ChemDraw 18.1 User Guide - Getting Started and Key Features

Nov 4, 2026

Uploaded by sagouaw

ChemDraw 18.1 User Guide provides structured instructions for creating and managing chemical drawings, from interface fundamentals and page layout to preferences, hotkeys, and core drawing workflows. It covers advanced techniques such as reactions, labeling, stereochemistry, atom numbering, templates, ChemScript automation, query structures, and information sharing through clipboard, export/import, and cross-platform transfer. It also addresses specialized modules including BioDraw, ChemDraw/Excel, CombiChem, add-ins, and web resources like SciFinder and Reaxys.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryTechnology

FormatPDF

Pages414

Reading Time17 h 23 min

AccessFree to download

Recent Additions

Querying Reaxys with ChemDraw

Atom Hotkey updates

Selecting Structures

Accessing remote add-ins

Chapter 1: Introduction

About this Guide

Chapter 2: Getting Started

About ChemDraw Tutorials

ChemDraw User Interface

Documents

Chapter 3: Page Layout

The Drawing Area

The Document Type

Printing

Chapter 4: Preferences and Settings

Setting Preferences

Customizing Toolbars

Document and Object Settings

Customizing Hotkeys

Working with Color

Chapter 5: Shortcuts and Hotkeys

Atom Hotkeys

Bond Hotkeys

Generic Hotkeys

Modified Hotkeys

Nicknames

Chapter 6: Basic Drawings

Bonds

Atoms

Captions

Drawing Rings

Chains

Objects

Clean Up Structure

Checking Structures

Chemical Warnings

Chapter 7: BioDraw (Professional Level only)

BioDraw Templates

Customizable Objects

Chapter 8: Drawing Monomer Sequences

Drawing Amino Acid Sequences

Drawing RNA Sequences

Replacing Monomers

HELM string operations

Monomer Editors

Chapter 9: Advanced Drawing Techniques

Coloring Objects

Labels

Attachment Points

Atom Numbering

Structure Perspective

Mass Fragmentation

Drawing Reactions

Stoichiometry Grid

Templates and Nicknames

ChemScript

Chapter 10: Struct=Name (Professional Level)

Name">Struct>Name

Struct">Name>Struct

Adding Structures to a Dictionary

Chapter 11: Chemistry Features

Structure Analysis

Stereochemistry

Chemical Properties

Chemical Annotations

3D Viewing

TLC

ChemNMR (Professional Level)

Chapter 12: ChemDraw/Excel and CombiChem

Setting Up ChemDraw/Excel

Importing and Exporting tables

Synchronizing Tables

Searching and R-group analysis

Chapter 13: ChemScript

Why use ChemScript?

How ChemScript works

Editing Scripts

ChemScript API

Chapter 14: Query Structures

Search Limitations

Atom and Bond Properties

Element Lists

Polymers and Alternative Groups

Expand Generic Structures

Chapter 15: Sharing Information

The Clipboard

Exporting and Importing

Understanding ChemDraw Cloud

Chapter 16: Chemical Interpretation

Database Conventions

Chapter 17: Property Calculations

Chapter 18: ChemDraw Add-ins

Add-in Manager

Creating a ChemDraw Add-in

Remote Add-ins

Chapter 19: ChemDraw Web Resources

Registering Online

User’s Guide and Technical Support

Querying SciFinder and Reaxys

Chapter 20: Tutorials

Drawing a Structure

Drawing rings

Fischer projections

Perspective Drawings

Newman projections

Stereochemistry

Templates

ChemDraw 18.1 User Guide ChemDraw 18.1 Table of Contents Recent Additions vii Chapter 1: Introduction 1 About this Guide 1 Chapter 2: Getting Started 4 About ChemDraw Tutorials 4 ChemDraw User Interface 4 Toolbars 5 Documents 6 Chapter 3: Page Layout 15 The Drawing Area 15 The Document Type 15 Printing 17 Saving Page Setup Settings 18 35mm Slide Boundary Guides 18 Viewing Drawings 19 Tables 21 Chapter 4: Preferences and Settings 25 Setting Preferences 25 Customizing Toolbars 31 Document and Object Settings 32 Customizing Hotkeys 42 Working with Color 45 Document Settings 48 Chapter 5: Shortcuts and Hotkeys 54 Atom Hotkeys 54 Bond Hotkeys 57 Generic Hotkeys (tool switching hotkeys) 58 © Copyright 1998-2019 PerkinElmer Informatics, Inc. All rights reserved. i ChemDraw 18.1 Modified Hotkeys 59 Drawing Reactions Using Hotkeys 60 Shortcuts 61 Nicknames 65 Chapter 6: Basic Drawings 67 Bonds 67 Atoms 72 Captions 73 Drawing Rings 82 Chains 86 Objects 87 Clean Up Structure 105 Checking Structures 107 Chemical Warnings 107 Chapter 7: BioDraw (Professional Level only) 110 BioDraw Templates 110 Customizable Objects 113 Chapter 8: Drawing Monomer Sequences 119 Drawing Amino Acid Sequences 122 Drawing RNA Sequences 130 Replacing Monomers 132 Copying Sequence(s) as HELM String 132 Pasting HELM Strings 133 Copying a Sequence as HELM (Natural Analog) 134 Nonlinear Sequences (Multi-line Sequences) 136 Basic Sequence Operations 137 Monomer Editors 144 ChemDraw Shared Monomers 149 © Copyright 1998-2019 PerkinElmer Informatics, Inc. All rights reserved. ii ChemDraw 18.1 Chapter 9: Advanced Drawing Techniques 157 Coloring Objects 157 Labels 158 Attachment Points 161 Atom Numbering 163 Structure Perspective 165 Mass Fragmentation 165 Drawing Reactions 168 Stoichiometry Grid 174 Templates 177 Defining Nicknames 179 ChemScript 182 Chapter 10: Struct=Name (Professional Level) 184 Struct>Name 184 Name>Struct 190 Adding Structures to a Dictionary 193 Dictionary of FDA Approved Drugs 193 Chapter 11: Chemistry Features 194 Structure Analysis 194 Stereochemistry 195 Chemical Properties 199 Chemical Annotations 206 3D Viewing 210 TLC 213 ChemNMR (Professional Level) 218 Chapter 12: ChemDraw/Excel and CombiChem 226 Setting Up ChemDraw/Excel 226 Importing tables 226 © Copyright 1998-2019 PerkinElmer Informatics, Inc. All rights reserved. iii ChemDraw 18.1 Importing hit lists 227 Exporting tables 227 Synchronizing Tables 228 Adding structures 229 Searching 230 R-Group analysis 231 Working with Structures 232 ChemDraw/Excel Functions 234 Chemical Properties 248 General Preferences 256 CombiChem 258 Chapter 13: ChemScript 266 Why use ChemScript? 266 How ChemScript works 267 Getting Started 267 Editing Scripts 268 Introducing the ChemScript API 269 Tutorials 270 Useful References 273 Chapter 14: Query Structures 275 Search Limitations 275 Generic Labels 275 Atom Properties 278 Bond Properties 286 Element Lists 289 Polymers 290 Alternative Groups 295 Anonymous Alternative Groups 302 © Copyright 1998-2019 PerkinElmer Informatics, Inc. All rights reserved. iv ChemