack all of the content that extends from that side of the
page back onto the page.
Chapter 6: CONTENT MANAGEMENT TOOLS 149

FRAMING CONTENT
Content can be automatically framed with various different shapes. To frame objects, execute the following
steps:

1. Select the objects to be framed using the selection tools.

2. Expand the Content|Add Frame submenu.

3. Select the type of frame to use.

The selected content will then be framed.

EDITING CONTENT
The selection area is context sensitive and you can click and drag on the various features of the selection to
perform different actions.

TRANSLATING

To translate content, or move it on the page, execute the following steps:

1. Select the content to be translated.

2. Hover the mouse cursor over the selection so that an open hand cursor appears.

3. Press the mouse down so the mouse cursor turns into a closed hand cursor.

4. Drag the mouse to translate the content.

5. Release the mouse to finish the translation.

During the translation, the change in x position and change and y position will be displayed below the mouse
cursor. You can disable this feedback in the Preferences window under the General tab.

TRANSLATING HORIZONTALLY OR VERTICALLY

Holding down the shift key while translating a selection will lock the content horizontally or vertically
depending on where the mouse pointer is.

DUPLICATING CONTENT

Holding down the shift and alt keys while translating content will duplicate that content and it will be
locked horizontally or vertically depending on where the mouse pointer is. To remove the lock, release the
shift and alt keys.
150 Chapter 6: CONTENT MANAGEMENT TOOLS

ROTATING

To rotate content, execute the following steps:

1. Select the content to be rotated.

2. Hover the mouse just outside the edge of the selection border so that the rotation cursor appears.

3. Press the mouse down and drag it to rotate the content.

4. Release the mouse to finish the rotation.

During the rotation, the rotation angle will be displayed below the mouse cursor. You can disable this
feedback in the Preferences window under the General tab.

To rotate content by 90◦ or 180◦ , execute the following steps:

1. Select the content to be rotated.

2. Expand the Content|Rotate submenu and press the 90◦ CW, 90◦ CCW or 180◦ menu items.

To rotate content by an arbitrary angle, execute the following steps:

1. Select the content to be rotated.

2. Expand the Content|Rotate submenu and press the Arbitrary. . . menu item.

3. Enter a degree value in the number field that appears and select clockwise or counterclockwise as the
direction of rotation.

4. Press the Rotate button to complete the rotation with the settings you provided.

MOVING THE ROTATION ANCHOR

By default content is rotated about its center. Rotation about an alternative point can be achieved by
moving the rotation anchor which, by default, is located at the center of the selection. This is useful, for
instance, for rotating structures about an atom.

To move the rotation anchor, execute the following steps:

1. Move the mouse over the rotation anchor so that the anchor fills with an amber color and the mouse
cursor changes to a resize cursor.

2. Press the mouse down and drag the rotation anchor to the desired position.

3. Release the mouse to set the new rotation anchor position.

Henceforth, all rotations will proceed around the new rotation anchor position.

When moving the rotation anchor, it will automatically lock onto atoms within the selection as you get close
to them, aiding you in setting the rotation anchor over atom positions.
Chapter 6: CONTENT MANAGEMENT TOOLS 151

SCALING

To scale content, execute the following steps:

1. Select the content to be scaled.

2. Hover the mouse over one of the anchor points in the selection so that the mouse resize cursor appears.

3. Press the mouse down and drag the anchor to scale the content.

4. Release the mouse to finish the scale action.

The x scale factor and y scale factor will be displayed below the mouse cursor during scaling. You can disable
this feedback in the Preferences window under the General tab.

To preserve the width-to-height ratio while scaling content along the diagonals, just hold down the shift
key while performing the above steps.

To precisely scale content, execute the following steps:

1. Select the content to be scaled.

2. Press the Content|Scale. . . menu item.

3. Select whether to scale the content by dimension or bond length and then specify the remaining settings.

4. Press the Scale button to scale the content to the settings you provided.

DRAWING AIDS
Drawing guides are helpful when precision is important. There are several categories of drawing guides, and
each has its own use. Guides can be enabled and disabled in the View|Drawing Aids submenu.

ATOM AIDS

Two types of aids can be drawn for atoms:

• Orthogonal - Will show a horizontal and vertical line through the center of each atom to help with
alignment.

• Circular - Will show a circle around each atom with radius equal to the current standard bond length
to help with distances.

BOND AIDS

A single type of aid can be drawn for bonds:

• Parallel - Will draw a line through each bond, parallel to its direction to help with extrapolation.
152 Chapter 6: CONTENT MANAGEMENT TOOLS

RING AIDS

Rings can be colored in with a different color corresponding to the size of the ring to help with perception.

MOLECULE AIDS

Two types of aids can be drawn for molecules:

• Bounds - Will show a rectangle representing the bounds of each molecule to help with placement.

• Orthogonal - Will show a horizontal and vertical line through the center of each molecule to help
with alignment.

BACKGROUND AIDS

Three types of aids can be drawn on the background:

• Crosshair - Will render a crosshair and grid to help with partitioning and aligning objects.

• Grid - Will render a grid at an interval that you specify to help with aligning objects.

• Margins - Will render the bounds for the margins.

FONTS

To change the fonts of atom labels and text-based shapes, execute the following steps:

1. Select the atoms and shapes whose fonts you would like to change.

2. Choose the font family, font size and font style from the Files + Formatting toolbar to change the
fonts.

COLORS
There are two features in the Files + Formatting toolbar for changing the colors of content, the Color
button and the Quick Colors button.

COLOR BUTTON

The Color button in ChemDoodle makes it easy to quickly change the colors of groups of objects. There
are eight colors defined by the Color button:

• Background

• Borders and Lines

• Bonds

• Fill
Chapter 6: CONTENT MANAGEMENT TOOLS 153

• Atom Labels

• Identifier Text

• Other Text

• Plots

You may change these colors by clicking the thin rainbow button placed directly to the right of the Color
button. All objects drawn after choosing colors will conform to those choices. To change the colors of a
group of objects to the current selection of colors, just select them and click the Color button.

The Color button will change its display colors to reflect the current settings. A breakdown of the sections
of the Color button is shown in Figure 6.2.

Figure 6.2: Color Button Layout

If you wish for a certain fill to be empty and to not be colored, then in the color chooser, click the Empty
Color button.

QUICK COLORS BUTTON

The Color button, although powerful, is not a quick way to change colors. To quickly change colors, use the
Quick Colors button. Select the content for which you would like the colors changed and press the Quick
Colors button. All of the content will be changed to that color regardless of the content type.

If you click and hover (or drag) over the Quick Colors button, a palette will appear to select a new color.
Drag the mouse pointer over one of the preset colors to select it and immediately change the selected content
to that color.

You can also add custom colors to the last three rows of the Quick Colors palette. Release your mouse
over the circled plus icon ( ) and release to show a color chooser. Choose the desired color and press OK
to add it to the palette and change the currently selected content to that color.

The Quick Colors palette is shown in Figure 6.3.

154 Chapter 6: CONTENT MANAGEMENT TOOLS

Figure 6.3: The Quick Colors Palette

COLOR DETECTION

When working with content that uses nonstandard colors, you may wish to detect what those colors are.
To do this, expand the Quick Colors button and release the mouse over the Detect Color ( ) button.
Then hover over the color in the document you wish to detect and press the mouse down when that color is
centered in the cursor. That color will be added to the Quick Colors button for further use.

COLOR CHOOSER

The color chooser will be different on all platforms, with different templates from which to pick colors.
However, the ChemDoodle pinwheel color chooser will be present on all platforms. The pinwheel color
chooser is shown in Figure 6.4.

Figure 6.4: ChemDoodle’s Pinwheel Color Chooser

Chapter 6: CONTENT MANAGEMENT TOOLS 155

The color selected can be seen in the preview bar at the bottom, with the hex value shown by default. You
can also view the RGB value by enabling the Decimal RGB checkbox.

To select a color, just move the mouse pointer over the pinwheel until the color you would like to select is
hovered, then click the mouse. You can also use the mouse wheel to scroll through colors.

If the pinwheel appears all black, you will need to increase the Brightness setting by moving the Brightness
slider up. If the pinwheel appears all white, you will need to decrease the Saturation setting by moving
the Saturation slider down.

MODIFYING THE Z-ORDER OF SHAPES

Occasionally, you may want to change how shapes are z-ordered with respect to each other and with respect
to atoms and bonds. Shapes, by default, will always render behind atoms and bonds and will be z-ordered
chronologically.

To modify the z-order of a shape, execute the following steps:

1. Hover the shape to change its z-order.

2. Right-click on the shape.

3. Expand the Arrange submenu.

4. Select the Send Forward, Send Backward, Send to Front or Send to Back menu item depending
on your preference.

GROUPING CONTENT
Content in ChemDoodle can be grouped. Once grouped, you will no longer be able to edit the member
objects individually. Any transformations performed on the group will affect all member objects.

Grouping can be nested, so groups can be grouped into further groups. Ungrouping is not recursive, so
ungrouping a group containing groups will leave those contained groups intact.

GROUPING

To group content, execute the following steps:

1. Select the content to be grouped.

2. Press the Content|Group menu item.

156 Chapter 6: CONTENT MANAGEMENT TOOLS

UNGROUPING

To ungroup content, execute the following steps:

1. Select the groups to be ungrouped.

2. Press the Content|Ungroup menu item.

REMOVING CONTENT

REMOVING INDIVIDUAL OBJECTS

Individual objects can be removed by using the Eraser tool to hover the object and then clicking to remove
it. Additionally, at any time, when an object is hovered, press the backspace or delete key.

REMOVING GROUPS OF OBJECTS

Groups of objects can be removed in a number of ways. You can do the following:

• Use a selection tool to select the content to be removed. Then press the backspace or delete key.

• First select the content to be removed. Then use the Eraser tool to click on the Doodle Board.

• Select the Eraser tool, then press the mouse down and drag over all of the content to be removed. Se-
lected content will be highlighted. Then release the mouse to remove all highlighted objects. Dragging
over content that has already been highlighted will unhighlight it.
CHAPTER 7
Cheminformatics
158 Chapter 7: CHEMINFORMATICS

Contents
OVERVIEW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160

3D COORDINATE GENERATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160

AROMATICITY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
KEKULÉ & CIRCLE REPRESENTATIONS FOR AROMATICS . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
FORCING AROMATICITY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
MANIPULATING AROMATIC RING CIRCLES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161

CALCULATING COVALENT BONDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161

CARBON LABELS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162

TERMINAL CARBON LABELS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162

CHEMICAL SUPPLIERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163

CHEMICAL WARNINGS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163

WARNING TYPES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
DISABLING WARNINGS GLOBALLY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
DISABLING WARNINGS FOR A SINGLE ATOM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
HIDING WARNINGS FROM RENDERING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164

CLEANING STRUCTURES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165

OPTIMIZING STRUCTURES IN 2D . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
BUILD 3D MODEL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
DISTANCE GEOMETRY EMBEDDING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
PRESERVING STEREOCHEMISTRY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166

DESCRIPTORS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
CONSTITUTIONAL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
TOPOLOGICAL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
PHYSICOCHEMICAL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
ADME . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
FLATTENING ATOMIC COORDINATES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169

FRAGMENTATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
CALCULATING MONOISOTOPIC MASS INSTEAD OF MOLECULAR MASS . . . . 170

FORMAL CHARGES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170

GLASSWARE CLIPART . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170

FLIPPING GLASSWARE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
REMOVING SOLUTION (LIQUID) FROM TEMPLATES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
TUBING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172

BIOLOGICAL CLIPART . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173

FLIPPING BIOART . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175

GRAPH REDUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175

REDUCE 0◦ (LONE) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
REDUCE 1◦ (TERMINALS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
REPEATEDLY REDUCE 1◦ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
Chapter 7: CHEMINFORMATICS 159

REDUCE 1◦ + 0◦ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
REDUCE 2◦ (CHAINS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
REDUCE 2◦ + 1◦ + 0◦ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176

HYDROGENS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
IMPLICIT HYDROGEN RENDERING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
ADDING HYDROGENS AS ATOMS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
ADDING HYDROGENS AS TEXT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
DEFINING WHEN HYDROGENS ARE ADDED TO CARBONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177

IUPAC NAMING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177

NAME TO STRUCTURE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
STRUCTURE TO NAME . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
AUTOMATICALLY UPDATING IUPAC NAME . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178
IUPAC NAMING OPTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178

KEKULÉ STRUCTURES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181

KEKULIZING A SINGLE BOND FRAME . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
KEKULIZING A SUBSTRUCTURE OF RESONANCE BONDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
DELOCALIZING A KEKULÉ STRUCTURE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183

LABEL EXPANSION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183

EXPANDING LABELS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
IMPLICIT HYDROGENS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
CONDENSED LABELS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
ABBREVIATIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
ADDING CUSTOM ABBREVIATIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
MIXING CONDENSED NOTATIONS AND ABBREVIATIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
MOLECULAR FORMULAS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185

LEWIS DOT STRUCTURES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185

MACROMOLECULE BUILDERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186

CARBON NANOTUBES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
PRISMS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187

NEWMAN PROJECTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188

RING PERCEPTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189

SUPPORTED RING SETS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
EXPLODING RING SETS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
PERFORMANCE CONSIDERATIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189

SEQUENCE TOOL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190

STEREOCHEMISTRY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
CHIRAL CENTERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
DOUBLE BONDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
RESOLVING STEREOCHEMISTRY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
FORCING STEREOCHEMICAL CONFIGURATIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191

STRUCTURE PERSPECTIVE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191

UNIQUE IDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192

ZERO ORDER/IONIC BONDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192

160 Chapter 7: CHEMINFORMATICS

OVERVIEW
ChemDoodle is powered by an advanced cheminformatics engine to perform several functions for creating
graphics, such as ring perception and structure depiction. This engine allows for some very powerful functions
to help you create your chemical graphics and to analyze the structures you draw.

This section introduces the new user to advanced structure functionality within ChemDoodle. It covers the
following topics:

• The cheminformatics algorithms implemented in ChemDoodle.

• How to use these functions to perform various advanced tasks.

• How to edit your structures in a more advanced way than described in DRAWING CHEMICAL
STRUCTURES.

• How to take full advantage of the functions provided in ChemDoodle.

3D COORDINATE GENERATION
ChemDoodle provides functions to generate 3D coordinates for structures. A detailed explanation of the
algorithms can be found in the CLEANING STRUCTURES section in this chapter.

You can rotate structures in 3D using the Rotate in 3D button in the Content toolbar.

AROMATICITY
Aromaticity is detected based on the Hückel model. All rings are assumed to be planar. Any appropriately
hybridized heteroatoms can be constituents in an aromatic ring.

KEKULÉ & CIRCLE REPRESENTATIONS FOR AROMATICS

To toggle between viewing aromatics in Kekulé form (with double bond lines) or with circles, execute the
following steps:

1. Open the Preferences window.

2. Select the Rings subtab under the Visuals tab.

3. Select the preferred setting for the Use Circles for Aromatics visual specification under the Aro-
matics section based on your preference.

The Always option will render circles for all aromatics. The Resonance Bond Rings Only option will
render circles only for aromatic rings defined by resonance bonds. The Never option will never render
aromatic circles. Use this visual specification for full control over the aromatic ring representations in your
figures.
Chapter 7: CHEMINFORMATICS 161

FORCING AROMATICITY

In rare cases, ChemDoodle may determine a ring to have no aromatic character when it should be aromatic
for some purpose. To force a ring to be recognized as aromatic, change all of the ring bonds to resonance
bonds.

You should also use all resonance bonds to define an aromatic ring that you want it to be represented with an
aromatic circle in mixed structures, such as when displaying a Kekulé benzene next to a benzene represented
by an aromatic circle.

MANIPULATING AROMATIC RING CIRCLES

Aromatic ring circles are rendered by a special algorithm that molds to the shape of the aromatic ring in
3D. This allows you to easily create complex perspective figures using aromatic circles, as shown for various
rotations of benzene in Figure 7.1.

Figure 7.1: The aromatic ring circle display for rotated perspective drawings

Aromatic ring circles will even mold to nonplanar or warped rings as shown in Figure 7.2.

Figure 7.2: Aromatic ring circles will mold to any shape.

CALCULATING COVALENT BONDS

Some chemical input read into ChemDoodle may not include bond topology such as PDB and XYZ files as
well as some output from modeling programs. Instead of having to define the bonds by hand, ChemDoodle
contains tools for deducing covalent bonds based on published covalent radii.

To deduce covalent bonds, execute the following steps:

1. Select the atoms that you would like covalent bonds deduced between.

2. Select the Structure|Calculate Covalent Bonds menu item.

Covalent radii are a best fit from a large number of experimental covalent radii. In some cases, a bond
distance from a file may be larger than the distance calculated by adding the corresponding element covalent
radii together and the bond will not be found. To address this, ChemDoodle multiplies all covalent radii
by a scalar when deducing bonds. By increasing this multiplier, ChemDoodle will discover bonds at longer
distances. You can change the radius multiplier in the Preferences window under the Functions tab.
162 Chapter 7: CHEMINFORMATICS

CARBON LABELS
By default, ChemDoodle draws skeleton figures where carbon labels are suppressed. However, it may be
necessary to show the carbon label for various reasons and this can be done easily for each atom or globally for
all atoms. To affect this globally, change the Display Carbon Label visual specification for the document
style sheet in the Preferences window under the Visuals tab. To do this for a specific carbon atom, change
the Display Carbon Label visual specification in the atom’s Format window.

The atom Display Carbon Label visual specification has four options for displaying carbon labels:

• Always - always display the “C” for the carbon label.

• On Lone and Hidden - only display carbon labels on lone and hidden carbons.

• On Hidden - only display carbon labels on hidden carbons. (default)

• Never - never display “C” labels.

The default is On Hidden and only carbon atoms that are “hidden” between two bonds of the same bond
order will have their label displayed as shown in Figure 7.3.

Figure 7.3: Hidden carbon labels are shown.

Lone carbons are disconnected atoms and have no bonds attached. In addition to manually changing Display
Carbon Label visual specification, there is a quick method provided to show/hide carbon labels. To quickly
show individual carbon labels, execute the following steps:

1. Hover the carbon atom with label to be shown.

2. Right-click on the atom and select the Show Carbon Label menu item.

To hide the carbon label execute the same steps, but instead select the Hide Carbon Label menu item.

TERMINAL CARBON LABELS

You may prefer that all terminal carbon atoms will display labels. To show terminal carbon labels, check the
Show Terminal Labels visual specification in the Carbons section in the Atoms subtab in the Visuals
tab of the Preferences window.
Chapter 7: CHEMINFORMATICS 163

CHEMICAL SUPPLIERS
Chemical suppliers for the structures you draw can be listed by executing the following steps:

1. Draw the structure for which you would like to search.

2. Select the structure with a selection tool.

3. Expand the File|Interfaces—ChemExper menu item.

4. Select the Substructure Match or Exact Match menu item depending on whether you want to
search for a substructure or exact match for the selected structure.

5. The ChemExper database will appear in your default browser with a listing of matches. Select the
match to view the chemical suppliers.

The ChemExper database provides the supplier information and you must abide by their terms of use and
any copyrights or disclaimers presented when using their service.

CHEMICAL WARNINGS
ChemDoodle will check your structures and flag any questionable objects.

WARNING TYPES

The following warnings are currently implemented:

• Improper Valency - It is unlikely that this element can have the current coordination number. Or
the atom label is an abbreviation and the valency is overextended.

• Uninterpretable Label - ChemDoodle does not understand or interpret the text present in the atom
label as chemically relevant.

• Unpublished Mass Number - This mass number is not found in ChemDoodle’s database of pub-
lished isotopes for the element.

• Unpublished Oxidation State - The oxidation state of this atom is not found in ChemDoodle’s
database of published oxidation states for the element.

• Sum of Bonds is not an Integer - The coordination number of this atom is not a whole number.

• Questionable Stereochemistry - The stereochemistry of this atom is questionable.

• Atom Overlaps Another - This pair of atoms has the same coordinates and will be perceived as a
single atom in graphical output.
164 Chapter 7: CHEMINFORMATICS

DISABLING WARNINGS GLOBALLY

These warnings can be disabled individually in the Preferences window under the Warnings tab as shown
in Figure 7.4. This tab also contains an option to disable the display of chemical warning explanations at
the top-left of the document in which the warnings are present.

Figure 7.4: Chemical Warnings

DISABLING WARNINGS FOR A SINGLE ATOM

To disable warnings on a single atom, execute the following steps:

1. Hover the atom with the warning shown to be disabled.

2. Right-click on the atom and select the Ignore Warnings menu item.

To enable warnings for an atom that is ignoring warnings, just right-click on it after hovering it and select
the Check for Warnings menu item.

HIDING WARNINGS FROM RENDERING

Chemical warnings will never appear in any image output or printouts.

If the warnings clutter the document while drawing, they can be easily suppressed by selecting the
View|Hide Warnings menu item.
Chapter 7: CHEMINFORMATICS 165

CLEANING STRUCTURES
ChemDoodle can generate 2D and 3D coordinates for structures.

OPTIMIZING STRUCTURES IN 2D

If your structures do not have acceptable or aesthetic coordinates, ChemDoodle can clean them. To clean
your structures, execute the following steps:

1. Select the structures to be cleaned.

2. Expand the Structure|Clean submenu and select the 2D Optimization menu item.

ChemDoodle employs the published CCG algorithm for cleaning structures. This method is a statistical
approach. Therefore, repeated applications of the function may produce different results. If you are not
happy with the first result of the function, try it again, something you like better may be generated.

There are two options in the Preferences window on the Functions tab that will define how 2D cleaning
works:

• Clean Retains Stereochemistry - By default, this option is enabled and will make sure that stere-
ocenters after the clean have the same configuration as before the clean.

• Chain Angle - This option allows you to define the chain angle used. 120◦ is selected by default
and is preferred for skeletal figures, while 180◦ is useful for drawing Lewis Dot Structures and other
educational figures.

BUILD 3D MODEL

This is a very fast and high-quality template based approach to generating 3D coordinates. Stereochemistry
is retained. Hydrogens will be added appropriately.

This function uses the NIH Cactus service, and will require an internet connection. To use this method,
execute the following steps:

1. Ensure you have a valid internet connection.

2. Select the structures to generate 3D coordinates for.

3. Expand the Structure|Clean submenu and select the Build 3D Model (NIH Cactus) menu item.

Also, the NIH Cactus service may be down for any number of reasons. If this is the case, please try again
later and it will likely be back up.

DISTANCE GEOMETRY EMBEDDING

Distance geometry embedding sets 3D coordinates for a structure based on a regression of its bond distance
matrix. This function works best on highly embedded structures such as fullerenes, carbon nanotubes and
cage-like ring systems such as adamantane or norbornane. To use this method, execute the following steps:

1. Select the structures to generate 3D coordinates for by distance geometry embedding.

2. Expand the Structure|Clean submenu and select the Distance Geometry Embedding menu item.
166 Chapter 7: CHEMINFORMATICS

PRESERVING STEREOCHEMISTRY

By default, structure cleaning will preserve stereochemical configurations. To disable this option, deselect
Clean Retains Stereochemistry in the Functions panel in the Preferences window.

DESCRIPTORS
ChemDoodle calculates a large number of molecular descriptors. The descriptors are currently categorized
into four types: constitutional, topological, physicochemical and ADME.

CONSTITUTIONAL

Constitutional descriptors are based on the makeup of the molecule, such as atom counts and molecular
formula. The following constitutional descriptors are provided:

• Atom Count - The number of atoms in a molecule.

• Bond Count - The number of bonds in a molecule.

• Degree of Unsaturation - The sum of all bond orders less one for each, plus the number of rings.

• Element Counts - The number of each element that is present in a molecule.

• Euler Facet Ring Count - The count of all Euler facets in a molecule. This is defined as all of the
sides of the 3D shape that is created by expanding the 2D structure on a 3D sphere.

• Exhaustive Ring Count - The total number of graph cycles present in the molecule.

• Frèrejacque Number - The fundamental ring count. Also known as the cyclomatic number or the
SSSR count.

• Hydrogen Bond Acceptor Count - Counts the number of atoms with lone pairs capable of hydrogen
bonding.

• Hydrogen Bond Donor Count - Counts all nitrogens, oxygens and fluorines that have hydrogens
attached.

• Rotatable Bond Count - Counts all saturated bonds. Exceptions are single bonds connected to
hydrogens or terminal atoms, Single bonds of amides, thioamides, sulphonamides and those connecting
two hindered aromatic rings (having at least three ortho substituents).

• Total Electron Count - Counts all electrons in a molecule taking into account charges.

• Lightest Isotopic Mass - Calculates the lightest isotopic mass by summing the lightest isotope for
each atom given its element.

• McGowan Characteristic Volume - Calculates the vdW volume using McGowan’s method.

• Molecular Mass - Calculates the molecular mass from atomic masses based on the IUPAC technical
reports.

• Monoisotopic Mass - Calculates the monoisotopic mass from isotopic masses based on the IUPAC
technical reports.

• Volume as a Sum of Atomic and Bond Contributions - Calculates the VABC vdW volume.
Chapter 7: CHEMINFORMATICS 167

• Empirical Formula - Generates the empirical formula for the molecule. The empirical formula is
just the molecular formula, where all element multiplicities have been divided by the greatest common
denominator.

• Molecular Formula - Generates the molecular formula for the molecule in the form of CxHy. . . where
. . . denotes all other elements and their counts in alphabetical order. This is based on the Hill system,
so if no carbon atoms are present, the hydrogen count will be in alphabetical order with the rest of the
elements.

TOPOLOGICAL

Topological descriptors are solely based on the connectivity between atoms in a molecule, such as a bond
distance matrix. The following topological descriptors are provided:

• Centric Index - Calculates the Centric index for the molecule (Bonchev et al.).

• Diameter - Calculates the longest topological distance in a molecule.

• Hosoya Index - Calculates the Hosoya index for the molecule.

• Molecular Topological Index - Calculates the Molecular Topological index for the molecule (Schultz
et al.).

• Platt Index - Calculates the Platt index for the molecule.

• Ring Complexity - Calculates the Ring Complexity for the molecule.

• Szeged Index - Calculates the Szeged index for the molecule.

• Wiener Index - Calculates the Wiener index for the molecule.

• Zagreb Indices - First and second order calculations are supported. (Z1 , Z2 )

• Balaban Index - Calculates the Balaban index for the molecule.

• Bertz Complexity Index - Calculates the Bertz Complexity index for the molecule.

• Branching Index - Calculates the Branching index for the molecule. The Branching index is equiv-
alent to 1 χ.

• Chi Molecular Connectivity Indices - Indices from zeroth to third order are supported. Both
simple and valence models are calculated. (0 χ, 1 χ, 2 χ, 3 χ, 0 χv , 1 χv , 2 χv , 3 χv )

• Fraction Molecular Framework - Calculates the Fraction Molecular Framework (fMF) ratio for the
molecule.

• Harary Index - Calculates the Harary index for the molecule.

• Kappa Shape Indices - Indices from the first to third order are supported. Both simple and alpha
models are calculated. (1 κ, 2 κ, 3 κ, 1 κα , 2 κα , 3 κα )

• Superpendentic Index - Calculates the Superpendentic index for the molecule.

• Adjacency Matrix - Generates a matrix M of size A × A, where A is the number of atoms in the
molecule. M (Ai , Aj ) equals one if there is a bond connecting atoms i and j, and equals zero otherwise.

• Bond Distance Matrix - Generates a matrix M of size A × A, where A is the number of atoms in
the molecule. M (Ai , Aj ) equals the number of electrons shared between atoms i and j.
168 Chapter 7: CHEMINFORMATICS

• Bond Electron Matrix - Generates a matrix M of size A × A, where A is the number of atoms in
the molecule. M (Ai , Aj ) equals the shortest bond distance between atoms i and j.

• Detour Matrix - Generates a matrix M of size B × A, where , where B is the number of bonds in
the molecule and A is the number of atoms in the molecule. M (Bi , Aj ) equals one if bond i contains
atom j, and zero otherwise.

• Incidence Matrix - Generates a matrix M of size A × A, where A is the number of atoms in the
molecule. M (Ai , Aj ) equals the longest bond distance between atoms i and j.

• Laplacian Matrix - GGenerates a matrix M of size A × A, where A is the number of atoms in the
molecule. M (Ai , Aj ) equals one if there is a bond connecting atoms i and j and equals zero otherwise.
M (i, i) equals the number of bonds connected to atom Ai .

PHYSICOCHEMICAL

Physicochemical descriptors describe the physical or chemical properties of a molecule. These are estimations
of their real physical values. The following physicochemical descriptors are provided:

• Average Molecular Polarizability - Estimates the average molecular polarizability. Both the aver-
age hybrid components (Miller) and average hybrid polarizabilities (Kang) methods are implemented.

• Critical Pressure - Estimates the critical pressure (Pc ) of a substance based on Joback’s method.

• Critical Temperature - Estimates the critical temperature (Tc ) of a substance based on Joback’s
method.

• Critical Volume - Estimates the critical volume (Vc ) of a substance based on Joback’s method.
0
• Enthalpy of Formation - Estimates the enthalpy of formation (∆Hf,298 ) of a substance (ideal gas
at 298K) based on Joback’s method.

• Enthalpy of Fusion - Estimates the enthalpy of fusion (∆Hf ) of a substance based on Joback’s
method.

• Enthalpy of Vaporization - Estimates the enthalpy of vaporization (∆Hvb ) of a substance (at Tb )

based on Joback’s method.

• Gibbs Energy of Formation - Estimates Gibbs energy of formation (∆G0f,298 ) of a substance (ideal
gas, unit fugacity, at 298K) based on Joback’s method.

• Heat Capacity - Estimates the heat capacity(Cp0 ) of a substance (ideal gas) based on Joback’s method.

• Lipophilicity, log P - Estimates the octanol/water partition coefficient (log P ) of a substance. The
NC+NHET, AlogP98, and XlogP v2.0 (Wang) algorithms are implemented.

• Liquid Viscosity - Estimates the liquid viscosity (ηL ) of a substance (at 298K) based on Joback’s
method.

• Molar Refractivity - Estimates the molar refractivity of a substance. Both the CMR3 and AMR
algorithms are implemented.

• Normal Boiling Point - Estimates the normal boiling point (Tb ) of a substance based on Joback’s
method.

• Normal Freezing Point - Estimates the normal freezing point (Tf ) of a substance based on Joback’s
method.
Chapter 7: CHEMINFORMATICS 169

• Topological Polar Surface Area - Estimates the topological polar surface area (TPSA) of a molecule
with the algorithm developed by Ertl et al.

ADME

Descriptors that rank bioactivity of drugs (ADME is an acronym for absorption, distribution, metabolism,
and excretion):

• Bioavailability Score - Calculates the bioavailability score (Martin).

• Egan Violations Count - Calculates the number of violations to Egan’s rules.

• Lipinski’s Rule of 5 Violations Count - Counts the number of violations to Lipinski’s rule of 5.

• Veber Violations Count - Calculates the number of violations to Veber’s rules.

FLATTENING ATOMIC COORDINATES

In cases where imported chemical data contains 3D coordinates, you can set all the z-coordinates to zero by
selecting that content and choosing the Content|Flatten menu item.

FRAGMENTATION
ChemDoodle contains several functions for fragmenting molecules. The fragmentation functions can be found
in the Content toolbar ( ).

The molecules will be fragmented and each fragment will

Molecular Weight
have a molecular weight assigned.

The molecules will be fragmented and each fragment will be

Synthesis set as a reactant in a synthetic reaction leading to the
original molecules.

The molecules will be fragmented and each fragment will be

Retrosynthesis set as a product in the retrosynthetic reaction resulting in the
original molecules.

To fragment a molecule or group of molecules, execute the following steps:

1. Select the desired fragmentation function in the Content toolbar.

2. Press the mouse down and drag over all the bonds to be removed, defining how the molecule is to be
fragmented.

3. Release the mouse to complete the function.

170 Chapter 7: CHEMINFORMATICS

CALCULATING MONOISOTOPIC MASS INSTEAD OF MOLECULAR

MASS

When using the Molecular Weight fragmentation tool, molecular masses will be calculated for the frag-
ments generated. If you prefer to calculate monoisotopic masses instead, in the Preferences window under
the Functions tab, select Monoisotopic Mass for the Mass Fragmentation Calculator setting in the
Tools section.

FORMAL CHARGES
While you can place charges on atoms manually, ChemDoodle can also guess the formal charges for a
structure. To have ChemDoodle guess formal charges for a structure, execute the following steps:

1. Select the atoms for which formal charges are to be guessed.

2. Choose the Structure|Place Formal Charges menu item.

GLASSWARE CLIPART
Figures for glassware setups can be created by using the glassware clipart library within ChemDoodle.
ChemDoodle contains hundreds of different glassware clipart and other laboratory clipart that can be put
together to create very complex laboratory setups. The clipart is organized into a window for easy selection,
shown in Figure 7.5. This is accessed by clicking on the Laboratory Glassware button in the Drawing
toolbar.

Figure 7.5: The Glassware Clipart Window

The left side contains tabs for selecting the category of clipart to view. While moving your mouse over the
clipart, a grey highlight will appear with a description of the clipart. An amber highlight means that the
clipart is selected.
Chapter 7: CHEMINFORMATICS 171

To build glassware setups, execute the following steps:

1. Click on the Laboratory Glassware button in the main toolbar.

2. In the window that appears, select a glassware piece that you would like to place into your figure.

3. Press the mouse down on the current document and drag to place it where you prefer the piece to be
placed. Hold down the shift key to flip the template horizontally while placing.

4. Release the mouse to set the glassware piece.

5. Repeat steps 2-4 until your figure is complete.

To achieve the desired front-to-back order for glassware pieces, care must be taken when placing glassware
in a figure.

Each template is a complete image, and it is not possible to show one piece in between the front and back
of another piece. However, you may export your figure to be post-edited in vector editing software (such as
Adobe Illustrator) to achieve this effect.

All glassware clipart is governed by the same visual specifications that other shapes are. So you can change
the stroke thickness and the colors of the various components in the clipart as shown in Figure 7.6.

Figure 7.6: A Glassware Setup with Altered Colors

172 Chapter 7: CHEMINFORMATICS

FLIPPING GLASSWARE

To flip the clipart graphics, just hold down the shift key while placing them. The preview will then show
you the flipped graphic.

You can also manually specify whether a clipart is flipped or not by right-clicking on it with nothing selected,
selecting the Format Clipart. . . menu item and then changing the Flip on/off choice in the Clipart section.

REMOVING SOLUTION (LIQUID) FROM TEMPLATES

Many glassware clipart contain solution. You may desire to have this solution removed for your figures. To
do so, execute the following steps:

1. In your document (not in the glassware window), hover over the glassware clipart with the solution
you would like removed using a selection tool with nothing selected.

2. Right-click on the glassware clipart and select the Format Clipart. . . menu item, or press the comma
, key.

3. Scroll down to the Clipart section and deselect the Fill with Solution on/off choice.

The solution will then be removed from the glassware clipart as shown in Figure 7.7.

Figure 7.7: A Beaker with and without Solution

TUBING

You may wish to connect pieces of glassware via tubing. A good technique for doing this is by using the
Bezier Curve tool to draw the path of the tubing, and then increasing the stroke width of the path to the
desired thickness.

One method for doing so is as follows:

1. Select the Bezier Curve tool in the Drawing toolbar.

2. Press the mouse down in the middle of the outlet in the glassware figure where the first tubing con-
nection will be made.

3. Drag the mouse out in the direction that the first outlet faces. The longer you drag out the control
point, the longer the curve will be straight at that point.

4. Press the mouse down in the middle of the outlet in the glassware figure where the second tubing
connection will be made.

5. Drag the mouse out in the direction that the second outlet faces. The longer you drag out the control
point, the longer the curve will be straight at that point.
Chapter 7: CHEMINFORMATICS 173

6. Edit the bezier curve if necessary, or press the escape key to finish drawing the curve.

7. Hover the curve using a selection tool and right-click, selecting the Format Bezier Curve. . . menu
item.

8. In the Strokes section of the settings window that appears, change the Thickness setting to 10 pixels.

9. Select the Done button to close the settings window.

Your completed figure will then contain a nice smooth curve connecting the outlets that represents tubing
as shown in Figure 7.8.

Figure 7.8: Glassware Figure Containing Tubing

BIOLOGICAL CLIPART
In addition to laboratory clipart, ChemDoodle includes clipart for creating biological diagrams. The clipart
is organized into a window for easy selection, much like the Laboratory Glassware, as shown in Figure 7.9.
This is accessed by clicking on the BioArt button in the Drawing toolbar.
174 Chapter 7: CHEMINFORMATICS

Figure 7.9: The BioArt Window

The left side contains tabs for selecting the category of clipart to view. While moving your mouse over the
clipart, a grey highlight will appear with a description of the clipart. An amber highlight means that the
clipart is selected.

To build biological diagrams, execute the following steps:

1. Click on the BioArt button in the main toolbar.

2. In the window that appears, select a glassware piece that you would like to place into your figure.

3. Press the mouse down on the current document and drag to place it where you prefer the piece to be
placed. Hold down the shift key to flip the template horizontally while placing.

4. Release the mouse to set the glassware piece..

5. Repeat steps 2-4 until your figure is complete.

To achieve the desired front-to-back order for BioArt pieces, care must be taken when placing BioArt in a
figure.

Each template is a complete image, and it is not possible to show one piece in between the front and back
of another piece. However, you may export your figure to be post-edited in vector editing software (such as
Adobe Illustrator) to achieve this effect.
Chapter 7: CHEMINFORMATICS 175

FLIPPING BIOART

To flip the clipart graphics, just hold down the shift key while placing them. The preview will then show
you the flipped graphic.

You can also manually specify whether a clipart is flipped or not by right-clicking on it with nothing selected,
selecting the Format Clipart. . . menu item and then changing the Flip on/off choice in the Clipart section.

GRAPH REDUCTION
To reduce molecule graphs, execute the following steps:

1. Select the structure with the graphs you would like to be reduced.

2. Expand the Structure|Graph Reduction submenu and select the preferred reduction method.

REDUCE 0◦ (LONE)

Will remove all selected atoms that have no bonds attached.

REDUCE 1◦ (TERMINALS)

Will remove all selected atoms that have only one bond attached to them. This process will stop after the
first iteration.

REPEATEDLY REDUCE 1◦

Will remove all selected atoms that have only one bond attached to them. This process will continue until
it has pruned all terminal chains from the selection.

REDUCE 1◦ + 0◦

Will remove all selected lone and terminal atoms.

REDUCE 2◦ (CHAINS)

Will remove all chains from a molecule, leaving single bonds connecting any remaining 3◦ atoms.
176 Chapter 7: CHEMINFORMATICS

REDUCE 2◦ + 1◦ + 0◦

Will remove all lone, terminal and chain atoms, leaving a simplified core that represents the embedded ring
structure of a graph.

HYDROGENS
Hydrogens do not need to be drawn on structures as they are implicitly declared. At any time, hydrogens
can be added to a structure as text in atom labels or as atoms with bonds attached.

IMPLICIT HYDROGEN RENDERING

By default, implicit hydrogens are automatically rendered on any element labels that are visible. To disable
the auto-rendering of implicit hydrogens, uncheck the Show Implicit Hydrogens visual specification in
the Hydrogens section of the Atom section of the Visuals tab in the Preferences window.

You can also disable the auto-rendering of implicit hydrogens for a specific atom by executing the following
steps:

1. Hover the atom with implicit hydrogens to remove.

2. Right-click on the atom.

3. Select the Hide Implicit Hydrogens menu item.

This will stop the auto-rendering of implicit hydrogens on that atom. To restore the implicit hydrogen
auto-rendering, follow the same steps as above, but choose the Show Implicit Hydrogens menu item.

ADDING HYDROGENS AS ATOMS

To add hydrogens to a structure as atoms as shown in Figure 7.10, execute the following steps:

1. Select the structure to add hydrogens to.

2. Expand the Structure|Add/Remove Hydrogens submenu and select the From Selection menu
item.

Figure 7.10: Hydrogens Added as Atoms

Chapter 7: CHEMINFORMATICS 177

ADDING HYDROGENS AS TEXT

To add hydrogens as text into atom labels as shown in Figure 7.11, change the Add as setting in the
Hydrogens section in the Preferences window, under the Visuals tab, under the Atoms subtab to
Text. After doing so hydrogens will be explicitly added as text when using the Add/Remove Hydrogens
functions.

Figure 7.11: Hydrogens Added as Text

DEFINING WHEN HYDROGENS ARE ADDED TO CARBONS

You can modify how hydrogens are added to carbon atoms: whether they are always added, only added to
unsaturated carbons or never added to carbons. These options are available in the Preferences window,
under the Visuals tab, under the Atoms subtab in the Carbons section.

IUPAC NAMING
Using ChemDoodle, you can import a structure from an IUPAC name or generate an IUPAC name from a
structure.

NAME TO STRUCTURE

To parse an IUPAC name and generate a chemical structure, execute the following steps:

1. Select the Parse IUPAC Name. . . menu item from the Structure menu.

2. Enter the IUPAC name at the prompt and select the Accept button.

The generated structure will then be placed in the document.

STRUCTURE TO NAME

To generate an IUPAC name from a chemical structure, execute the following steps:

1. Select the molecule you would like to produce an IUPAC name for.

2. Select the Structure|Structure to Name menu item.

The IUPAC name for the selected structure will be displayed in a message window that will appear. You
can then paste this name into the document or to the system clipboard.
178 Chapter 7: CHEMINFORMATICS

AUTOMATICALLY UPDATING IUPAC NAME

At times, it may be more convenient to have an IUPAC name associated with a molecule, and have that
name automatically update while drawing. This is possible using autoupdating labels, which are covered in
detail in the SHAPES chapter. To attach an auto-updating label to a molecule to display the IUPAC name,
execute the following steps:

1. Select the molecule you would like to name.

2. ISelect the Structure|Attach Updating Label menu item, or press the corresponding button in the
Content toolbar.

3. In the popup that appears, make sure IUPAC Name is selected in the drop-down selection.

4. Press the Add button to add the updating label.

As you edit or move your molecule, the updating label will update accordingly. To copy the IUPAC name
from an updating label to the system clipboard, right click on the label with a selection tool and select the
Copy Text menu item.

IUPAC NAMING OPTIONS

There are many options you can define to control how ChemDoodle generates IUPAC names. These options
are listed in the Preferences window, in the Functions tab.

All defaults are chosen to match the preferred IUPAC rules.

Include Obvious Locants

Default: Off
On: 1-Chloromethane
Off: Chloromethane

Place First Suffix Locant Before Chain Name

Default: On
On: 1-Butene
Off: But-1-ene

Capitalize First Character

Default: On
On: Methane
Off: methane
Chapter 7: CHEMINFORMATICS 179

Append Warnings

Default: Off
On: 2,2,2-Trimethylpropane (Unusual valences)
Off: 2,2,2-Trimethylpropane

Use “per” Nomenclature

Default: On
On: Perchloromethane
Off: Tetrachloromethane

Use “bis” Nomenclature

Default: On
On: Bis(2-napthyl)methane
Off: Di-2-naphthylmethane

Favor Largest Base Nucleus

Default: Off
On: 9-(1,2-Dimethylpentyl)anthracene
Off: 2-(9-Anthryl)-3-methylhexane

Pick Rings over Chains for Base Nucleus

Default: Off
On: 2-Butyrylpyridine
Off: 1-(2-Pyridyl)-1-butanone

Use Amine as Base Nucleus for Simple Cases

Default: On
On: Ethylamine
Off: Ethanamine

Use Method A for Functional Groups

Default: On
On: Hexanoic acid
Off: Pentanecarboxylic acid
180 Chapter 7: CHEMINFORMATICS

Separate Main Functional Group for Method A

Default: Off
On: 3-Formylhexanedial
Off: 1,2,4-Butanetricarbaldehyde

Substituents

Default: Off
On: 1-Oxo-1,2-dihydronaphthalene
Off: 2H-Naphthalen-1-one

Use Non-systematic Names

Default: On
On: Isopentane
Off: 2-Methylbutane

Use Ortho/Meta/Para

Default: On
On: p-Diethylbenzene
Off: 1,4-Diethylbenzene

Use the Hantzsch/Widman System

Default: On
On: 1H-Silole
Off: Sila-2,4-cyclopentadiene

Collapse Nitro-Ketone Ring Names

Default: Off
On: 1H-Pyrid-2-one
Off: 1H-Pyridin-2-one

Use Annulene Names

Default: On
On: [10]Annulene
Off: 1,3,5,7,9-Cyclodecapentaene
Chapter 7: CHEMINFORMATICS 181

Use Hydride Names for Fully Substituted Rings

Default: On
On: Cyclopentaazane
Off: Pentazacyclopentane

Merge Ring Assemblies

Default: On
On: Biphenyl
Off: Phenylbenzene

Use Full Names for Ring Assemblies

Default: On
On: 2,2´-Binaphthalene
Off: 2,2´-Binaphthyl

Include Double Bond Stereochemistry

Default: Off
On: (E)-2-Butene
Off: 2-Butene

Only use Parentheses for Substitutions

Default: Off
On: 2-(2-(1-(2-Aminoethoxy)ethoxy)ethoxy) propiononitrile
Off: 2-2-[1-(2-Aminoethoxy)ethoxy]ethoxypropiononitrilePentazacyclopentane

KEKULÉ STRUCTURES

ChemDoodle contains a function for assigning double bonds to a structure so that pi electron delocalization is
maximized. Both frames of single bonds and substructures consisting of only resonance bonds are considered.
182 Chapter 7: CHEMINFORMATICS

KEKULIZING A SINGLE BOND FRAME

To easily draw Kekulé structures, you may begin by just drawing a single bond frame. This way, ChemDoodle
can optimally assign double bonds to the structure. If there are other bond types present, ChemDoodle will
not Kekulize the structure. However, the Structure|Saturate function will change all bond types to single
bonds.

To Kekulize a structure of only single bonds, execute the following steps:

1. Select the structure containing only single bonds to be Kekulized.

2. Select the Structure|Kekulize menu item.

For example, corannulene is generated from a Kekulization of a single bond frame in Figure 7.12.

Figure 7.12: Kekulizing a Single Bond Frame to Generate Corannulene

KEKULIZING A SUBSTRUCTURE OF RESONANCE BONDS

In some cases, structures may be read into ChemDoodle with resonance bonds. It may be necessary to
present a Kekulé structure instead of the resonance model. When Kekulizing a structure with resonance
bonds, only the resonance bonds will be affected.

To Kekulize a substructure of resonance bonds, execute the following steps:

1. Select the structure containing the substructure of resonance bonds to be Kekulized.

2. Select the Structure|Kekulize menu item.

For example, the aromatic rings in Viagra are Kekulized in Figure 7.13.

Figure 7.13: Kekulizing the Aromatic Rings in the Resonance Model for Viagra
Chapter 7: CHEMINFORMATICS 183

DELOCALIZING A KEKULÉ STRUCTURE

You can also delocalize a Kekulé structure. Do this by selecting the content to delocalize and select the
Structure|Delocalize menu item.

LABEL EXPANSION
Atom labels can be much more than just an element symbol. They may contain implicit hydrogens or
chemical shorthand notations or abbreviations. ChemDoodle can expand these condensed labels to their all
atom models.

EXPANDING LABELS

To expand labels, execute the following steps:

1. Select the atoms with labels to be expanded using any of the selection tools.

2. Select the Structure|Expand Labels menu item.

IMPLICIT HYDROGENS

Implicit hydrogens can be presented as text in an atom label. They may be added automatically, can be
added manually using the Atom Label tool or globally using the Add/Remove Hydrogens function
with the appropriate visual specifications set.

When expanded, implicit hydrogens are ignored. So the label “NH2” will become an “N” label when
expanded.

CONDENSED LABELS

Chains and functional groups may be denoted with a condensed label. For instance, a carboxy group may
be denoted by a “COOH” atom label or an ethyl group may be denoted by “CH2CH3”.

When expanded, condensed labels will be replaced by the all atom model of the fragment as shown below
in the figure on the right.

(a) Condensed Atom Labels (b) Expanded Structure for Same Molecule

Figure 7.14: Condensed vs. Expanded Atom Labels

184 Chapter 7: CHEMINFORMATICS

Several constructs are supported by the condensed interpreter in ChemDoodle:

1. Linear Chains - Stringing elements together will place them in a chain, so “CCCC” or
“CH2CH2CH2CH3” denotes a n-butyl group.

2. Repeating Chains - Using parentheses to begin a label will denote a repeating chain, so “(CH2)4”
will represent butane radical. If this label is attached to two bonds, they will be placed on opposite
ends.

3. Multiple Attachments - Using parentheses (not at the start of the label) will denote multiple
attachments, so the label “C(CH3)3” will denote a t-butyl group.

4. Single and Double Bonds - If no bonds are placed between elements, then single bonds are used
to connect them. The “-” (minus) character will also specify a single bond connection and the “=”
(equals) character will specify a double bond connection. Therefore, “CC” and “C-C” both specify an
ethyl group while “C=C” will specify a vinyl group.

5. Radical Formulas - Radical formulas are recognized and must start with a carbon label and the
second token must be a number. So “C3F7” will be recognized as a perfluoropropyl radical. Keep in
mind radical formulas can be ambiguous, and ChemDoodle will only be able to match the elemental
composition of the formula; ChemDoodle will not be able to know which isomer you prefer.

ABBREVIATIONS

In addition to condensed formulas, abbreviations can be used to define fragments in atom labels. For instance,
the “Ph” abbreviation defines a phenyl group. All supported abbreviations are listed in the Symbols widget
in the Abbreviations section. When expanded, abbreviations will be replaced by the all atom model they
define as shown below in the figure on the right.

(a) A Molecule with Abbreviations (b) Expanded Structure for Same Molecule

Figure 7.15: Abbreviations in Atom Labels

ChemDoodle can only expand abbreviations that represent discrete molecules, monovalent or divalent frag-
ments. ChemDoodle will attempt to interpret abbreviations properly based on their valency. For instance,
the “CO2” abbreviation with a valency of zero is a carbon dioxide molecule while that same label with a
valency of two denotes an ester group.

ADDING CUSTOM ABBREVIATIONS

Custom abbreviations can be added by executing the following steps:

1. Select the Structure|Abbreviations—Add New. . . menu item.

2. Type the abbreviation label to be used in atom labels in the Abbreviation Label text field.

3. Type the full name of the abbreviation in the Full Description/Name text field.
Chapter 7: CHEMINFORMATICS 185

4. Provide the SMILES string for the full atom model of the abbreviation in the SMILES for Abbre-
viation text field. If the valency of the abbreviation is greater than zero, then the attachment atom is
the first atom defined by the SMILES string. If the abbreviation is divalent, then the last atom defined
in the SMILES string will be used as the second attachment atom.

5. Select the valency of the abbreviation using the Valency drop down selection.

6. Press the Add button to add the new abbreviation.

ChemDoodle will update to recognize the added abbreviation and when used, that abbreviation will be
expanded to the SMILES string defined.

MIXING CONDENSED NOTATIONS AND ABBREVIATIONS

Abbreviations and condensed notations can be combined. For instance, the atom label “CPh3” denotes a
triphenylmethyl group.

MOLECULAR FORMULAS

Sometimes you may intend to input a molecular formula into an atom label, to calculate a molecular weight,
for instance. If a molecular formula is input, then ChemDoodle will associate that atom with an isomer
of the molecular formula, as best it can as shown in Figure 7.16. Your calculations of weight then will be
correct, however, other calculations will need to be scrutinized for accuracy. For accurate calculations, make
sure to draw a correct structure or structural formula.

Figure 7.16: ChemDoodle expands a molecular formula to an isomer all-atom model.

LEWIS DOT STRUCTURES

Lewis Dot Structures can be created manually or with a convenient function in the Structure menu.

To quickly create a Lewis Dot Structure from a drawn molecule, execute the following steps:

1. Select the molecule you would like to generate a Lewis Dot Structure from.

2. Select the Structure|Create Lewis Dot Structure item.

The created Lewis Dot Structure will then appear below the selected structure. This function will work on
the majority of structures and will automatically place lone pairs to satisfy the octet rule. Output of this
function is show in Figure 7.17. You may wish to post edit these structures or change their scales for the
optimal figures.
186 Chapter 7: CHEMINFORMATICS

Figure 7.17: ChemDoodle generates Lewis Dot Structures for drawn molecules.

To manually create Lewis Dot Structures, you can modify a few options in ChemDoodle. Then as you draw,
the tools will be optimized for Lewis Dot Structures and allow you to create them easily.

• Bond Length (Preferences>Visuals>Bonds>Settings) - Increase the bond length (30px recom-

mended) to easily view double and triple bonds. You can also break from standard lengths when
drawing for custom bond lengths.

• Use Lewis Dot Style (Preferences>Visuals>Bonds>Options) - Enable this option to change from
rendering standard bond order bonds to their Lewis Dot Structure equivalent.

• Chain Angle (Preferences>Functions>Tools>Cleaning) - Set the chain angle to 180◦ to have the
clean tool clean structures to 90◦ angles.

MACROMOLECULE BUILDERS
ChemDoodle provides a few tools for building complex molecule geometries.

If you are using these tools to create large structures, we recommend you enable the Ring Search Cutoff
option in Preferences, under the Functions tab in the Performance section.

All structures generated by these tools are defined by 3D coordinates, so you can use the Rotate in 3D
tool in the Content toolbar to change the perspective.

CARBON NANOTUBES

To create carbon nanotubes, select the Carbon Nanotube Builder button ( ) in the Macromolecular
Tool group button in the Drawing toolbar. You can then place a carbon nanotube by executing the
following steps:

1. Press the mouse down on the Doodle Board where you would like the base of the carbon nanotube
to sprout from.
Chapter 7: CHEMINFORMATICS 187

2. While the mouse is pressed down, move the mouse horizontally to change the width of the carbon
nanotube. The carbon nanotube will expand the number of rings present in the loop to fit a width
that reaches the mouse pointer.

3. While the mouse is pressed down, move the mouse vertically to change the height of the carbon
nanotube. The carbon nanotube will expand the number of loops present to fit a height that reaches
the mouse pointer.

4. By default, zigzag geometries are created, hold down the shift key to create armchair geometries
instead.

5. Release the mouse when you are satisfied with the current geometry to place it.

ChemDoodle will automatically place double bonds in the carbon nanotube. While using the tool to create
carbon nanotubes, a preview will be displayed without double bonds to more easily view the output, and
a description will be displayed to the bottom right of the mouse pointer stating whether the geometry is
zigzag or armchair or other statistics about the geometry as shown in Figure 7.18.

(a) Zigzag Carbon Nanotube Geometry (b) Armchair Carbon Nanotube Geometry

Figure 7.18: Carbon Nanotube Geometry

PRISMS

To create prisms, select the Prism Builder button in the Macromolecular Tool group button ( ) on
the Macromolecular Tool group button in the Drawing toolbar. You can then place a carbon nanotube
by executing the following steps:

1. Press the mouse down on the Doodle Board where you would like the center of the prism to be
located.

2. While the mouse is pressed down, move the mouse horizontally to change the width of the prism. The
prism will expand the number of rings present to fit a width that reaches the mouse pointer.

3. Release the mouse when you are satisfied with the current geometry to place it.

While using the tool to create prisms, a preview will be displayed with a description to the bottom right of
the mouse pointer stating statistics about the geometry as shown in Figure 7.19.
188 Chapter 7: CHEMINFORMATICS

Figure 7.19: Building a Prism Geometry

NEWMAN PROJECTIONS
To build graphics for Newman Projections, execute the following steps:

1. Draw a 2-methylpropane structure.

2. Hover the central atom and right-click.

3. Select the Show Carbon Label menu item.

4. Again, hover the central atom and right-click.

5. Select the Format Atom. . . menu item.

6. In the Elements section, select the Use Circles checkbox, make sure Coloring is set to User Chosen
and Radius Convention is set to Constant, and then set the Constant Radius to the preferred
size. You will now see a black circle appear over the central carbon.

7. In the Atom Settings window, under the Colors section, change the Text Color to white. You
should now see a figure just like Figure 7.20.

Figure 7.20: A Half-completed Newman Projection

8. Click on the Done button exit the Atom Settings window.

9. Draw a second 2-methylpropane structure.

10. Rotate the second structure to the desired torsion for the Newman Projection.

11. Using a lasso tool, move the second drawn structure over the first to complete the Newman Projection.

You can then edit the terminal labels to display the structure desired as is shown in Figure 7.21. You may
wish to save a copy of this structure as a file for later use.

Figure 7.21: A Completed Newman Projection

Chapter 7: CHEMINFORMATICS 189

RING PERCEPTION
Rings are cycles of atoms and are important, because ChemDoodle uses them to define graphics such as
which direction double bonds face and for calculations such as aromaticity detection. There are several
published algorithms to define rings in structures producing different ring sets.

SUPPORTED RING SETS

Currently, ChemDoodle recognizes the following sets:

• Smallest Set of Smallest Rings - The smallest set of smallest rings (SSSR) is the standard for
defining ring sets in flat 2D structures.

• Euler Facet Rings - he Euler facet ring set is better than the SSSR at defining essential rings in 2D
depictions of 3D structures. It is defined by all the rings that make up the faces of a 3D object when
the 2D chemical graph is placed on a 3D sphere.

• Hanser (All) Rings - Every last graph cycle in selected structures.

EXPLODING RING SETS

Ring sets can be exploded from the structure. In other words, they will be laid out around the structure to
show the rings and where they are contained. To explode ring sets, execute the following steps:

1. Select the structures with the rings to be exploded.

2. Expand the Structure|Rings submenu and select the desired set to explode.

In very complex structures, the exploded ring diagram will be highly overlapped. Just stack the rings (in
the Content menu) to view them all clearly.

PERFORMANCE CONSIDERATIONS

When dealing with heavily embedded structures, such as zeolites or MOFs, the algorithms may become very
CPU intensive. In these cases, you can disable deep searching for rings by selecting Ring Search Cutoff
in the Functions panel in the Preferences window.
190 Chapter 7: CHEMINFORMATICS

SEQUENCE TOOL
ChemDoodle provides a tool for generating sequence structures for common polymer types. The following
polymer types are supported:

1. Three Letter Amino Acid Sequence

To generate sequences, use the Sequence tool ( ) in the Macromolecular Tool group button in the
Drawing toolbar. To draw a sequence, execute the following steps:

1. Click on the current document where you want the sequence to originate from. The endpoints of the
sequence will appear. For amino acid sequences, a water molecule will appear.

2. A single atom will be surrounded by a blue circle; this is the appending atom. All changes to the
sequence append directly to this atom. You can hover over other atoms and click to set a new appending
atom.

3. Use the keyboard to type the one letter hotkeys for the residues in the sequence set. For instance,
pressing the A key will append an alanine residue, and pressing the R key will append an arginine
residue.

Sequences will automatically wrap to stay within the margins of the current document as shown in Fig-
ure 7.22.

Figure 7.22: A Wrapped Sequence for Crambin

Use this tool to easily create macromolecular structures, and to quickly calculate properties such as weights
and isotopic distributions.

STEREOCHEMISTRY
The stereochemistry of chiral centers and double bonds can be determined by selecting the Struc-
ture|Stereochemistry functions. An attribute object will be associated with the stereocenter to denote
the stereochemical configuration. Several conventions can be used.

Centers can be forced into a particular configuration in addition to determining the configurations based on
the 2D layout.

CHIRAL CENTERS

Cahn-Ingold-Prelog (CIP) priority rules are used to resolve rectus (R) and sinestra (S) enantiomers. Meso
centers are also resolved with lower case rectus (r) and sinestra (s) identifiers.

Forcing a configuration will interchange the protruding and recessed bonds, if necessary. If only single bonds
are present, then the appropriate wedge bonds will be placed when a configuration is forced.
Chapter 7: CHEMINFORMATICS 191

DOUBLE BONDS

CIP priority rules are used to resolve entgegen (E) or zusammen (Z) configurations around double bonds.
The less systematic cis/trans conventions can also be used to define olefin enantiomers. The E/Z system will
work for any double bond presented, while the cis/trans conventions will not return results in ambiguous
cases.

Forcing double bond stereochemistry will flip both substituents on one atom’s side of the double bond
through the double bond axis, if necessary.

RESOLVING STEREOCHEMISTRY

To resolve stereochemistry for structures, execute the following steps:

1. Select the structures or parts of structures with stereocenters to be resolved with the selection tools.

2. Expand the Structure|Stereochemistry submenu.

3. Choose the appropriate Assign menu item to resolve stereocenters of that type.

You may also access these functions through the right-click menu.

FORCING STEREOCHEMICAL CONFIGURATIONS

To force a stereochemical configuration on an atom or bond, perform the following steps:

1. Hover the atom or bond on which the configuration will be forced.

2. Right-click on the hovered object.

3. If that object is a potential stereocenter, then the Stereochemistry submenu will be present. Expand
this submenu.

4. Choose the appropriate Force menu item to force the configuration.

STRUCTURE PERSPECTIVE
Even though ChemDoodle generates graphics for structures in two dimensions, the underlying structures are
defined in three dimensions.

ChemDoodle will read in 3D coordinates from all chemical files and provides functions for rotating structures
in 3D.

While ChemDoodle has some 3D editing features, it is not a molecular modeler and is not
the appropriate tool for building 3D coordinates for structures.

To rotate structures in 3D execute the following steps:

1. Select the structures to be rotated in 3D using the selection tools.

2. Select the Rotate in 3D tool ( ) in the Content toolbar.

192 Chapter 7: CHEMINFORMATICS

3. Click the mouse down and drag to rotate the structure in 3D.

4. Release the mouse to finish the action.

By default, mouse movements while rotating structures in 3D will rotate the structure around the x- and y-
axes based on horizontal and vertical movement respectively. You can also set the 3D rotations to be defined
by a quaternion trackball in the Preferences window under the General tab if that is more comfortable
for you.

As when rotating structures in 2D, there will also be a rotation anchor present during 3D rotation. Before
selecting the 3D rotation tool, you can move the rotation anchor to a strategic position other than the center,
such as over atom positions. This makes it easy to rotate structures around atoms in 3D space.

UNIQUE IDS
IDs can be automatically added as attributes for atoms and bonds. To do so, select the appropriate choice
in the View|Unique IDs submenu.

ZERO ORDER/IONIC BONDS

In some cases, a molecule may contain ionic bonds or you may wish to explicitly associate two atoms that
are not connected with a covalent bond.

ChemDoodle contains a zero/ionic bond order specifically for these cases. You can use this bond order by
selecting the Zero/Ionic bond type button ( ) in the Bonds palette in the Drawing toolbar. Any atoms
connected with this bond type will be spatially linked and can be sent to cheminformatics algorithms such
as molecular formula generation and structure cleaning.

Most file types do not recognize zero order bonds, so saving these bond types and loading
them into other applications may not produce desired results.
CHAPTER 8
Reactions
194 Chapter 8: REACTIONS

Contents
OVERVIEW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195

DRAWING REACTION ARROWS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195

ARROW TYPES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195

ARROWHEAD STYLES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195
CHANGING ARROWHEAD LENGTHS AND ANGLES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
QUICKLY SHOW OR HIDE ARROWHEADS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
CONNECTOR STYLES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
SPECIAL ARROW PRESETS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196

BEZIER ARROW IDEAS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197

BUILDING REACTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198

IMPLICITLY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
EXPLICITLY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
ADDING REACTION CONDITIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
ADDING PLUS SYMBOLS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200

DISSOLVING REACTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200

CLEANING REACTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201

Chapter 8: REACTIONS 195

OVERVIEW
Reactions can be drawn in ChemDoodle using structures and arrow shapes. Almost any type of reaction
or mechanism can be drawn. ChemDoodle also contains tools for explicitly defining reactions for various
purposes.

This section introduces the new user to reactions within ChemDoodle. It covers the following topics:

• How to draw reactions.

• How to draw mechanisms.

• What types of arrows can be drawn.

• How to build and define reactions and reaction schemes.

• How to edit reactions.

• How to clean reactions.

DRAWING REACTION ARROWS

Reaction arrows are created from basic arrow shapes. Instructions for drawing arrow shapes are provided in
the SHAPES chapter.

ARROW TYPES
Many different types of arrows can be easily created using the Arrows palette described in the INTRO-
DUCTION chapter. This section briefly goes over the different styles and presets.

ARROWHEAD STYLES

Arrowhead styles can be set to both the start and end of the arrow. Several arrowhead styles (half- heads)
can be flipped over the arrow axis. The following arrowhead styles are provided:

• Full Indented -

• Full -

• Unfilled Full Indented -

• Unfilled Full -

• Chevron -

• Half Indented -

• Half -

• Unfilled Half Indented -

• Unfilled Half -
196 Chapter 8: REACTIONS

• Hook -

CHANGING ARROWHEAD LENGTHS AND ANGLES

Both the arrowhead length and angle can be changed to match any look. To change the arrowhead length
and angle, execute the following steps:

1. Hover the arrow containing the arrowhead to be edited.

2. Right-click on the arrow and select the Format Line. . . menu item.

3. Scroll down to the Reaction section in the Format Line window that appears.

4. In the Arrow at Start and Arrow at End sections, use the Length and Angle sliders to edit the
arrowheads.

QUICKLY SHOW OR HIDE ARROWHEADS

Instead of opening the shape settings window, you can easily toggle the display of arrowheads on the ends
of objects that support arrowheads by hovering the object and pressing the left arrow ← key (to toggle
start) or right arrow → key (to toggle end).

CONNECTOR STYLES

A connector is the line that connects the start and end arrows, if any. The following connector styles are
provided:

• Solid -

• Dashed -

• Wavy -

• Doubled -

• No Go (cross) -

• No Go (slash) -

• Rearrangement -

SPECIAL ARROW PRESETS

Many different types of arrows can be drawn from the Arrows palette. The following describes how these
tools can be used to build common arrow types.
Chapter 8: REACTIONS 197

A reaction arrow is the default style and is drawn with no

Reaction Arrow start arrow, a Full Indented end arrow and a Solid
connector.
A retrosynthetic arrow can be drawn with no start arrow, a
Chevron end arrow and a Doubled connector. The default
Retrosynthetic Arrow arrowhead angle and length is not aesthetic for this type of
arrow, so use the retrosynthetic preset in the Presets group
button to quickly access this type.

An equilibrium arrow can be drawn with a Half Indented

start arrow, a Half Indented end arrow and a Doubled
Equilibrium Arrow
connector. The double line spacing can be edited in the
arrow’s visual specifications.

A resonance arrow can be drawn with a Full Indented start

Resonance Arrow
arrow, a Full Indented end arrow and a Solid connector.

A shift of an electron pair can be drawn with no start arrow,

Electron Pair Shift a Full Indented end arrow and a Solid connector. Then
select the appropriate arc angle for the figure.

A shift of a single electron can be drawn with no start arrow,

Single Electron Shift a Half Indented end arrow and a Solid connector. Then
select the appropriate arc angle for the figure.

A photon can be drawn with a Full end arrow and a Wavy

Photon
connector.
A bold arrow can be drawn with no start arrow, an Unfilled
Full end arrow and a Doubled connector. The default
Bold arrowhead angle and length is not aesthetic for this type of
arrow, so use the retrosynthetic preset in the Presets group
button to quickly access this type.

BEZIER ARROW IDEAS

In addition to straight and arced arrows, some pretty complex arrow shapes may be drawn with the bezier
tools. Bezier tools are described in the SHAPES chapter. The following are a few ideas. Just mimic the
location of the control points to match them.
198 Chapter 8: REACTIONS

The Chute Arrow

The Loop Arrow

The Escalator Arrow

The Hump Arrow

The Zigzag Arrow

BUILDING REACTIONS
Reaction figures can be drawn by placing structures next to arrow shapes to describe reaction schemes. This
method will create a visual diagram for the reaction, but underlying semantics will not exist. In other words,
there is no formal definition of the reaction reactants or products. To address this, ChemDoodle provides a
reaction building system to explicitly define reactions and reaction schemes.

IMPLICITLY

To implicitly define a reaction, execute the following steps:

1. Draw the arrow you would like to represent the reaction arrow.

2. Draw any reactants and place them to the left of the arrow shape.

3. Draw any products and place them to the right of the arrow shape.

4. Select the arrow shape and all reactants and products using the selection tools.

5. Press the Reaction|Build Implied Reaction menu item to define the reaction.
Chapter 8: REACTIONS 199

All structures with midpoints to the left of the arrow shape’s midpoint will be defined as reactants in the
reaction while all structures with midpoints to the right of the arrow shape’s midpoint will be defined as
products in the reaction.

EXPLICITLY

To explicitly define a reaction, first select the arrow shape you would like to use to represent the reaction
arrow using the selection tools. Then press the Reaction|Edit Reaction. . . menu item. Open the Edit
Reaction window for that selected arrow, as shown in Figure 8.1.

Figure 8.1: Edit Reaction Window

The Edit Reaction window is a drag and drop interface. All molecules in the current document are
displayed in the bottom tray, while the left and right trays correspond to the constituent reactants and
products respectively. Just drag and drop molecules from the bottom tray into the other two to set up the
reaction. Once a molecule has been placed, it will be grayed out in the bottom tray and no longer selectable.
You can transfer a placed molecule between the products and reactants by dragging the molecule between
the side trays. You can remove a molecule from the reaction completely by dragging and dropping it back
in the bottom tray. Press the Done button in the Reaction Builder window to set the reaction.

ADDING REACTION CONDITIONS

To add reaction conditions above and below the reaction arrow, first select the arrow shape you would like
to add conditions to using the selection tools. Then press the Reaction|Edit Reaction. . . menu item to
open the Edit Reaction window for the selected arrow.

The Edit Reaction window contains two text editors for adding text above and below the reaction arrow.
Click on a text area and type to add text. You can format the text using the text formatting tools above
the text areas.
200 Chapter 8: REACTIONS

Use the Symbols widget to input characters into the reaction condition text areas that are not present on
the keyboard.

Press the Done button in the Reaction Builder window to set the reaction.

ADDING PLUS SYMBOLS

After building a reaction, plus symbols will automatically be added at the midpoints between the constituent
reactants and products. This feature can be turned off in the Preferences window under the Visuals tab
under the Reactions tab as shown in Figure 8.2. Simply uncheck the Automatically Place Pluses option.

Figure 8.2: Reaction Visual Specifications

If you want to add your own custom text, use Text Area objects. Text Area objects are discussed in the
SHAPES chapter.

DISSOLVING REACTIONS
To dissolve a built reaction, select the arrow the reaction is defined by with a selection tool, then select the
Reaction|Dissolve Reactions menu item.
Chapter 8: REACTIONS 201

CLEANING REACTIONS
To clean a reaction, execute the following steps:

1. Define the reaction implicitly or explicitly using the instructions in the previous section.

2. Select the arrow shape of the reaction you would like to clean using the selection tools.

3. Press the Reaction|Clean menu item.

The reaction arrow will be horizontally leveled and resized to its text adhering to the Text Buffer visual
specification. Then the reaction arrow and constituent molecules will be aligned according to their vertical
centers and distributed horizontally with a buffer space. The entire reaction is then centered horizontally. If
the reaction is too wide for the document, the reactants and arrow are then stacked above the products so
that both groups are mutually centered as shown in Figure 8.3.

Figure 8.3: A wide reaction that has been stacked.

The settings for determining how reactions are laid out can be defined in the Preferences window under
the Visuals tab under the Reactions tab as shown in Figure 8.3 above.

You can adjust the double line spacing for equilibrium arrows, decide whether or not pluses should be
automatically drawn, set the text buffer for conditions text and the buffer between constituent reaction
objects. You can also set the default settings for arrowheads.

ChemDoodle can clean multiple reactions at the same time, but currently can only properly clean discrete
reactions. Cleaning complex reaction schemes with a given molecule defined in several different reactions
may not produce desired results.
CHAPTER 9
Spectra
Chapter 9: SPECTRA 203

Contents
OVERVIEW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204

INSERTING SPECTRA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204

SPECTRA TYPES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
JCAMP NTUPLES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
UNINTERPRETABLE SPECTRA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
SAVING SPECTRA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206
SIMULATING SPECTRA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206

EDITING SPECTRA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207

SIMULATING SPECTRA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
REMOVING SPECTRA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
EXPANDING THE PERSPECTIVE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
EDITING THE PERSPECTIVE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208
CHANGING THE TITLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208
CHANGING THE AXES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
SHOWING GRIDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
SHOWING INTEGRATION LINES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
204 Chapter 9: SPECTRA

OVERVIEW
ChemDoodle understands several spectroscopy and spectrometry techniques. These spectra can be loaded
and edited to create graphics. This section introduces the new user to spectra within ChemDoodle. It covers
the following topics:

• What types of spectra are supported.

• How to load spectra.

• How to save spectra.

• How to simulate spectra.

• How to edit spectra.

INSERTING SPECTRA
Spectra can be read in from the JCAMP-DX format which is the standard defined by IUPAC. The currently
supported JCAMP formats are for nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR), infrared spectroscopy
(IR), mass spectrometry (MS) and chemical structures.

To insert spectra from JCAMP files, execute the following steps:

1. Select the File|Open. . . menu item.

2. In the file chooser that appears, change the format filter on the bottom to IUPAC JCAMP-DX.

3. Find the JCAMP file on your computer and select it with the file chooser.

4. Press the Open button at the bottom-right of the file chooser to load the spectrum.

The spectrum will be loaded and displayed in the center of a new document.

SPECTRA TYPES

Both continuous and discontinuous spectra are supported. An example of NMR input is shown in Figure 9.1.
An example of IR input is shown in Figure 9.2. An example of MS input is shown in Figure 9.3.

Figure 9.1: An NMR Spectrum Loaded from a JCAMP File

Chapter 9: SPECTRA 205

Figure 9.2: An IR Spectrum Loaded from a JCAMP File

Figure 9.3: An MS Spectrum Loaded from a JCAMP File

JCAMP NTUPLES

ChemDoodle can understand multiple spectra from a single JCAMP file when described by the NTUPLES
specification. Multiple spectra will be placed in a vertical column in the document on load.

UNINTERPRETABLE SPECTRA

Some producers make non-conforming or custom JCAMP files. Therefore, ChemDoodle may not be able to
understand a JCAMP file. If ChemDoodle was not able to interpret any spectra from the JCAMP file, you
will see the message shown in Figure 9.4. Please send us the JCAMP file if you encounter this problem so
that we may improve our compatibility with the format.
206 Chapter 9: SPECTRA

Figure 9.4: ChemDoodle could not understand the spectrum in the JCAMP file.

SAVING SPECTRA

ChemDoodle can output spectra in the following formats:

1. ChemDoodle Documents {.icl, .icxml}

2. IUPAC JCAMP-DX {.jdx, .dx}

Be very careful when overwriting spectra to formats other than the ChemDoodle Document. ChemDoodle
only reads and writes the information that is relevant to the display of its graphics, and other data will be
lost. If saving third party spectra files for any reason, always save them as a new file.

SIMULATING SPECTRA

ChemDoodle can simulate spectra for various techniques. Currently the following techniques are imple-
mented:

• 1 H Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy

13
• C Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy

• Mass Spectrum Parent Peak

To simulate spectra, execute the following steps:

1. Select a the chemical structure you would like to simulate a spectrum for using the selection tools.

2. Expand the Spectrum|Generate submenu to view available techniques.

3. Click on the technique you would like to use.

The generated spectrum will then appear on the Doodle Board. Very intensive simulations may take a
few seconds to complete.
Chapter 9: SPECTRA 207

EDITING SPECTRA

SIMULATING SPECTRA

To move spectra, use a selection tool, either the lasso or the rectangular marquee. Make sure that no content
is currently selected by emptying the current selection. Execute the following steps:

1. Hover the mouse pointer over the spectrum so an open hand mouse cursor appears and the two spectrum
anchor points are drawn as shown in Figure 9.5.

2. Press the mouse down and drag to move the spectrum.

3. Release the mouse to finish the move action.

Figure 9.5: Hovering Over a Spectrum to Display its Anchor Points

REMOVING SPECTRA

Spectra can be removed in a number of ways. You can do the following:

• Use a selection tool to hover the mouse pointer over the spectrum until an open hand mouse cursor
appears and the two spectrum anchor points are drawn as shown in Figure 9.5. Then press either the
backspace or delete key.

• Use the Eraser tool to hover the mouse pointer over the spectrum so the two spectrum anchor points
are drawn. Then click with the mouse.

• Select the spectrum using any of the selection tools. Then press either the delete or backspace key.

EXPANDING THE PERSPECTIVE

Expanding the spectrum will fit the entire range and domain of the plot to the display rectangle. Execute
the following steps.

1. Use the selection tools to select any number of spectra.

2. Click on the Spectrum|Expand Perspective menu item.

All selected spectra will have their perspectives expanded.

208 Chapter 9: SPECTRA

EDITING THE PERSPECTIVE

Editing the perspective will allow you to modify how the plot fits in the viewing rectangle and will also allow
you to edit the axes and title. These functions are presented in the Spectrum Edit window as shown in
Figure 9.6.

Figure 9.6: The Spectrum Edit Window

To change the plot domain, click and drag the sliders presented directly under the spectrum. The sliders
display, from left to right, the minimum domain cutoff, the magnitude of the domain, and the maximum
domain cutoff. You can also change the plot domain by clicking and dragging on the main spectrum panel.
Click on the placement where you would like the domain to begin, then drag to where you would like the
domain to end and release the mouse. A dotted grey line will display while dragging to show you the new
domain. Additionally, holding the shift key while dragging on the spectrum will translate the domain of
the spectrum.

To change the range scale, click and drag the vertical slider directly to the right of the spectrum. You can
also change the range scale by using the mouse scroll gesture on the main spectrum panel. Scroll up to
increase the range scale and scroll down to decrease the range scale.

To expand the perspective, double-click on the main spectrum panel.

CHANGING THE TITLE

To change the title of the spectrum, in the Spectrum Edit window shown in Figure 9.6, click on the Title
text field located at the bottom-left and type in the desired title.
Chapter 9: SPECTRA 209

CHANGING THE AXES

There are several options for editing the axes.

X-axis options are presented in the X Axis section of the Spectrum Edit window shown in Figure 9.6.
You can choose to show or hide the x-axis by clicking the Show check box. You can choose whether or not
to flip the domain by clicking the Flip check box. You can adjust the increments for the major and minor
tick spacings using the Major Tick Spacing and Minor Tick Spacing drop-down selections. The values
in the drop-down selections are exponents for base 10. You can change the title of the x-axis by clicking on
the Unit text field and typing the desired title.

Y-axis options are presented in the Y Axis section of the Spectrum Edit window shown in Figure 9.6.
You can choose to show or hide it by clicking the Show check box. The Baseline Bump check box will
positively offset the plot by a small value. You can adjust the increment for the major tick spacing using
the Tick Spacing drop-down selection. The values in the drop-down selection are exponents for base 10.
You can change the title of the y-axis by clicking on the Unit text field and typing the desired title.

SHOWING GRIDS

Grids can be displayed by executing the following steps:

1. Hover the spectrum to display the grid.

2. Right-click on the spectrum and select the Format Spectrum. . . menu item.

3. Scroll down to the Grid section and select the Show Grid checkbox.

The color and thickness of the grid lines can also be set in this format window. A grid appears as shown in
Figure 9.7.

Figure 9.7: A Grid Displayed Over a Spectrum

SHOWING INTEGRATION LINES

Integration lines can be displayed by executing the following steps:

1. Hover the spectrum to display the integration line.

2. Right-click on the spectrum and select the Format Spectrum. . . menu item.

3. Scroll down to the Integration Line section and select the Show for NMR Spectra checkbox.
210 Chapter 9: SPECTRA

The color and thickness of the integration line can also be set in this format window. While intended for
NMR spectra, integration lines can be added to any plot if desired. An integration line appears as shown in
Figure 9.8.

Figure 9.8: An Integration Line Calculated Over an NMR Multiplet

CHAPTER 10
Visual Specifications
212 Chapter 10: VISUAL SPECIFICATIONS

Contents
OVERVIEW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213

DOCUMENT SETTINGS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213

STYLE SHEETS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213
SETTING THE DEFAULT DOCUMENT SETTINGS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214
RESTORE THE ORIGINAL DEFAULT DOCUMENT SETTINGS . . . . . . . . . . . . 214

INDIVIDUAL SETTINGS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214

SETTING TYPES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214
PAGE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216
ATOMS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
ATTRIBUTES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
BONDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
RINGS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220
REACTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
SHAPES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
SPECTRA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222

EDITING VISUAL SPECIFICATIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223

FOR SINGLE OBJECTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
FOR A GROUP OF OBJECTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
CONFORMING A GROUP OF OBJECTS TO THE CURRENT STYLE SHEET . . . . 224
CONFORMING THE ENTIRE DOCUMENT TO A DIFFERENT STYLE SHEET . . . 224

3D GRAPHICS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225

BOND STROKE STYLES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225

ADVANCED DOCUMENT RENDERING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226

ANTI-ALIASING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226
FONT FRACTIONAL METRICS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227
DITHERING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228
RENDERING ALGORITHM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228
ALPHA INTERPOLATION ALGORITHM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228
COLOR RENDERING ALGORITHM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
STROKE CONTROL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
IMAGE SCALING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230
Chapter 10: VISUAL SPECIFICATIONS 213

OVERVIEW
All graphics in ChemDoodle are fully customizable. Visual specifications for the graphics can be defined for
the entire document, groups of objects or individual objects.

This section introduces the new user to ChemDoodle document settings and visual specifications. It covers
the following topics:

• What are document settings, visual specifications and style sheets.

• How to create and install custom Chemical Document Settings files.

• Which graphic specifications can be customized.

• How to customize the graphics of your figures.

DOCUMENT SETTINGS
Document settings are the variables that determine how graphics are rendered in a document. They are also
called visual specifications when referring to an individual object. All together, they form the document’s
style sheet.

STYLE SHEETS

Style sheets can be chosen when creating formatted documents. The creation of formatted documents is
discussed in CHEMDOODLE BASICS.

In addition to creating or conforming ChemDoodle documents to the preset style sheets, you can create
your style sheets in ChemDoodle Document Settings files that can be used later. There is an Edit|Export
Document Settings. . . function for this purpose. In the Preferences window, under the Visuals tab,
under the Page subtab, there is also a Create Chemical Document Settings File button at the bottom
of the options. Execute the following steps to create a new ChemDoodle Document Settings file with your
completed style sheet:

1. Cycle through all the tabs in the Visuals group of the Preferences window. Set each option on each
tab to the desired value.

2. Click on the Create Chemical Document Settings File button in the Preferences window under
the Visuals tab under the Page tab.

3. A new window will appear. Type in the name of the ChemDoodle Document Settings file.

4. Choose three fonts to cascade through. This is important because different operating systems have
different font sets and you may have selected a font not accessible on another operating system. Serif
and SansSerif will always be defined on all operating systems, so select those fonts in the third option
as wild cards.

5. Press the Ok button to save the Chemical Document Settings file.

All Chemical Document Settings files are saved to the presets folder in the ChemDoodleSettings folder lo-
cated in your operating system’s standard Documents folder. Any functions for using ChemDoodle Document
Settings files or for conforming documents will now list the new style sheet.

If you want to use Chemical Document Settings files provided by other users of ChemDoodle, just copy their
214 Chapter 10: VISUAL SPECIFICATIONS

file into the presets folder in the ChemDoodleSettings folder located in your operating system’s standard
Documents folder. If you have ChemDoodle open while copying the file, close and restart it. The copied
style sheet will then be accessible in ChemDoodle.

SETTING THE DEFAULT DOCUMENT SETTINGS

When you globally change the visual specifications for a document, ChemDoodle will ask you if you would
like the changed settings to become the new default settings. There are two cases when this happens:

1. After opening the Preferences window and changing visual specifications.

2. After conforming a document using the Edit|Conform Document. . . menu item.

Just click Yes to set the changed settings as the default settings. Now when a new document is opened,
the current default settings will be used to define the graphics. Alternatively, you may answer No to the
question, and later, if you decide to indeed use the current document settings as the default document
settings, then select the Edit|Remember Document Settings. . . menu item.

RESTORE THE ORIGINAL DEFAULT DOCUMENT SETTINGS

To restore the original default document settings, open the Preferences window and click the Restore
Defaults button at the bottom of the window. Then close the window and select Yes when asked to set
the current settings as the new default settings.

INDIVIDUAL SETTINGS

SETTING TYPES

All visual specifications provided in ChemDoodle are listed in the Preferences window under the Visuals
tab as shown in Figure 10.1.
Chapter 10: VISUAL SPECIFICATIONS 215

Figure 10.1: Visual Specifications

Each visual specification consists of a title to the left and a component to the right. These components
include:

• On/Off Choices - Click the check box to choose whether the specification is used or not. For
example, the following check box will enable or disable the Clear Bond Overlaps visual specification.

• Single Option Choices - Choose one of the options from a group exclusively to define it as the
value to use for the specification. For example one option can be chosen from the following group set
to determine the value for the Covalent Style specification.

• Number Sliders - Define a number value by clicking and dragging the slider or by explicitly typing
the value in the text field. Some number components will be associated with a dimension drop down
selection to easily set values in other units, such as centimeters instead of pixels. For example, slide
the slider or type a value into the text box of the following number component to define the value for
the Bond Line Thickness specification.

Some number components define angles, and an angle swivel will be provided instead of a
slider. Click and drag to the angle you want on the swivel to set the angle.
216 Chapter 10: VISUAL SPECIFICATIONS

• Color Buttons - Click on color buttons and use the color selection window that appears to select a
new color. For example, the following color button will determine bond line color.

All objects drawn after changing the visual specifications in the Preferences window will conform to the
new specifications. All visual specifications are listed in the following sections.

PAGE

Colors

Background - A color button for the background color of the document.

Text

Horizontal Spacing - A number slider to set the horizontal whitespace between each label token.

Vertical Spacing - A number slider to set the vertical whitespace between each label token.

Minimize Line Spacing - A toggle that collapses line spacing to reduce whitespace in atom labels. Enabled
by default. Deselect this to force uniform line spacing between the baselines of each line.

Subscript Reduction - A number slider to set the size of subscript font relative to the label font.

Subscript Shift - A number slider to set the magnitude of the offset from the label font baseline for drawing
subscripts.

Superscript Reduction - A number slider to set the size of superscript font relative to the label font.

Superscript Shift - A number slider to set the magnitude of the offset from the label font ascent to draw
superscripts from.

Dimensions

Page Size - A specialized component for setting the page size. Set the width and height by typing in the
text boxes or select a standard size from the drop down selections. The button to the left of the text
fields will swap the width and height.

Ångströms / Bond Length - A number slider for setting the ratio between Ångströms and the Bond Length
specification in pixels. This specification is useful when finding covalent bonds and when reading in files
with Ångströms coordinates.

Margins

Top - Type in the value for the top page margin.

Chapter 10: VISUAL SPECIFICATIONS 217

Left - Type in the value for the left page margin.

Bottom - Type in the value for the bottom page margin.

Right - Type in the value for the right page margin.

ATOMS

Colors

Text - A color button for the text color of atom labels.

Labels

Buffer Type - A single option choice that changes the shape of the label buffer. The default setting will
shape the buffer as a convex hull around the label. The other choice will set the buffer as a rectangle
around the label.

Buffer Space - A number slider to set the amount of whitespace between atom text and the bonds connected
to that atom.

Vertical Alignment - A number slider to control the baseline for rendering text relative to the center of the
atom.

Token Stacking - A single option choice to set whether atom labels will stack all tokens, stack only the second
token or will never stack tokens.

Stack Lone/Terminal - An on/off choice to set whether lone and terminal atoms will stack their label tokens.

Hydrogens

Add as - A single option choice to determine if hydrogens are added as text to labels or as atoms with bonds
attached.

Add to Carbons - A single option choice to set how hydrogens add to carbons; hydrogens can always add to
carbons, can only add to unsaturated carbons or will never add to carbons.

Show Implicit Hydrogens - An on/off choice to set whether implicit hydrogens are automatically rendered or
not.

Carbons

Display Carbon Labels -A single option choice to set if carbon labels display always, only on lone and hidden
carbons, only on hidden carbons, or never show.

Hidden Carbon Angle - An angle number slider for setting the hidden carbon angle. The hidden carbon
angle is the deviation from 180◦ between bonds on a carbon atom that only has two bonds attached to
it.

Show Terminal Labels - An on/off choice to set whether terminal carbon labels are displayed or not.

Show Attributed Labels - An on/off choice to set whether attributed carbon labels are displayed or not.
218 Chapter 10: VISUAL SPECIFICATIONS

Elements

Use Circles - An on/off choice for controlling if element labels are rendered as text or as circles.

Coloring - A single option choice for determining whether user chosen colors, CPK colors, Jmol colors, or
PyMOL colors are used for element labels.

Radius Convention - A single option choice to control if circles are rendered with a constant radius, the
atomic radius of their element, the covalent radius of their element or the van der Waals radius of their
element.

Constant Radius - A number slider to set the constant radius with which to render element atom circles.

Border Width - A number slider to set the width of the circle outlines when atoms are rendered as circles.

ATTRIBUTES

Colors

Fill/Text - A color button for the text color of attribute labels and graphics.

Logistics

Optimal Distance - A number slider to control the maximum distance an attribute can be translated away
from the object it defines.

Text

Font Size Reduction - A number slider to control the font size reduction of attribute text from its defined
font. This is so attribute text is smaller than the text of the object with which is associated.

Charges

Surround with a Circle - An on/off choice to set whether charges are rendered with a circle around them.

Circle Line Width - A number slider that determines the width of the charge circle in pixels.

Electrons

Diameter - A number slider to set the diameter of rendered electrons.

Separation - A number slider to set the separation distance between electrons or electrons and charges in
paired attributes such as electron pairs and radical cation symbols.

Stereochemistry

Parentheses and italics - An on/off choice

Chapter 10: VISUAL SPECIFICATIONS 219

BONDS

Colors

Fill - A color button for the bond line color.

Use Gradient - An on/off choice for rendering bonds with a gradient between the constituent atom colors.

Split Color - An on/off choice for rendering bonds that will split the bond color between the constituent
atom colors.

Settings

Bond Length - A number slider to define the optimal length for bonds. This affects anything that depends
on bond length including drawing bonds and cleaning structures.

Bond Line Thickness - A number slider to define the width of bond lines.

Bold Bond Thickness - A number slider to define the width of bold bonds.

Wedge Thickness - A number slider to define the width of the wide end of wedge bonds.

Unsaturated Spacing - A number slider to define the spacing between bond lines in higher order bonds.

Clip Angle - An angle number slider to define the angle at which non-symmetrical double bonds will clip the
second bond line.

Hash Width - A number slider to define the width of hashes in bonds rendered with a hash.

Hash Spacing - A number slider to define the width of the spacing between hashes in bonds rendered with
a hash.

Hash Offset - A number slider to define the translation from the origin of hashes in bonds rendered with a
hash.

Dot Size - A number slider to determine the size of dots in zero-order ionic bonds.

Arrow Length - A number slider to define the arrowhead length of covalent bonds.

Arrow Angle - An angle number slider to define the arrowhead angle of covalent bonds.

Wavy Length - A number slider to define the amplitude of wavy bonds.

Zigzag Length - A number slider to define the amplitude of zigzag bonds.

Stroke

Style - A drop-down selection to set the default bond stroke style.

Texture - A number slider for setting the magnitude of texture in stroke styles. For instance, a higher number
will cause Bristle strokes to look more bristled.

Bond Ends - A single option choice to set how bond ends are rendered; with no cap, a round cap or a square
cap.
220 Chapter 10: VISUAL SPECIFICATIONS

Options

Join Bond Connections - An on/off choice to define whether the rendering engine will merge bond ends
together for more aesthetic graphics.

Double Bond Asymmetry - A single option choice to set when double bonds will be rendered asymmetrically:
always, when between two carbons, only in rings or never.

Anchor cis interior - An on-off choice that forces the second unsymmetrical line to face the interior of cis
configuration.

Heteroatom Retraction - An on/off choice that defines whether asymmetric double bonds will retract the
second line from an atom or not based on whether that atom is a heteroatom.

Terminal Retraction - An on/off choice that defines whether terminal double bonds will retract the second
line from a terminal atom or not.

Unsaturated Spacing - A single option choice for setting whether unsaturated bonds are rendered with an
absolute spacing or with a relative spacing between bond lines. Changing this specification will place the
corresponding visual specification in the Settings section.

Autocenter Hashes - An on/off choice which automatically centers hashes for aesthetic appeal and may use
whitespace buffers at bond ends. When enabled, the Hash Offset setting has no effect.

Even Hashes - An on/off choice to determine if the Hash Width and Hash Offset specifications only affect
Bold Dashed and Recessed bonds.

Clear Bond Overlaps - An on/off choice to determine if an overlapped bond will erase the section of overlap.

Covalent Style - A single option choice to set if covalent bonds are rendered as Polar Covalent bonds with
a slash in the stroke, or as Coordinate Covalent bonds.

Indent Arrow Bond - An on/off choice to set if covalent bond arrowheads are indented.

Use Lewis Dot Style - An on/off choice to draw bonds as if they are part of a Lewis dot structure.

RINGS

Fused

Favor Aromatics - An on/off choice to force double bonds in fused systems to face aromatic rings over
non-aromatic rings.

Double Bond Orientation - A single option choice to determine if double bonds in fused ring systems will
face larger rings or smaller rings.

Aromatics

Use Circles for Aromatics - A single option choice to render aromatics with a circle instead of in Kekulé
form. Never will never show aromatic circles, always displaying the second bond line. Always will
always show the aromatic circle. Resonance Bond Rings Only will not alter Kekulé structures, but
any rings that are defined by All Resonance Bonds will display an aromatic circle.

Circle Radius - A number slider to define the diameter of the aromatic circle relative to the dimensions of
the ring.
Chapter 10: VISUAL SPECIFICATIONS 221

REACTIONS

Double Line Spacing - A number slider to define the spacing between the lines in equilibrium arrows.

Automatically Place Pluses - An on/off choice to set whether reactions automatically place plusses between
constituent reactants and products.

Text Buffer - A number slider to define the buffer between the text set as the reaction conditions and the
ends of the associated arrow when the text is centered. This value times two will determine the default
length that arrows without associated text are cleaned to when cleaning reactions.

Constituent Buffer - A number slider to define the spacing between reaction constituents when cleaning
reactions.

Arrowheads

Length - A number slider to define the arrowhead length of arrow shapes.

Angle - An angle number slider to define the arrowhead angle of arrow shapes.

SHAPES

Colors

Borders and Lines - A color button for the lines and borders of shapes.

Fill - A color button for the fill color of shapes.

Text - A color button for the text color of shapes.

Settings

Shapes Add - A single option choice to set whether shapes are drawn in front of atoms or behind atoms.

Strokes

Thickness - A number slider to define the width of solid strokes in shapes.

Hash Width - A number slider to define the width of hashes in shapes rendered with a hash.

Hash Spacing - A number slider to define the width the spacing between hashes in shapes rendered with a
hash.

Hash Offset - A number slider to define the translation from the origin of hashes in shapes rendered with a
hash.

Fills

Paint Fill - An on/off choice that determines whether shapes are filled with the current Fill color.
222 Chapter 10: VISUAL SPECIFICATIONS

Shadows

Translation -A number slider to define the distance from the shape the shadow should be rendered.

Angle - An angle number slider to define the angle in relation to the shape to place the shadow.

Opacity - A number slider to define the transparency of shadows.

Color - A color button for the shadow color.

Brackets

Wideness - A number slider to define the width of bracket lips relative to the standard size.

Orbitals

Length Multiplier - A number slider to define the default extent of orbitals in bond lengths. So if the length
multiplier is one, then all orbitals placed will have a length of one bond length.

Stroke Shaded Lobes - An on/off choice to set whether shaded lobes in orbitals will also be outlined.

Paths

Close - An on/off choice to set if paths are closed by default.

Rectangles

Rounded Arc Width - A number slider to define the width of the corner arcs in rounded rectangles.

Rounded Arc Height - A number slider to define the height of the corner arcs in rounded rectangles.

Rulers

Show Major Ticks -An on/off choice to set if major ticks are shown in rulers.

Show Minor Ticks - An on/off choice to set if minor ticks are shown in rulers.

Show Measurement - An on/off choice to set if the value of the distance measured is show in rulers.

Unit - A drop-down selection to set the default units of ruler objects.

SPECTRA

Colors

Plots - A color button for the spectrum plots.

Grids - A color button for the spectrum grids.

Integration Lines - A color button for the spectrum integration lines.

Chapter 10: VISUAL SPECIFICATIONS 223

Plot Strokes

Thickness - A number slider to define the width of solid strokes in spectrum plots.

Hash - An on/off choice to render spectrum plots with a hashed stroke.

Hash Width - A number slider to define the width of hashes in spectrum plots rendered with a hash.

Hash Spacing - A number slider to define the width the spacing between hashes in spectrum plots rendered
with a hash.

Hash Offset - A number slider to define the translation from the origin of hashes in spectrum plots rendered
with a hash.

Grids

Show - An on/off switch to set whether spectrum grids are shown by default.

Thickness - A number slider to define the line thickness of spectrum grids.

Integration Lines

Show for NMR Spectra - An on/off switch to set whether spectrum integration lines are shown by default.

Thickness - A number slider to define the line thickness of spectrum integration lines.

EDITING VISUAL SPECIFICATIONS

FOR SINGLE OBJECTS

To edit the visual specifications of a single object, execute the following steps:

1. Switch to a selection tool and make sure the current selection is empty.

2. Hover the mouse pointer over the object for which the visual specifications are to be changed.

3. Right-click on the object and select the Format Object. . . menu item or double-click on the object.

4. Change the visual specifications in the window that appears. You will see the graphics update in
real-time on the Doodle Board.

5. Click the Done button in the Preferences window to set the changes.

You can also press the Cancel button to cancel all changes.
224 Chapter 10: VISUAL SPECIFICATIONS

FOR A GROUP OF OBJECTS

To edit the visual specifications of a group of objects, execute the following steps:

1. Switch to a selection tool.

2. Select all of the content for which the visual specifications are to be changed.

3. Open the Preferences window and click on the Visuals tab.

4. Change all the visual specifications in the Visuals tab to your preference. You will see the graphics
update in real-time on the Doodle Board.

5. Click the Done button in the Preferences window to set the changes.

You can also press the Cancel button to cancel all changes.

CONFORMING A GROUP OF OBJECTS TO THE CURRENT STYLE

SHEET

To conform a group of objects to the current style sheet, perform the following steps:

1. Switch to a selection tool.

2. Select all of the content for which the visual specifications are to be changed.

3. Press the Content|Conform to Document Settings menu item.

All content will conform to the visual specifications defined in the document’s style sheet. This function will
also change fonts and scale structures to match the defined bond length.

CONFORMING THE ENTIRE DOCUMENT TO A DIFFERENT STYLE

SHEET

To conform the entire document to a different style sheet, perform the following steps:

1. Press the Edit|Conform Document. . . menu item.

2. In the window that appears, choose the style sheet you prefer from the drop-down selection.

3. You will be asked if you would like to conform atom text by changing fonts; choose Yes or No.

4. If the bond length has changed, you will be asked if you would like the structures to be scaled to match
the new values; choose Yes or No.

The entire document will now conform to the chosen style sheet.
Chapter 10: VISUAL SPECIFICATIONS 225

3D GRAPHICS

The main ChemDoodle program is a tool for generating 2D graphics; to generate 3D Graphics, you can use
ChemDoodle 3D, which has its own user guide. However, ChemDoodle does handle 3D input and you can
create orthographic 2D scenes of your 3D data. That being said, with all of the bond types and atom labels
showing, the figure may not be very clear.

We have several suggestions for creating better looking 2D orthographic scenes of your 3D data:

• Change all bonds to plain single bonds, and include double bonds if necessary.

• Change the visual specifications to show all atoms as circles instead of as text labels.

• Change the visual specifications to render atoms with their Jmol colors.

• Increase the bond line width visual specification.

• Change the visual specifications to render bonds with a gradient between their constituent atoms.

• Increase the bond overlap buffer visual specification to clearly show bond overlaps.

For high quality perspective 3D scenes, or other representations in three dimensions, use ChemDoodle 3D.

BOND STROKE STYLES

ChemDoodle provides several bond stroke styles to style your structures for presentations, posters and more
casual media. To change bond stroke styles, select the bonds to be changed with a selection tool and use
the Strokes drop downs in the General toolbar.

The default bond line stroke width is 1.2 pixels. This is not sufficient to see some stroke styles and the value
will need to be increased. Other stroke styles, such as the Brush style, will not display well for really short
bonds and structures rendered with those styles should be expanded.

The following bond stroke styles are currently provided:

• Basic -

• Bristle -

• Brush -

• Calligraphy -
226 Chapter 10: VISUAL SPECIFICATIONS

• Charcoal -

• Scribble -

• Wobble -

ADVANCED DOCUMENT RENDERING

The graphics defined by ChemDoodle are always exact and based on very precise coordinates. However,
the screen that you use to display ChemDoodle and bitmap images that are output will need to define the
graphics in a much less precise resolution. Algorithms have been developed to minimize the perception of
this loss of resolution and ChemDoodle provides full access to control how the graphics are rendered. In
contrast, note that scalable vector graphics are exact and based on precise coordinates and are therefore
resolution-less. The following settings will only affect the display of graphics on your computer monitor and
the output of bitmap graphics; scalable vector graphics will not be affected.

ANTI-ALIASING

Anti-aliasing controls whether or not the geometry rendering methods will attempt to reduce aliasing artifacts
along the edges of shapes. Anti-aliasing is enabled by default.

A typical antialiasing algorithm works by blending the existing colors of the pixels along the boundary of
a shape with the requested fill paint according to the estimated partial pixel coverage of the shape. This
function reduces the appearance of jagged edges. Figure 10.2(a) is a structure rendered without anti-aliasing
enabled, while Figure 10.2(b) is a structure rendered with anti-aliasing enabled.
Chapter 10: VISUAL SPECIFICATIONS 227

(a) Anti-aliasing Disabled (b) Anti-aliasing Enabled

Figure 10.2: Anti-aliasing

FONT FRACTIONAL METRICS

Font fractional metrics controls whether the positioning of individual character glyphs takes into account the
sub-pixel accuracy of the scaled character advances of the font or whether such advance vectors are rounded
to an integer number of whole device pixels. This hint only recommends how much accuracy should be used
to position the glyphs and does not specify or recommend whether or not the actual rasterization or pixel
bounds of the glyph should be modified to match. Font fractional metrics are disabled by default to produce
better graphics for bitmap images and for the computer screen. In ChemDoodle, this property does not
affect printing. Since printing is usually with a high resolution device, ChemDoodle will always enable font
fractional metrics for printer rendering.

Rendering text to a low resolution device like a screen will necessarily involve a number of rounding operations
as the high quality and very precise definition of the shape and metrics of the character glyphs must be
matched to discrete device pixels. Ideally the positioning of glyphs during text layout would be calculated
by scaling the design metrics in the font according to the point size, but then the scaled advance width
will not necessarily be an integer number of pixels. If the glyphs are positioned with sub-pixel accuracy
according to these scaled design metrics then the rasterization would ideally need to be adjusted for each
possible sub-pixel origin.

Unfortunately, scaling each glyph customized to its exact sub-pixel origin during text layout would be
prohibitively expensive, so a simplified system based on integer device positions is typically used to lay out
the text. The rasterization of the glyph and the scaled advance width are both adjusted together to yield
text that looks good at device resolution and has consistent integer pixel distances between glyphs so that
the glyphs are uniformly and consistently spaced and readable.

This process of rounding advance widths for rasterized glyphs to integer distances means that the character
density and the overall length of a string of text will be different from the theoretical design measurements
due to the accumulation of a series of small differences in the adjusted widths of each glyph. The specific
differences will from glyph to glyph, some being wider and some being narrower than their theoretical design
measurements. Thus the overall difference in character density and length will vary with a number of factors
including the font, the specific device resolution being targeted, and the glyphs chosen to represent the string
being rendered. As a result, rendering the same string at multiple device resolutions can yield widely varying
228 Chapter 10: VISUAL SPECIFICATIONS

metrics for whole strings.

When font fractional metrics are enabled, the true font design metrics are scaled by the point size and
used for layout with sub-pixel accuracy. The average density of glyphs and total length of a long string
of characters will therefore more closely match the theoretical design of the font, but readability may be
affected since the distance separating individual pairs of characters may not always be consistent depending
on how the sub-pixel accumulation of the glyph origins meshes with the device pixel grid. Enabling this
hint may be desirable when text layout is being performed that must be consistent across a wide variety of
output resolutions. Specifically, this hint may be desirable in situations where the layout of text is being
previewed on a low resolution device like a screen for output that will eventually be rendered on a high
resolution printer or typesetting device.

When disabled, the scaled design metrics are rounded or adjusted to integer distances for layout. The
distances between any specific pair of glyphs will be more uniform on the device, but the density and total
length of long strings may no longer match the theoretical intentions of the font designer. Disabling this
hint will typically produce more readable results on low resolution devices like computer monitors.

Disabling Font Fractional Metrics can lead to more readable text on the computer screen,
but will cause adverse effects in the text layout. If you see text overlapping and becoming
inconsistent at different scales, make sure this option is re-enabled.

DITHERING

Dithering controls how closely to approximate a color when storing to a destination with limited color
resolution. Dithering is enabled by default.

Some rendering destinations may support a limited number of color choices which may not be able to
accurately represent the full spectrum of colors that can result during rendering operations. For such a
destination, dithering controls whether rendering is done with a flat solid fill of a single pixel value which is
the closest supported color to what was requested, or whether shapes will be filled with a pattern of colors
which combine to better approximate that color.

RENDERING ALGORITHM

This setting provides a high level recommendation as to whether to bias algorithm choices more for speed
or quality when evaluating tradeoffs. This hint could be consulted for any rendering or image manipulation
operation, but decisions will usually honor other, more specific settings in preference to this setting. The
rendering algorithm is set to Quality by default.

ALPHA INTERPOLATION ALGORITHM

The alpha interpolation setting is a general setting that provides a high level recommendation as to whether
to bias alpha blending algorithm choices more for speed or quality when evaluating tradeoffs. The alpha
interpolation algorithm is set to Quality by default.

This setting controls the choice of alpha blending calculations that sacrifice some precision to use fast lookup
tables or lower precision SIMD instructions. This hint could also control whether or not the color and alpha
values are converted into a linear color space during the calculations for a more linear visual effect at the
expense of additional per-pixel calculations.
Chapter 10: VISUAL SPECIFICATIONS 229

COLOR RENDERING ALGORITHM

The color rendering algorithm controls the accuracy of approximation and conversion when storing colors
into a destination image or surface. The color rendering algorithm is set to Quality by default.

When a rendering or image manipulation operation produces a color value that must be stored to a desti-
nation, it must first convert that color into a form suitable for storing to the destination image or surface.
Minimally, the color components must be converted to bit representations and correctly ordered or an index
into a color lookup table must be chosen before the data can be stored to the destination memory. Without
this minimal conversion, the data in the destination would likely represent random, incorrect or possibly
even unsupported values. Algorithms to quickly convert the results of rendering operations into the color
format of most common destinations are well known and fairly optimal to execute.

Simply performing the most basic color format conversion to store colors to a destination can potentially
ignore a difference in the calibration of the color space of the source and destination or ignore other factors
such as the linearity of the gamma correction. Unless the source and destination color space are identical,
to correctly perform a rendering operation with the most care taken for the accuracy of the colors being
represented, the source colors should be converted to a device independent color space and the results then
converted back to the destination color space. Furthermore, if calculations such as the blending of multiple
source colors are to be performed during the rendering operation, greater visual clarity can be achieved if
the intermediate device independent color space is chosen to have a linear relationship between the values
being calculated and the perception of the human eye to the response curves of the output device.

STROKE CONTROL

Stroke control defines whether a rendering implementation should or is allowed to modify the geometry of
rendered shapes for various purposes. Stroke control is set to Best Compromise by default.

Some implementations may be able to use an optimized platform rendering library which may be faster than
traditional software rendering algorithms on a given platform, but which may also not support floating point
coordinates. Some implementations may also have sophisticated algorithms which perturb the coordinates
of a path so that wide lines appear more uniform in width and spacing.

If an implementation performs any type of modification or ”normalization” of a path, it should never move
the coordinates by more than half a pixel in any direction.

When stroke control is set to Normalize, geometry will be altered to improve uniformity or spacing of lines
and overall aesthetics. The compromise is that geometry will be offset to fit to the pixel resolution of the
rendering device. A consequence is that lines that are parallel may not appear exactly parallel, such as in
double bonds.

When stroke control is set to Pure, geometry will be left unmodified and rendered with sub-pixel accuracy.
There will be noticeable lightness and bolding in straight lines that are vertical or horizontal.

Figure 10.3 shows a rectangle and structure displayed with stroke control set to Pure, while Figure 10.4
shows the same objects with stroke control set to Normalize.
230 Chapter 10: VISUAL SPECIFICATIONS

Figure 10.3: A structure and rectangle rendered with stroke control set to Pure. Note the bolding and blurring
of the horizontal and vertical lines.

Figure 10.4: A structure and rectangle rendered with stroke control set to Normalize. Note that parallel lines
are not preserved.

For even better graphics, a third option called Best Compromise is provided. This option will use pure
stroke control for all chemical structures. All other shapes will first be analyzed for vertical and horizontal
lines, and any found will be rendered with normalized stroke control while the rest of the graphics will be
rendered with pure stroke control.

IMAGE SCALING

Image scaling controls how image pixels are filtered or resampled during an image rendering operation.
This will have noticeable effects on images that are not rendered in their natural scale. The image scaling
algorithm is set to Progressive Bilinear by default.

Implicitly images are defined to provide color samples at integer coordinate locations. When images are
rendered upright with no scaling onto a destination, the choice of which image pixels map to which device
pixels is obvious and the samples at the integer coordinate locations in the image are transferred to the pixels
at the corresponding integer locations on the device pixel grid one for one. When images are rendered in a
scaled, rotated, or otherwise transformed coordinate system, then the mapping of device pixel coordinates
back to the image can raise the question of what color sample to use for the continuous coordinates that
lie between the integer locations of the provided image samples. Interpolation algorithms define functions
Chapter 10: VISUAL SPECIFICATIONS 231

which provide a color sample for any continuous coordinate in an image based on the color samples at the
surrounding integer coordinates.

Progressive Bilinear is better than Bicubic which is better than Bilinear which is better than Nearest-
Neighbor at producing reasonable graphics of stretched or shrunken bitmap images. The better the algo-
rithm used, the longer the runtime.
CHAPTER 11
Sharing Information
Chapter 11: SHARING INFORMATION 233

Contents
OVERVIEW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234

THE SYSTEM CLIPBOARD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234

MIME TYPES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234
CLIPBOARD SETTINGS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
NON-CHEMICAL TEXT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
CHEMICAL DATA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236
OTHER TYPES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236
SCALABLE VECTOR GRAPHICS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236

COPYING DATA TO OTHER APPLICATIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237

USING THE COPY FUNCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237
USING THE COPY AS FUNCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237
COPYING FORMATTED TEXT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237

PASTING DATA FROM OTHER APPLICATIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238

WHERE CONTENT IS PASTED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238
PASTE AND MATCH STYLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238
PASTE SPECIAL. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238
PASTING TEXT AS CHEMICAL DATA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239

CHEMICAL FORMAT COMPATIBILITY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240

IMAGE FORMAT COMPATIBILITY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240

SUPPORTED INPUT FORMATS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240
SUPPORTED OUTPUT FORMATS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240
IMPORTING CHEMICAL CONTENT FROM IMAGES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241
EXPORTING THE DOCUMENT TO AN IMAGE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241
EXPORTING ONLY CERTAIN OBJECTS TO AN IMAGE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241
IMAGE OUTPUT OPTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242

INSERTING IMAGES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243

ROUNDTRIP EDITING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243

SUPPORT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243
WINDOWS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243
MAC OS X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245
LINUX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247

PRINTING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250
PAGE SETUP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250
FLIPPING THE PAGE ORIENTATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250
PRINT PREVIEW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251
PRINTING A DOCUMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251
234 Chapter 11: SHARING INFORMATION

OVERVIEW
ChemDoodle has advanced functions for interacting with other applications on your computer. This is essen-
tial for importing graphics into word processors or for transferring chemical data into modeling applications.

This section introduces the new user to ChemDoodle’s system clipboard capabilities. It covers the following
topics:

• Introducing the system clipboard.

• How to copy data and graphics from ChemDoodle into other applications.

• How to copy data and graphics from other applications into ChemDoodle.

• What types of data can be transferred.

• What is a MIME type.

• What text formats are supported.

• What image formats are supported.

• What chemical formats are supported.

• How to save images.

• How to insert images.

• How to take advantage of roundtrip editing.

THE SYSTEM CLIPBOARD

The system clipboard is a construct of the operating system that contains data for sharing between applica-
tions. Only one application can place data on the system clipboard at a time. Other applications can then
see that data and load it. This system forms the basis for copy and paste functionality. ChemDoodle will
place a wide range of chemical, text and graphic data on the system clipboard as well as associate that data
with the correct MIME types for other applications to use.

MIME TYPES

A MIME type is an identifier to define the data it is associated with. For example, a structure can be
represented in MDL MOLFile format. The MDL MOLFile format is a plain text format and can be associated
with the MIME type, text/plain. However, this is a very generic description and other applications will only
recognize it as plain text, rather than as a chemical structure. Therefore a different MIME type is associated
with this data, chemical/x-mdl-molfile, to define it as a structure in the MDL MOLFile format. In this
manner, other applications will recognize this data as a chemical.

ChemDoodle follows the MIME standards put forth by the Chemical MIME Project
(https://www.ch.ic.ac.uk/chemime/). This should be regarded as the standard; however, many
chemical software developers do not follow these rules, thereby causing issues when transferring data
between chemical applications.

Additionally, since many items can be present on the system clipboard at once, applications may paste a
certain data type by default that may not be the data you want to paste. For instance, Microsoft Word can
Chapter 11: SHARING INFORMATION 235

paste both text data types and image data types. If both are present on the system clipboard, Microsoft
Word will automatically select the text data type when pasting, even if you wanted the image to be pasted.
There can even be different image types, confusing the situation further.

Therefore, ChemDoodle allows you to define which data is placed on the system clipboard and how the data
is to be used when working with other applications.

CLIPBOARD SETTINGS

ChemDoodle can transfer data to almost any application that has been created. But it is impossible for
ChemDoodle to determine which data should be transferred. Therefore, you need to set the appropriate
Copy Settings to make sure any ambiguities are resolved with the application you are pasting to. Copy
Settings can be set in the Preferences window under the Advanced tab as shown in Figure 11.1. These
settings will allow you to explicitly control what data ChemDoodle will transfer to other applications.

Figure 11.1: Copy Settings

NON-CHEMICAL TEXT

Text may be copied from ChemDoodle that isn’t a chemical, for instance a calculated thermodynamic
property or a formatted IUPAC name. ChemDoodle supports the following text types for communicating
with the system clipboard:

• Plain Text (Unformatted) - Only the text is present; there is no formatting.

• Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML) - The formatted text is presented in HTML format.
This is great for working with web editors and most word processing tools.

• Rich Text Format (RTF) - The formatted text is presented in RTF format. This is a very common
formatted text protocol that most applications can receive.
236 Chapter 11: SHARING INFORMATION

CHEMICAL DATA

There are three main types of chemical data that may be transferred:

• Text Types - Contains a line or lines of text that will be interpretable by other applications. Some
chemical formats are also listed here to be pasted as text into other applications. All text data will be
interpreted as text by other applications and any chemical significance will be lost unless the receiving
application intends to receive the chemical data as text and will create the chemical from it. Only one
text data type will be placed on the system clipboard at a time.

• Image Types - This group contains both bitmap and vector images. Bitmap images are not scalable
in resolution. Vector images are much more versatile and will remain crisp and clear regardless of
resizing or transformation. Bitmap and vector images are discussed in detail in the next section.

• Chemical Types - Chemical types include structure information. Only chemical programs will see
these.

Therefore, to work with other applications, first decide what type of data you would like to transfer and
what types of data the other application accepts. Then set the appropriate copy settings to continue. By
default, ChemDoodle is set up for the optimal communication of graphics into common word processors.

OTHER TYPES

Some other non-MIME type based clipboard specifications are also available for working with a number of
programs. ChemDoodle includes the MDLCT and MDLSK clipboard formats for communicating chemical
data on Windows.

SCALABLE VECTOR GRAPHICS

There are two types of images, bitmap and vector. Bitmap images are traditional images and define a
rectangle of pixels and their colors, while vector images define drawing instructions for rendering it. When
resizing, the bitmap will become blurry, pixelated and lose its quality while the vector image will remain
crisp and clear. Figure 11.2a shows a bitmap image of a structure, while Figure 11.2b shows a vector image
of the same structure. Both were created by ChemDoodle. Try zooming in on both images using your PDF
reader and you can see the difference in quality for yourself.

(a) A Bitmap Image (b) A Vector Image

Figure 11.2: Bitmap Image vs. Vector Image

Chapter 11: SHARING INFORMATION 237

Bitmap images will suffer from this issue with any change of resolution, including printing to a printer.
Because of this, we recommend you insert vector images into your documents. The only downside to using
vector graphics is that some programs may not support them. ChemDoodle compatibility with third party
applications is discussed in APPENDIX: THIRD PARTY APPLICATIONS .

If you must use a bitmap image, then ChemDoodle provides high resolution options (such as scaling and
DPI control) for some bitmap formats as discussed in the IMAGE OUTPUT OPTIONS section later in this
chapter.

COPYING DATA TO OTHER APPLICATIONS

USING THE COPY FUNCTION

To copy data from ChemDoodle into other applications, execute the following steps:

1. Determine which data you would like to transfer and the types of data that the other application
can accept and configure the copy settings in the Preferences window under the Advanced tab
accordingly.

2. Select the objects on the Doodle Board that you would like to copy using the content selection tools.

3. Click on the Edit|Copy menu item or press its menu accelerator keyboard shortcut which is ctrl
+ C ( command + C on Mac OS X).

4. Use the Paste function present in the other application to paste the content. If the other application
has a Paste Special. . . function, you may use that to specify which data type to paste.

USING THE COPY AS FUNCTION

The Copy As functions are preset shortcuts for placing specific chemical data on the system clipboard
without changing the data types to be copied in the Advanced tab of the Preferences window.

Select the content in the document to be copied and then select one of the menu items in the Edit|Copy
As. . . submenu. The most popular data types are supported. These functions will place both text and
chemical data on the system clipboard for maximum compatibility with third party applications. This
function will not place image data on the system clipboard.

COPYING FORMATTED TEXT

Most text that is copied is unformatted text, but there will be many times when you would like to preserve
the formatting of text between applications, such as when copying a molecular formula or IUPAC name.
You can copy formatted text from most objects in ChemDoodle that present formatted text. This includes
objects like updating labels and atom labels. Just right-click on the object with a selection tool while nothing
is selected and choose the Copy Text menu item. You can then paste that formatted text into another
application.

Certain widgets, such as the Properties widget will also place formatted text on the system clipboard.
238 Chapter 11: SHARING INFORMATION

PASTING DATA FROM OTHER APPLICATIONS

To paste data from other applications into ChemDoodle, execute the following steps:

1. Use the copy function present in the other application.

2. Click on the Edit|Paste menu item or press its menu accelerator keyboard shortcut which is ctrl
+ V ( command + V on Mac OS X) to paste the highest priority data to the Doodle Board.

WHERE CONTENT IS PASTED

The pasted content will be located according to the following rules:

1. If your mouse pointer is hovering over the document, the center of the pasted content will be located
at the mouse pointer.

2. If the mouse pointer is not hovering over the document, and the lasso is active, then the pasted content
will appear to the bottom-right of the lassoed content.

3. If the mouse pointer is not hovering over the document and the lasso is inactive, then the pasted
content will appear at the top left of the current viewed page of the document.

PASTE AND MATCH STYLE

In most cases, ChemDoodle collages pasted between currently edited documents will retain their original
styling. Instead of selecting the Conform to Document Settings function after pasting you can save some
time and directly paste and conform the settings by choosing the Edit|Paste and Match Style menu item.

PASTE SPECIAL. . .

Since an application can place different data types on the system clipboard, the data that ChemDoodle
pastes may not always be the desired type. In general, ChemDoodle pastes chemical data in preference to
images, and images in preference to text. If you would like to paste data that is not chosen by default by
ChemDoodle, click on the Edit|Paste Special. . . menu item. A window will appear listing all ChemDoodle
compatible data as shown in Figure 11.3. Just select the list item you would like to paste and press the
Paste button.
Chapter 11: SHARING INFORMATION 239

Figure 11.3: Paste Special Window

PASTING TEXT AS CHEMICAL DATA

Sometimes it may be necessary to handle text data from the system clipboard. For instance, a chemical
application may paste the MOLFile format in plain text, or you may be copying a SMILES string from a
web browser. ChemDoodle provides the Paste Text as Chemical function to conveniently handle this
situation. To paste text content from another application as chemical data, execute the following steps:

1. Use the copy function present in the other application to place the text on the system clipboard.

2. Expand the Edit|Paste Text as Chemical submenu.

3. Depending on the type of data being represented by the text (which you will know), select the appro-
priate menu item in the submenu to paste.

Using this method, any of the line notations that ChemDoodle understands can be pasted as chemical data.
Additionally, there is an XYZ-Like Data menu item for pasting text as chemical data in an XYZ-like
format. This option will automatically scan the text to extract atom labels and positions. The final menu
item in this submenu is Guess Chemical Format. This will detect the chemical format of the text data
on the system clipboard and paste the chemical data accordingly, which is perfect for ASCII or XML data
types, such as MOLFiles or CML. This function will alert you if no chemical format could be associated with
the text data.
240 Chapter 11: SHARING INFORMATION

CHEMICAL FORMAT COMPATIBILITY

ChemDoodle supports one of the largest chemical format libraries in the industry and can interpret various
chemical formats for input to and output from other chemical applications. Chemical formats are discussed
in detail in APPENDIX: CHEMICAL FILE TYPES .

IMAGE FORMAT COMPATIBILITY

ChemDoodle supports the input and output of a wide range of bitmap and vector images.

SUPPORTED INPUT FORMATS

ChemDoodle can read the following bitmap image formats:

• Joint Photographic Experts Group {.jpg, .jpeg, .jpe, .jfif, .jfi, .jif}

• Microsoft Bitmap {.bmp, .dib}

• Tagged Image File Format {.tiff, .tif}

• Wireless Bitmap {.wbmp}

• CompuServ Graphics Interchange Format {.gif}

• Portable Network Graphics {.png}

• UNIX Portable PixMap {.ppm, .pnm, .pbm, .pgm}

• Photoshop Document {.psd}

ChemDoodle can read the following vector image formats:

• Adobe Portable Document Format {.pdf}

• Web Scalable Vector Graphics {.svg, .svgz}

SUPPORTED OUTPUT FORMATS

ChemDoodle can write the following bitmap image formats:

• CompuServ Graphics Interchange Format {.gif}

• Joint Photographic Experts Group {.jpg, .jpeg, .jpe, .jfif, .jfi, .jif}

• Microsoft Bitmap {.bmp, .dib}

• Portable Network Graphics {.png}

• Tagged Image File Format {.tiff, .tif}

• UNIX Portable PixMap {.ppm, pnm, pbm, pgm}

• Wireless Bitmap {.wbmp}

ChemDoodle can write the following vector image formats:

Chapter 11: SHARING INFORMATION 241

• Adobe Portable Document Format {.pdf}

• Encapsulated Postscript {.eps, .epi, .epsi, .epsf}

• Macintosh Vector Pict {.pict}

• OpenDocument Graphics {.odg}

• Web Scalable Vector Graphics {.svg, .svgz}

• Windows Enhanced Metafile {.emf}

IMPORTING CHEMICAL CONTENT FROM IMAGES

ChemDoodle will automatically embed chemical data in certain image formats. When these images are
inserted into ChemDoodle, they will be checked for chemical information and that chemical information will
be loaded if found.

ChemDoodle embeds chemical information into the following image formats:

• Adobe Portable Document Format {.pdf}

• Encapsulated Postscript {.eps}

• OpenDocument Graphics {.odg}

• Web Scalable Vector Graphics {.svg, .svgz}

EXPORTING THE DOCUMENT TO AN IMAGE

To export all of the objects in the current document to an image, execute the following steps:

1. Select the File|Save As Image. . . menu item.

2. A file chooser will appear. Select the location you would like to have the image saved in and type in
a name for the file if you do not like the default name. You do not need to type in an extension as
ChemDoodle will do this for you.

3. After you are satisfied with a location and name, select the image type of the image to be exported.

4. After selecting the file type to be used, press the Save button to export your document as an image.

5. If options are available, a window will be shown to allow you to set the options. Define the settings to
your preference and then click the Done button.

EXPORTING ONLY CERTAIN OBJECTS TO AN IMAGE

To export specific objects in the current document to an image, execute the following steps:

1. Use a selection tool to select the objects to be exported to an image.

2. Select the File|Save Selection As Image. . . menu item.

3. A file chooser will appear. Select the location you would like to have the image saved in and type in
a name for the file if you do not like the default name. You do not need to type in an extension as
242 Chapter 11: SHARING INFORMATION

ChemDoodle will do this for you.

4. After you are satisfied with a location and name, select the image type of the image to be exported.

5. After selecting the file type to be used, press the Save button to export the selected objects to an
image.

6. If options are available, a window will be shown to allow you to set the options. Define the settings to
your preference and then click the Done button.

IMAGE OUTPUT OPTIONS

There are several options that you can define for output images. Some options are only available for bitmap
or vector types, while other options are available for both.

Image Border Buffer

You can control the image border buffer, or the amount of space surrounding the graphics in an image, by
changing the Border Buffer setting in the Preferences window under the Advanced tab. The default
image border buffer is three (3) pixels. This setting affects both bitmap and vector graphics.

Image Scale (bitmap only)

This setting will determine the scale of the output image. The larger the scale, the larger the output image.
Vector graphics can be rescaled at any time, and therefore this setting is only available for bitmap images.
You will need to scale bitmap images to a larger size if you want to use a higher resolution, but retain the
same dimensions.

Resolution (bitmap only)

This setting will instruct printers and other renderers how to scale the image. The higher the DPI setting,
then the crisper the image will look, but the smaller it will appear. By default, the DPI setting is 300 dpi.
Currently, only the JPEG and PNG output support this option. Vector graphics are resolution-less, and
therefore this setting is only available for bitmap images.

Transparency (bitmap only)

If the bitmap image type supports transparency, this option will be available.

Render Text as Shapes

In vector graphics, text is output as shapes, so they are no longer recognized as text by other applications.
If you prefer to preserve the characters for editing in other applications, then deselect this option. Note that
the font you use for the text must be present on the system that you open the image in, or the font you used
will be replaced with something similar, but not identical.
Chapter 11: SHARING INFORMATION 243

INSERTING IMAGES
For any of the image formats that ChemDoodle can read, you can import files of that format into your
documents. To do so, execute the following steps:

1. Select the File|Insert Image. . . menu item.

2. In the file chooser that appears, navigate to and select the image you would like to insert.

3. Select the Open button to insert the image.

If you selected an image file type that is not understood by ChemDoodle, a message will appear to notify
you of the issue.

In addition to inserting images via the File menu, you may also simply drag compatible images from your
file system or from other applications on to the Doodle Board.

ROUNDTRIP EDITING
Roundtrip editing is a very advanced feature for allowing ChemDoodle content to transfer between applica-
tions by embedding it into images. In most cases, ChemDoodle will automatically perform this embedding
for you. Through roundtrip editing, you can copy ChemDoodle content into your word processor for instance,
and then later copy that content back into ChemDoodle for re-editing.

Make sure you always save your drawings and figures in a ChemDoodle Document and never
rely on a third party application to save your ChemDoodle data. The third party application
may change how it works and you may lose your data!

SUPPORT

Roundtrip editing requires that both ChemDoodle and the application you are inserting the ChemDoodle
content into work together. Currently, ChemDoodle supports roundtrip editing with OpenOffice on Linux
and with any applications that understand Object Linking and Embedding (OLE) on Windows, or that
preserve PDF comments on Mac OS X. This covers a large number of applications that most scientists use
and we are actively working to expand the range of applications with which ChemDoodle supports roundtrip
editing.

WINDOWS

Setup

No additional setup is required for roundtrip editing on Windows. The OLE server is automatically registered
when ChemDoodle is installed.

Clipboard Settings

By default, in Advanced Preferences, OLE is enabled. OLE is required to be enabled for roundtrip
editing to work on Windows.
244 Chapter 11: SHARING INFORMATION

Procedure

Roundtrip editing is very simple on Windows. Just copy in ChemDoodle and paste into the receiving
application. Some applications may not paste the OLE object by default. In this case, make sure to use a
provided Paste Special function in the receiving application to choose the OLE object

There are two ways to edit the content after it has been pasted:

1. Copy the embedded object from the receiving application and paste back into ChemDoodle to recover
the objects. Once you have finished editing, again copy in ChemDoodle and paste back into the
receiving application to replace the original object.

2. As of version 6 of ChemDoodle, embedded objects may be edited through standard OLE embedded
object activation. Double clicking the object inside the receiving application will start ChemDoodle if
it is not already running, and load the content of the object for editing in a new tab. After you have
made your changes, close the tab, and a dialog box asking if you would like to update the OLE object
will appear. Select Yes to update the object in the receiving application.

Figure 11.4: An Activated ChemDoodle Embedded Object within Microsoft Word 2010

Figure 11.4 shows an activated ChemDoodle embedded object within Microsoft Word 2010. The hash marks
on the object indicate that it is open in ChemDoodle for editing, and disappear once the object is closed.

Not all Windows applications support OLE, and roundtrip editing is not possible with those applications.

Troubleshooting

You may encounter error messages with roundtrip editing on Windows. We document the most common
cases here.

The error in Figure 11.5 appears only if our OLE server is corrupted by the user in the installation folder.
Chapter 11: SHARING INFORMATION 245

Make sure that the installation folder is not modified and important files are not removed.

Figure 11.5: OLE Server Installation Corruption

It is possible for an OLE object within another application to become corrupted. This is usually due to
something specific in that particular application. If a ChemDoodle OLE object becomes corrupted, it will
display a pop up with the following text: “This object has become corrupted. You will have to delete it and
paste the figure from ChemDoodle again.” In that case, please re-paste that object into the application. If
you are aware of a reproducible way to corrupt an object in a particular application, please inform iChemLabs
Customer Service (click on Help|Contact Customer Service menu item).

Under unusual circumstances, ChemDoodle may display a popup indicating that a particular OLE action
could not be completed. If you encounter this error, please notify iChemLabs Customer Service concerning
the circumstances that led to the error.

MAC OS X

Setup

No additional setup is required for roundtrip editing on Mac OS X.

Clipboard Settings

By default, in Advanced Preferences, PDF is enabled. PDF is required to be enabled for roundtrip
editing to work on Mac OS X.

Procedure

Roundtrip editing is very simple on Mac OS X. Just copy in ChemDoodle and paste into the receiving appli-
cation. To edit the content, copy the image from the receiving application and paste back into ChemDoodle
to recover the objects. Once you have finished editing, again copy in ChemDoodle and paste back into the
receiving application to replace the original image.

Some applications may not paste the PDF by default. In this case, use a provided Paste Special function
in the receiving application to choose the PDF.

Not all applications on Mac OS X preserve PDF comments, and roundtrip editing is not possible with those
applications.

Workarounds for iWork Pages

Note the following workarounds only apply to iWork ’09; the most recent iWork does not
permit roundtrip editing.
246 Chapter 11: SHARING INFORMATION

iWork Pages corrupts PDF comments, so roundtrip editing will fail directly from Pages. There are two
workarounds available. The first workaround consists of the following two steps:

1. Copy the figure from Pages into Keynote and then copy in Keynote and paste into ChemDoodle to
recover the data.

2. Use the Inspector to retrieve the unaltered PDF directly from Pages.

To implement the second workaround execute the following steps:

1. When working with figures pasted into Pages from ChemDoodle, open the Inspector by clicking on
the nspector button in Pages’ top toolbar.

2. In the Inspector, click on the Metrics icon , and then click on the ChemDoodle figure so that
droppedImage.pdf appears as in Figure 11.6.

3. Drag the droppedImage.pdf file onto the Doodle Board in ChemDoodle to recover the data.

Figure 11.6: Roundtrip Editing: Workarounds for iWork Pages

Chapter 11: SHARING INFORMATION 247

LINUX

Forward

We did our best to provide as simple a procedure as possible, but given the state of LInux distributions,
there are some inconveniences to deal with. We will do our best to continue to improve this procedure, but
your help is required to submit issues to the OpenOffice and LibreOffice development teams and urge them
to improve their software and APIs.

Setup

Roundtrip editing on Linux requires that the user install our ChemDoodle OpenOffice plugin. The plugin
is named ChemDoodle.oxt and can be found in the resources folder in the ChemDoodle installation folder.

To install the plugin, execute the following steps:

1. Launch OpenOffice or LibreOffice.

2. In the Tools menu, select Extension Manager. . .

3. Click the Add. . . button.

4. In the file chooser that appears, locate the ChemDoodle.oxt file in the resources folder and select it.

If the plugin is successfully registered, it will appear in the Extension Manager as shown in Figure 11.7.

Figure 11.7: The Extension Manager with the ChemDoodle Plugin Properly Registered

Clipboard Settings

In ChemDoodle’s Advanced Preferences, both PNG (720dpi) and ChemDoodle Collage are required
to be enabled for roundtrip editing to work on Linux. Other raster image types should be disabled.
248 Chapter 11: SHARING INFORMATION

Procedure

To insert a ChemDoodle object into OpenOffice or LibreOffice, execute the following steps:

1. Ensure the clipboard settings are correct as stated above.

2. Select the content you wish to copy and use a copy function in ChemDoodle.

3. In the Office application you want to insert the object into, open the Object submenu in the Insert
menu and select OLE Object. . . (Figure 11.8)

4. In the window that appears, select ChemDoodle Embedded Object and select the OK button.
(Figure 11.9)

Figure 11.8: The OLE Object. . . Menu Item

Figure 11.9: Selecting the ChemDoodle Embedded Object to Insert

To edit the inserted ChemDoodle object, execute the following steps:

1. Select the inserted ChemDoodle object that you wish to edit, and double-click on it.
Chapter 11: SHARING INFORMATION 249

2. Use a copy function with the ChemDoodle object still selected.

3. In ChemDoodle, use a paste function to paste the data.

4. Edit the content.

5. Reselect the content and follow the procedure for inserting the ChemDoodle object into OpenOffice or
LibreOffice above to replace the previous object.

Troubleshooting

Common error boxes may appear, troubleshoot them as follows.

The following warning means that you should enable the PNG (720dpi) option and disable the PNG
option in Advanced Preferences for the best quality images.

The following warning means that you should enable ChemDoodle Collage in Advanced Preferences.

The following warning means that PNG (720dpi) needs to be enabled in Advanced Preferences.

The following warning means you need to read the CLIPBOARD SETTINGS section above again.
250 Chapter 11: SHARING INFORMATION

Questions and Answers (Q&A)

Q: Why is a bitmap image used instead of a vector graphic?

A: OpenOffice/LibreOffice does not support vector graphics through their Embedded Object insertion.
Please contact the appropriate Office development teams to urge them to add this functionality. For now,
we use a 720 dpi image so print quality will still be excellent.

Q: Why can’t I paste the object directly between Office applications?

A: This is apparently a bug in OpenOffice/LibreOffice, please contact the appropriate Office development
teams to urge them to fix this.

Q: Why do I have to double-click the object to roundtrip it?

A: This is what OpenOffice/LibreOffice requires to execute the object. Please contact the appropriate Office
development teams to urge them to improve this.

Q: Why can’t I just paste the object? Why do I need to go through the menu to insert it?

A: Implementing direct pasting of the object exhibits many inconsistencies which make it unsuitable for reg-
ular use. This is something we are trying to work around. Please contact the appropriate Office development
teams to urge them to fix this.

PRINTING
The document can be printed from ChemDoodle. In most cases, the procedure is identical to other applica-
tions you use on your operating system. You can define settings, preview, and print.

PAGE SETUP

By selecting the File|Page Setup. . . menu item, you will be able to set the printer settings. The window
that appears will be identical to the window that appears in other applications on your operating system.
Here, you can select the printer and set up the page orientation.

FLIPPING THE PAGE ORIENTATION

In some cases, you may wish to print your document in landscape mode. To do this, execute the following
steps:

1. Select the File|Page Setup. . . menu item.

2. In the window that appears, find the appropriate setting for page orientation, and change it to land-
scape.

3. Press the confirm button in the window to save your settings and close it.

4. A dialog box will appear asking if you would like to swap the width and height of the current document
in ChemDoodle. If this is appropriate for your document, select Yes, otherwise, select No.
Chapter 11: SHARING INFORMATION 251

The orientation of the printed document and its size are distinct. Printing in landscape mode
simply means that the printer prints your content at a 90 degree angle. It does not alter
your document in any way. So in some cases, you may want to flip the dimensions of your
document and reorient your figures before printing in landscape mode.

This procedure gives you maximum control over your documents, by allowing you to control the dimensions
of your document and separately to control the orientation in which your document is printed.

PRINT PREVIEW

To preview your document before you print, select the File|Print Preview menu item. Click the OK
button on the bottom right when you are finished to close the preview. Only the content that should appear
in the printed version will appear in the preview; no warnings, highlights or other interface decorations will
be present.

PRINTING A DOCUMENT

To print a document, execute the following steps:

1. Select the File|Print. . . menu item.

2. In the window that appears, confirm or change any available settings.

3. Press the Print button to print your document.

Appendices

Appendix A: MANAGING CHEMDOODLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 254

Appendix B: CHEMICAL FILE TYPES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259

Appendix C: THIRD PARTY APPLICATIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 264

Appendix D: ELEMENTAL DATA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269

Appendix E: HOW NMR IS SIMULATED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 274

Appendix F: CHEMDOODLE WEB COMPONENTS . . . . . . . . . 277

Appendix G: CHEMDOODLE MOBILE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 283

Appendix H: TECHNICAL SUPPORT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 287

252
APPENDIX A
Managing ChemDoodle
254 Appendix A: MANAGING CHEMDOODLE

OVERVIEW
The chapters in this user guide explain how to use ChemDoodle to draw and work with chemical figures.
There are other functions for managing the application itself.

This section shows the new user how to manage ChemDoodle. It covers the following topics:

• Updating ChemDoodle.

• Deactivating and restoring ChemDoodle.

• Using your iChemLabs account.

• Making use of provided media and resources.

APPLICATION AND FILE ICONS

You may wish to associate file icons and application icons with ChemDoodle if ChemDoodle does not already
do this for you, such as on Linux. In the resources folder in the main ChemDoodle installation folder,
operating system-specific graphics will be provided for ChemDoodle and recognized chemical file types. Use
you operating system’s documentation to associate those icons with the application and file types.

UPDATING CHEMDOODLE
ChemDoodle will check for official iChemLabs updates and will automatically update to the latest available
version for you if you allow it to do so.

To check for updates, just click the Help|Check For Updates menu item. If no update is available,
you will see a confirmation message stating that your copy of ChemDoodle is up-to-date. If there is an
update available, you will see an Update Available window appear listing all the changes introduced by
the update. Just click the Update button to proceed. ChemDoodle will close to perform the update, so
make sure to save your files before continuing.

You must have administrator privileges to update ChemDoodle. If you see a message stating
that you cannot update because you do not have the necessary permissions, please double
check that you ran ChemDoodle as administrator (on Windows for instance) or contact your
system administrator to help you.

The auto-updater will then open. It will download the latest ChemDoodle updates, verify the contents
with our server, and then proceed to update ChemDoodle. The updater can be seen in Figure A.1. It may
take several minutes to complete. After the updater completes, it will notify you that it is ready and that
ChemDoodle will be reopened. Just click the Ok button to close the updater and continue. Your version of
ChemDoodle has now been updated.
Appendix A: MANAGING CHEMDOODLE 255

Figure A.1: The iChemLabs Updater

By default, ChemDoodle will automatically check for updates while loading. You can disable this feature in
the Preferences window under the Online tab. You may always manually check for updates by using the
menu item mentioned above.

WINDOWS ADMINISTRATOR PRIVILEGES

A common issue on Windows Vista/7+ is to enable administrator privileges for ChemDoodle to update. If
ChemDoodle states that you do not have the necessary administrator privileges on these platforms, perform
the following steps:

1. Exit ChemDoodle.

2. Locate the ChemDoodle icon (shortcut or actual application).

3. Right-click on the icon and select Run as administrator.

4. Accept the security request.

You will then be able to update ChemDoodle.

If this process does not work, you will need to consult with a system administrator to update ChemDoodle.

SKIPPING UPDATES

If you wish to ignore the current update, when the Update Available window is displayed, just select
the Skip this Version button as shown in Figure A.2. You will no longer be notified that this update is
available. You will still be notified of subsequent updates, which you may also skip.

To obtain an update that was skipped, select the Help|Check For Updates menu item.
256 Appendix A: MANAGING CHEMDOODLE

Figure A.2: The Update Available Window with the Skip this Update Button

PURCHASING UPGRADES

Major version upgrades to ChemDoodle must be purchased. When a major version upgrade becomes avail-
able, you will still be presented with the Update Available window. However, instead of an Update
button, a Purchase Upgrade button will be presented. Click on the Purchase Upgrade button to be
directed to the upgrade purchase page. After purchasing the upgrade, again check for updates. The Update
button will then be showing and you may proceed with the update as described in the previous sections.

MOVING YOUR ACTIVATED COPY TO A NEW COMPUTER

At some point, you may want to switch to a different computer. Your purchased ChemDoodle activation code
is restricted by the number of computers ChemDoodle is activated on. Therefore, we provide you the ability
to deactivate ChemDoodle and reactivate it on a new computer. To begin, just click the Help|Deactivate
ChemDoodle menu item.

When deactivating ChemDoodle and switching to a new computer, your custom preferences
and other user settings will be lost. If you have settings files (templates, chemical document
settings), those can be copied to the new ChemDoodleSettings folder that will appear after
ChemDoodle is activated on the new computer.

Once the deactivation procedure has begun, it cannot be cancelled. Make sure you record your activation
code, which will be displayed in the Details section of the deactivation confirmation message, so you can
use it again. You should also have a record of your code from the email receipt you received upon purchasing
it.

Once you accept the confirmation message, ChemDoodle will close and your copy will be deactivated. You
may now use your activation code to activate ChemDoodle on a new computer.
Appendix A: MANAGING CHEMDOODLE 257

PREPARING FOR A SYSTEM RESTORE

If you do anything to your system that will remove or eliminate the ChemDoodle license file, such as
performing a system restore or installing your operating system from scratch, you will need to first deactivate
your copy of ChemDoodle. Instructions for deactivating ChemDoodle can be found in the previous section.

USING ICHEMLABS CLOUD SERVICES

With an iChemLabs account, you have the ability to save files online so you can open them anywhere or send
them to other iChemLabs applications as well as access relevant cloud services from within ChemDoodle.

You may log into your iChemLabs account at anytime in ChemDoodle by choosing the File|Sync with
Online Account. . . menu item. The login window will also have an option to link your iChemLabs account
with your copy of ChemDoodle. If selected, ChemDoodle will automatically log into your iChemLabs account
while it starts up. You can then change these settings at any time in the Preferences window under the
Online tab.

All customers receive a free account to use this feature. Your username is the email address your activation
code is associated with, and your password is the last four characters of your activation code. The password
must be either in all uppercase or all lowercase.

Currently, the following iChemLabs applications integrate with your iChemLabs account:

• ChemDoodle

• ChemDoodle 3D

• ChemDoodle Mobile
APPENDIX B
Chemical File Types
Appendix B: CHEMICAL FILE TYPES 259

OVERVIEW
ChemDoodle can currently read and write 24 different chemical file types. This section discusses the following
issues:

• What chemical file types are supported.

• ChemDoodle’s adherence to third party file type specifications.

• The extent of support for third party chemical file types.

• Warnings about saving your documents in a format other than the ChemDoodle Document format.

• How to annotate your files.

• How to use ChemDoodle’s file conversion tool.

ADHERENCE TO THIRD PARTY SPECIFICATIONS

File formats implemented in ChemDoodle strictly follow their published specifications. ChemDoodle does
not take liberties with their rules or inject ChemDoodle-only content into them. All file format objects
and properties are mapped as closely as possible to objects and properties in ChemDoodle. Thorough
implementation details are also provided in the following sections. Specification references can be found by
selecting the Help|References menu item.

ChemDoodle will try to interpret all third party files as best as possible, so if you do find a file that doesn’t
read well, please send it to us so we can improve our compatibility.

USE CAUTION SAVING THIRD PARTY FORMATS

ChemDoodle does its best to preserve the data it reads in from third party formats, however it may not be
perfect as those formats may have been intended for systems that are very different from ChemDoodle. For
instance, one program may define a charge by placing a text box near an atom, while ChemDoodle defines
a charge by associating a charge attribute with that atom. When read, ChemDoodle may decide to convert
that text box to a charge attribute, thereby changing the data that is in the file.

That being said, it is very important that you carefully consider whether to allow ChemDoodle to save
over third party data files as ChemDoodle may not retain all essential information that the other program
requires. When saving third party files, ChemDoodle will display a warning as a reminder before allowing
you to continue. These warnings can be disabled in the Preferences window under the Saving tab.

Instead, we recommend that you first save a copy of that file to edit, instead of saving over files created by
other applications.
260 Appendix B: CHEMICAL FILE TYPES

TESTING THIRD PARTY FILE TYPE OUTPUT

If you are unsure about whether your document will be saved in its entirety to a third party format, first
check with this documentation. If you are still concerned, save a test file in ChemDoodle, close the document
you just saved, and then reopen the file in ChemDoodle. If some content is missing or any object properties
have changed in some way, then the format you are trying to save to does not support those objects and/or
properties or ChemDoodle does not yet support the output of those objects and/or properties for that format.

SUPPORTED CHEMICAL FILE TYPES

1. ACD/ChemSketch Document (.sk2)

2. Beilstein ROSDAL (.ros)

3. CambridgeSoft ChemDraw Exchange (.cdx)

4. CambridgeSoft ChemDraw XML (.cdxml)

5. Crystallographic Information Format (.cif)

6. CHARMM CARD File (.crd)

7. ChemAxon Marvin Document (.mrv)

8. Chemical Markup Language (.cml)

9. Daylight SMILES (.smi, .smiles)

10. iChemLabs ChemDoodle Document (.icl, .icxml)

11. iChemLabs ChemDoodle 3D Scene (.ic3)

12. iChemLabs ChemDoodle Javascript Data (.cwc.js)

13. IUPAC InChI (.inchi)

14. IUPAC JCAMP-DX (.jdx, .dx)

15. MDL ISIS Sketch File (.skc)

16. MDL ISIS Sketch Transportable Graphics File (.tgf)

17. MDL MOLFiles (.mol, .mdl)

18. MDL RDFiles (.rdf, .rd)

19. MDL RXNFiles (.rxn)

20. MDL SDFiles (.sdf, .sd)

21. MMI SketchEl Molecule (.el)

22. Molinspiration JME String (.jme)

23. RCSB Protein Data Bank Files (.pdb, .ent)

24. Schrdinger MacroModel (.mmd, .mmod)

Appendix B: CHEMICAL FILE TYPES 261

25. Schrdinger Maestro (.mae)

26. Standard Molecular Data (.smd)

27. Tripos Mol2 (.mol2, .ml2, .sy2)

28. Tripos Sybyl Line Notation (.sln)

29. XYZ Files (.xyz)

FILE ANNOTATIONS
Annotations can be read and written to files where possible. Each document has its own set of annotations.
To view previously defined annotations, edit them or create your own, select the File|Annotations. . . menu
item. Then edit the fields shown in Figure B.1.

Figure B.1: File Annotations Window

All data associated with a file will be saved in ChemDoodle Documents. Other users that open your an-
notated ChemDoodle Document files will be able to easily access them. Other file types may be able to
save annotations as well, read their documentation in the following sections for the extent of annotation
functionality.

FILE CONVERSION TOOL

ChemDoodle contains robust functionality for easily and quickly converting files between different formats.
This tool is accessed by clicking the File|Convert. . . menu item and is shown in Figure B.2. Unlike other
chemical conversion utilities, ChemDoodle converts all document objects and properties in addition to just
atoms and bonds; this including shapes, fonts, colors, annotations, document settings, etc.
262 Appendix B: CHEMICAL FILE TYPES

Figure B.2: Chemical File Conversion Utility

Perform the following steps to convert a file:

1. Choose a recognized input filefigure with the file chooser that appears after clicking the Choose Input
button. Use the file format filter at the bottom of the file chooser to select different file formats.

2. Choose the location to store the output by clicking the Choose Location button or by manually
typing in the path to the file. You can change the name of the output file this way.

3. Choose an output format and extension from the drop-down selection below the output location.

4. Click the Convert button.

When complete, ChemDoodle will display statistics about the conversion or any issues encountered.
 APPENDIX C
Third Party Applications
264 Appendix C: THIRD PARTY APPLICATIONS

OVERVIEW
ChemDoodle works with many third party applications. The most common applications are listed in this
section. It is not an comprehensive list. Discussed in this section are:

• Common applications that are used with ChemDoodle.

• Which types of data are transferred to common third party applications.

• Solutions to issues involved with the third party applications.

• Round-trip editing compatibility.

MICROSOFT OFFICE

WORD

On Windows and Mac OS X, text, images and scalable vector graphics can be transferred.

For scalable vector graphics, if using Word on Windows, Windows Enhanced Metafile must be selected
in the copy settings. For scalable vector graphics, if using Word 2004 on Mac OS X, Macintosh Vector
PICT must be selected in the copy settings; Word 2008 and all future versions on Mac OS X require PDF
to be selected in the copy settings. Make sure all bitmap image types are deselected.

Round trip editing is functional on Windows with Microsoft Office using ChemDoodle’s OLE library. Round
trip editing is functional on Mac OS X with Microsoft Office 2011 (at update 14.0.1 or more recent).

POWERPOINT

Same as Word.

EXCEL

Same as Word.
Appendix C: THIRD PARTY APPLICATIONS 265

APPLE IWORK

PAGES

Text, images and scalable vector graphics can be transferred. For scalable vector graphics, PDF must be
selected in the copy settings. Round-rip editing is supported via the workaround detailed in the Round-Trip
Editing section of SHARING INFORMATION.

KEYNOTE

Same as Pages. Round-trip editing is supported directly.

NUMBERS

Same as Pages. Round-trip editing is not supported.

266 Appendix C: THIRD PARTY APPLICATIONS

OPENOFFICE

WRITER

On all operating systems, text, images and scalable vector graphics can be transferred. For scalable vector
graphics, if using Writer on Windows, Windows Enhanced Metafile must be selected in the copy settings.
For scalable vector graphics, if using Writer on Mac OS X, Macintosh Vector PICT must be selected in
the copy settings. For scalable vector graphics, if using Writer on Linux, OpenDocument Graphics must
be selected in the copy settings.

Round-trip editing is supported on Linux by using the ChemDoodle UNO plugin.

CALC

On all platforms, text, images and scalable vector graphics can be transferred.

For Mac OS X, first save ChemDoodle content as Macintosh Vector PICTs and then insert or drag and
drop the file into Calc.

Round-trip editing is supported on Linux by using ChemDoodle UNO plugin.

IMPRESS

Same as Calc.

ADOBE PRODUCTS

PHOTOSHOP

Images and scalable vector graphics can be transferred. For scalable vector graphics, PDF must be selected
in the copy settings.

ILLUSTRATOR

Scalable vector graphics can be transferred. First, save content as PDF and then open, insert or drag
and drop the file into Illustrator. For direct pasting, make sure all vector graphics are disabled except for
Windows Enhanced Metafile on Windows or Macintosh Vector Pict on Mac OS X.
Appendix C: THIRD PARTY APPLICATIONS 267

BROWSERS
Most browsers will support image and scalable vector graphic output from ChemDoodle for display in web
pages. The best scalable vector graphic formats to use are SVG and PDF.

For information of ChemDoodle Web Components browser compatibility, visit the ChemDoodle Web Com-
ponents website: https://web.chemdoodle.com.

OTHER
ChemDoodle is compatible with any application that supports the data ChemDoodle places on the system
clipboard. Because ChemDoodle expertly handles Windows Enhanced Metafiles, Macintosh Vector PICT 2,
PDF and OpenDocument Graphics, scalable vector graphics can be directly pasted into all native applications.

Round-trip editing will be supported with any application that supports OLE on Windows, or that will
preserve PDF comments on Mac OS X.
APPENDIX D
Elemental Data
Appendix D: ELEMENTAL DATA 269

OVERVIEW
ChemDoodle has access to an extensive database of elemental data compiled from published resources. This
section introduces the new user to ChemDoodle’s chemical data. It covers the following topics:

• The elemental and chemical data provided in ChemDoodle.

• How to view the chemical data.

• Where to find references for the data.

• How to use the interactive periodic table.

ELEMENTAL DATABASE
The elemental database allows ChemDoodle to perform many tasks, from filling the dynamic periodic table
to deducing covalent bonds to calculating a molecular mass. The data itself can be viewed by opening various
data tables in ChemDoodle or by using the dynamic periodic table. The data tables are found in the View
menu. Currently ChemDoodle provides three data tables:

• Elemental Data - Displays all data in the elemental database not contained in other tables.

• Ionization Energies - Displays all published ionization energies for the elements.

• Isotopes - Displays all published isotopes, their masses, natural abundances and half-lives. Where to
find references for the data.

Each table is interactive, and you can click on a column header to reorder the content by that column. By
clicking again you can reverse the order of that column. By pressing down and dragging, you can reorder
the columns to more easily correlate different columns.

REFERENCES
All data within ChemDoodle’s databases are associated with a unit (if not dimensionless) and the reference
source it originated from so you may assess its quality. The entire set of references can be viewed at any
time by selecting the Help|References menu item as shown in Figure D.1. Non-data related references are
also displayed in this list, including filetype specifications and algorithms.
270 Appendix D: ELEMENTAL DATA

Figure D.1: ChemDoodle’s References List

INTERACTIVE PERIODIC TABLE

ChemDoodle contains an interactive periodic table of elements for reference, printing and demonstrations.
It is viewable by selecting the the View|Interactive Periodic Table menu item. The window that opens
is shown in Figure D.2.

Figure D.2: The Interactive Periodic Table

You may hover over elements and click on them for additional information. There may also be groups listed
in the top region. Hovering over a group will desaturate all other groups. This is shown in Figure D.3 when
the mouse pointer hovers over the Other Non-Metals group.
Appendix D: ELEMENTAL DATA 271

Figure D.3: Focusing on a Group

The table is customizable and you can choose from several format options, including the display of atomic
mass, names and electron configurations in addition to the element symbol. The block in the bottom-left
corner of the periodic table will display the current format of each element as shown in Figure D.4.

Figure D.4: Element Format

You can also customize graphical options, such as the element border colors and text color.

In addition to the traditional classifications display, you can also choose to display these other features of
the elements:

• CPK Colors - Displays each element with its CPK (Corey, Pauling, Koltun) color.

• Jmol Colors - Displays each element with its Jmol color.

• PyMOL Colors - Displays each element with its PyMOL color.

• State of Matter - Each element is colored based on its state of matter at the set temperature. Solids
are black, liquids are blue and gases are red. Unknown states are grey. A temperature slider will
appear in the controls to set the temperature which is displayed on the top right of the figure.

• Years of Discovery - Each element is colored if discovered before the set year of discovery. A year
slider will appear in the controls to set the year of discovery which is displayed on the top right of the
figure.

Each display format shows off interesting properties and makes for great in-class demonstrations, such as
the State of Matter display shown in Figure D.5.
272 Appendix D: ELEMENTAL DATA

Figure D.5: States of Matter Display

To print the periodic table, click the Print button at the bottom-right of the window. The References
button will display ChemDoodle’s references and the Close button will close the Interactive Periodic
Table window.
APPENDIX E
How NMR is Simulated
274 Appendix E: HOW NMR IS SIMULATED

ALGORITHMS
The NMR simulation algorithms are a free and experimental feature provided in ChemDoodle. The algo-
rithms are continuously developed and improved.

SHIFT PREDICTION

ChemDoodle estimates chemical shifts for all hydrogen or carbon atoms for which incremental constants
are available. The algorithm is an empirical approach and begins by identifying key functional groups in a
structure. The identified functional groups are used to determine base values for the estimated shifts of the
nuclei.

After determining a base shift, a breadth-first algorithm is employed to look at the chemical environment
surrounding each nucleus. Based on the functional groups around it, incremental constants are added to
the base shift to calculate the estimated shift. Other contributions may be included such as ring strain and
other algorithms.

SPLITTING

Splitting is determined by a table of typical j-constant magnitudes and the spin of the interacting nuclei.
Splitting is calculated for all spins. Splitting magnitudes are determined from Pascal’s triangle.

ROOF EFFECTS

The magnitude for roof effects are determined by the resolution of the spectrum, set by the Pulse Frequency
parameter, and the relative adjacency of the interacting peaks. The simulated roof effects will show a leaning
of the split peak towards the peak that is splitting it. Peaks split by multiple peaks will lean towards all of
them.

SOLVENT PEAKS

Solvent peaks are simulated using the same algorithms. Splitting from deuterium occurs. The magnitude
ratio for solvent to solute peaks is determined by the Dilution parameter.

1
H RAPID EXCHANGE

If the temperature is above 273K, rapid exchange will occur for hydrogen bonded protons. These peaks will
merge into a single broadened peak with a shift calculated at their weighted average. The shift will then be
moved downfield relative to the magnitude of the temperature.
Appendix E: HOW NMR IS SIMULATED 275

1
H ANISOTROPIC EFFECTS

If the solvent or solute contain aromatic or antiaromatic rings, then 1 H nuclei will be appropriately shielded
or deshielded based on the solvent/solute ratio and the types of rings involved.

1
H DIASTEREOTOPIC PAIRS

If a methylene is adjacent to a stereocenter, then the two methylene protons will be separated into individual
peaks. The peaks will be separated by 0.3 ppm centered around the predicted shift for the methylene group.
The choice of nucleus to be shifted upfield or downfield is random.

13
C QUATERNARY CARBON INTENSITY REDUCTIONS

To simulate a lack of Overhauser effects, quaternary carbons have their peak intensities reduced by 33
percent.

LIMITATIONS
ChemDoodle can only predict shifts for nuclei where environments are well described in its database. Func-
tional groups that are not described well will have poorly calculated shifts and may result in values around
0 ppm, which should be ignored.

Since incremental constants do not take into account structure topography, 3D conformations will be poorly
analyzed. It is essential that you fully scrutinize all NMR simulation results from ChemDoodle.

To learn more about the algorithms implemented in ChemDoodle and their accuracy, obtain the references
listed under the Algorithms > Spectroscopy > Nuclear Magnetic Resonance section of ChemDoodle’s reference
list. The reference list can be viewed by selecting the Help|References menu item in the Help menu.
 APPENDIX F
ChemDoodle Web Components
Appendix F: CHEMDOODLE WEB COMPONENTS 277

OVERVIEW
In addition to creating graphics and chemical files, ChemDoodle can also create dynamic web components.
This feature utilizes another iChemLabs technology, the ChemDoodle Web Components library. This ap-
pendix covers the following topics:

• Creating ChemDoodle Web Components in ChemDoodle.

• ChemDoodle rendering features that are available in the ChemDoodle Web Components library.

• Other functions for working with ChemDoodle Web Components.

• How generated components work for both desktop and mobile browsers.

• Restrictions on using ChemDoodle Web Components in your webpages.

GENERATING CHEMDOODLE WEB COMPONENTS

To generate a ChemDoodle Web Component, execute the following steps:

1. Select the File|Generate Web Component. . . menu item. Make sure to first have drawn or loaded
any content you wish to be displayed on the Doodle Board.

2. If you had selected a molecule or spectrum before opening this window, then an appropriate viewer will
be selected. Otherwise, choose the Type of component you would like to create.

3. If you did not previously select content for the component and the Type of component chosen requires
content, then click on the Select button and choose the content to be displayed in the component.

4. As is shown in Figure F.1, set the size of the component and the component name (a random name is
generated for you to avoid name clashes).

Figure F.1: Generate ChemDoodle Web Component Window

5. Define any visual specifications for the component. It will inherit compatible visual specifications from
the current document style sheet in ChemDoodle.

6. In the Relevant Startup Parameters tree, select any Javascript variables or functions you would
like to define. Placeholders for them will be generated in the Javascript code.
278 Appendix F: CHEMDOODLE WEB COMPONENTS

7. Press the Preview button to preview your ChemDoodle Web Component in your main browser as
shown with Apple Safari in Figure F.2.

Figure F.2: Previewing the Web Component (Apple Safari shown)

8. Make any changes, if necessary.

9. Click the Generate button to generate the Javascript for the component.

Paste the generated Javascript directly in your webpage (in the ¡body¿ tag) in the location you prefer the
component to appear. You must first install the ChemDoodle Web Components library for your webpage
for these components to work. Installation instructions are provided on the official ChemDoodle Web Com-
ponents website at https://web.chemdoodle.com/installation/download.

GENERATING JAVASCRIPT DATA FILES FOR USE WITH

CHEMDOODLE WEB COMPONENTS
If you are displaying several web components with the same molecule/spectrum or are doing advanced
development, it may be more efficient to generate the data first in a Javascript data file to be loaded into
your webpage. To do this, execute the following steps:

1. Draw all structures and spectra to be used in your webpage on the Doodle Board.

2. Select the File|Save as. . . menu item.

3. In the file chooser that appears, select the location and the name of the file to be saved.

4. In the drop-down selection for the file type, choose iChemLabs ChemDoodle Javascript Data.

5. Press the Save button.

All structures and spectra on the Doodle Board will be saved to the ChemDoodle JSON format in
Javascript. To use this file, link it into the HTML page as a Javascript resource or copy and paste the
source of the file into your Javascript code. Use the variable names declared in that file to use them.

Molecules begin with ’molecule’ and spectra begin with ’spectrum’. You should rename these variables to
not clash with other declared Javascript variables if necessary. These data structures can be used as is, such
as for immediate loading into components via load functions.
Appendix F: CHEMDOODLE WEB COMPONENTS 279

OPTIMIZING PDB FILES

The ChemDoodle Web Components can handle many of the features in PDB files. Unfortunately, reading
and processing all of the data in a PDB file can be very time consuming in Javascript. ChemDoodle 3D
contains a special File|Optimize PDB to JSON. . . menu item to predigest PDB content into the native
ChemDoodle JSON format. To do this, perform the following steps:

1. In ChemDoodle 3D, select the File|Optimize PDB to JSON. . . menu item.

2. A window will appear (Figure F.3). Select the Choose Input button and locate the PDB file you
would like to optimize.

Figure F.3: The Optimize PDB to JSON Window

3. The output file path will be automatically generated for the same containing folder and name, but
with an extension of .js. Click the Choose Location button to change the location of the output
file. ChemDoodle will automatically change the extension to .js.

4. When satisfied with the paths, select the Optimize button. Depending on the size of the PDB file,
this function may take several seconds to complete.

5. To use the Javascript file with ChemDoodle Web Components, just include it in your web project, and
import it as a URI resource into the HTML page on which it is used. The PDB will be represented as
a Molecule data structure with the same name as the input file, prepended by the string “pdb ”. For
instance, if you optimized the file “1BNA.pdb”, then you can load the variable pdb 1BNA directly into
your component with the loadMolecule() function.

PDB OPTIMIZATION OPTIONS

When using ChemDoodle 3D to optimize PDB files to JSON, you will be provided with two options:

1. Only include HETATM atoms - This option will only output HETATM atoms, ignoring the residue
atoms. If you have a very large structure and you only wish to see the ribbons or nucleic acids, then this
will dramatically reduce the data size and improve performance. Ribbons and other macromolecular
features will still be displayed, as will any HETATM atoms, including ligands.

2. Calculate Residue to Ligand distances - If you select this option, ligand atom distances to the
closest residue atom will be calculated and output. This is useful for advanced components that show
nearby residue structures using the functions in the ChemDoodle Web Components.
280 Appendix F: CHEMDOODLE WEB COMPONENTS

GENERATING COMPONENTS FOR MOBILE DEVICES

ChemDoodle Web Components will work in all browsers including those on mobile devices, notably iPhone
OS (iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad) and Android devices. All rendering is supported on the mobile devices and
touch events and gestures are recognized by the components.

There is no difference between generating components for desktop browsers versus for mobile browsers.
The only consideration would be the size of the component. The ChemDoodle Web Component generator
contains a drop down selection to the right of the dimension panel containing preset sizes for mobile devices.
Use it to quickly set standard sizes if preferable.

RENDERING COMPATIBILITY
Even though ChemDoodle and the ChemDoodle Web Components library are in the same family of products,
their feature sets are not identical. Many graphical features and visual specifications provided in ChemDoodle
are not yet available in ChemDoodle Web Components.

Use the ChemDoodle Web Component window in ChemDoodle to help guide you through the available
visual specifications in the ChemDoodle Web Components library. Use the Preview button to ensure your
graphics will be correctly represented to your satisfaction.

CHEMDOODLE WEB COMPONENTS VERSION

The interface in ChemDoodle will always work with the latest version of the ChemDoodle Web Components
when the ChemDoodle update is released. However, the ChemDoodle Web Components may have further
updates after this release. In this case the latest version may not work with the output from ChemDoo-
dle, although incompatibilities should be minimal. You can see which version of the ChemDoodle Web
Components is used by ChemDoodle on the bottom right of the ChemDoodle Web Components builder.

You can update the ChemDoodle Web Components in ChemDoodle manually by replacing the corresponding
files in the resources folder in the ChemDoodle installation folder with the latest from the ChemDoodle
Web Components website. Please note that while this will allow you to use the latest ChemDoodle Web
Components with ChemDoodle, it will not add new features to ChemDoodle and it may require an update
from iChemLabs before it works completely.

LICENSE
The ChemDoodle Web Components library is licensed under version 3 of the GNU GENERAL PUBLIC
LICENSE: https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-3.0.html

AM I ALLOWED TO USE THIS?

The license protects the code if one changes it or integrates it with a proprietary product. If you are
concerned about how the license will affect you, then you should contact us. If you do not fully understand
the GPL license or your answer is ‘yes’ to any of the following questions, then you should contact us before
using this library.

• Will you be changing this library’s source code?

Appendix F: CHEMDOODLE WEB COMPONENTS 281

• Will you be integrating this library with another product that you will be distributing to the public in
any form?

• Will you need access to iChemLabs cloud services (using the ChemDoodle.iChemLabs package)?

AM I ALLOWED TO REBRAND YOUR COMPONENTS?

Not under the GPL license. Rebranding is identical to removing our copyright notice on the source code,
which is also prohibited.

ATTRIBUTIONS

Attributions on webpages for the use of ChemDoodle and ChemDoodle Web Components are greatly appre-
ciated.

Several ChemDoodle Web Component badges are provided for this purpose at
https://web.chemdoodle.com/installation/badges.

FURTHER INFORMATION

For further information regarding the ChemDoodle Web Components, including webpage installation instruc-
tions, the most recent version and updates, advanced programming and use of the API, examples and browser
compatibility, visit the official ChemDoodle Web Components website at https://web.chemdoodle.com.
APPENDIX G
ChemDoodle Mobile
Appendix G: CHEMDOODLE MOBILE 283

OVERVIEW
ChemDoodle Mobile is the mobile companion to ChemDoodle desktop. ChemDoodle Mobile is free for all
customers of ChemDoodle desktop. This section lists:

• What ChemDoodle Mobile is.

• How to log into ChemDoodle Mobile.

• The features in ChemDoodle Mobile.

• Transferring structure data between ChemDoodle Mobile and ChemDoodle desktop.

SUPPORTED PLATFORMS
ChemDoodle Mobile is supported on both iOS and Android.

IOS

ChemDoodle Mobile can be installed on iPhones, iPod Touches and iPads via
the iTunes App Store. You can find ChemDoodle Mobile for iOS here:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/chemdoodle-mobile/id435468742?mt=8.

ANDROID

ChemDoodle Mobile can be installed on phones running the Android operating system via the Google Play
Store here: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.iChemLabs.ChemDoodleMobile.

LOGGING IN TO CHEMDOODLE MOBILE

All ChemDoodle customers receive free accounts to log into ChemDoodle Mobile. This is the same account
you use to sync with your online account in ChemDoodle desktop. Your username is the email address your
activation code is associated with, and your password is the last four characters of your activation code. The
password must be either in all uppercase or all lowercase.
284 Appendix G: CHEMDOODLE MOBILE

CHEMDOODLE MOBILE FEATURES

ChemDoodle Mobile is a calculator for drawn organic structures. There are five main windows: Draw,
3D, Calculate, Spectra and Help. The Draw window shows a typical ChemDoodle sketcher, where
you can draw and store your structures. The 3D window allows you to view the drawn molecule in 3D.
The Calculate page calculates properties and the Spectra page simulates NMR spectra. All spectra are
interactive. The Help page contains a thorough help guide.

CALCULATIONS

• IUPAC Name

• Molecular Formula

• Empirical Formula

• Molecular Mass

• Monoisotopic Mass

• Degree of Unsaturation

• Hydrogen Bond Acceptors

• Hydrogen Bond Donors

• Average Molecular Polarizability

• Molar Refractivity

• Polar Surface Area

• van der Waals Volume

• logP

• Complexity

SPECTRA

• Mass Parent Peak (Isotopic Distribution)

• 1 H NMR
13
• C NMR
Appendix G: CHEMDOODLE MOBILE 285

TRANSFERRING DATA BETWEEN CHEMDOODLE DESK-

TOP AND CHEMDOODLE MOBILE
Data saved to your online account can be accessed from any iChemLabs application that uses that account.

To create data in ChemDoodle for use in ChemDoodle Mobile, execute the following steps:

1. Draw the structure to be loaded into ChemDoodle Mobile in a new document in ChemDoodle.

2. Log into your online account by using the File|Sync with Online Account. . . menu item.

3. Select the File|Save as Online File. . . menu item.

4. Choose a name for your structure and save it.

5. Log into ChemDoodle Mobile.

6. Press the Load button in ChemDoodle Mobile and then select From Account.

7. Choose the file you just saved from ChemDoodle desktop to load it.

Structures you saved in ChemDoodle Mobile can be edited in ChemDoodle by executing the steps above in
reverse order.

ChemDoodle Mobile can only handle one molecule a time. If you load a large document with
many molecules and shapes, only the first molecule will be used. If you then save that file in
ChemDoodle Mobile, you will override the original file and lose the additional structures and
shapes present in that file.
APPENDIX H
Technical Support
Appendix H: TECHNICAL SUPPORT 287

WHEN TO CONTACT CUSTOMER SERVICE

We certainly want your experience with iChemLabs software to be as enjoyable and hassle free as possible.
While we do our best to debug and test ChemDoodle, a few bugs will always slip past us. We encourage
you to report any bugs that you find and we will do our best to address them.

Before contacting us, please do the following:

• Check the system requirements for ChemDoodle at the beginning of this user guide to ensure that your
system is supported.

• Search this user guide to see if your issue is addressed here.

• Read the TROUBLESHOOTING section of this appendix and follow the possible resolution tactics
outlined there.

• Double check that your problem is reproducible and outline the exact steps executed to cause it.

• Take screenshots of any relevant graphical issues or popup errors in their entirety.

• Make note of any steps you have taken in attempting to correct the problem.

HOW TO CONTACT CUSTOMER SERVICE

After collecting all relevant information, click on the Help|Contact Customer Service menu item as
shown in Figure H.1. We always respond to inquiries within one business day and frequently respond within
an hour.

Figure H.1: Contact Customer Service Menu Item

This function will automatically pre-populate fields as appropriate in our support ticket system at sup-
port.ichemlabs.com. Fill in the remaining fields and open a ticket. You may also attach supporting files.
288 Appendix H: TECHNICAL SUPPORT

FEATURE REQUESTS
We are happy to receive feature requests from users. You can submit a request using the customer service
form as described in the previous section of this appendix.

Features that are not beyond the scope of ChemDoodle will be included in a future update. However, some
features may take a long time to implement, so please be patient when requesting new features. If a feature
is beyond the scope of ChemDoodle we will attempt to explain why in a response to the feature request.

The following steps describe how our feature request system works and how we prioritize the features that
we work on.

1. All feature requests (from customers and non-customers) are considered and are reported to our de-
velopment tracking system.

2. Feature requests are associated with a score based on the popularity of the request. Each feature
begins with a score of 0. The score is then incremented by 1 for each unique customer that requests
that feature (including the initial request if done by a customer). Non-customers that request features
do not affect feature scores.

3. Once each month, we reevaluate the scores and plan our development around the features with the
highest scores.

4. When a feature is implemented it is removed from our development tracking system.

Therefore, to get the features you want implemented in ChemDoodle as fast as possible, do the following
two things:

• Let us know about the feature you would like to see implemented by contacting us using the method
described in the previous section.

• Get as many unique ChemDoodle customers to request the same feature as possible.

FOLLOWING CHEMDOODLE DEVELOPMENT

Our development process is an open process and you can learn more about what we are doing by visiting
the iChemLabs homepage at https://www.ichemlabs.com. We regularly post stories about ChemDoodle
development and compatibility checks with new operating systems. Subscribe to the iChemLabs newsfeed
RSS (https://www.ichemlabs.com/feed/rss2/) for immediate notification.

The iChemLabs newsfeed RSS can also be viewed by selecting the Help|iChemLabs Newsfeed menu item.
Appendix H: TECHNICAL SUPPORT 289

TROUBLESHOOTING

WINDOWS

Occasionally when you open ChemDoodle it will ask about connections, select “Keep Blocking”. ChemDoo-
dle creates a local socket to open files that are double-clicked, generating this warning. ChemDoodle never
accesses the internet unless you allow it to.

Sometimes the JRE can corrupt and you may see weird behavior when using ChemDoodle. Restart your
computer to resolve these issues.

MAC OS X

If you have updated ChemDoodle and notice that the new filetype associations aren’t being recognized in
Finder, restart your computer. The filetypes should now be recognized in Finder.

PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENTS

HARDWARE

If you see a severe lag in responsiveness in ChemDoodle, then there is likely a scarcity of system resources.
Try the following solutions.

1. Upgrade to a more powerful CPU.

2. Increase the amount of memory in the computer.

SOFTWARE

Apart from hardware upgrades, a few features in ChemDoodle can be changed to improve performance.

1. Disable the application rendering decorations in the Preferences window under the General tab in
the Decorations section.

2. Change the rendering parameters to the options that favor speed in the Preferences window under
the Advanced tab in the Document Rendering section.

3. Enable Advanced Hardware Acceleration in the Preferences window under the Advanced tab
in the Performance section. This option is disabled by default, as some users may not have graphics
cards which are compatible with this feature. But, if ChemDoodle is running slowly for you, give this
option a try.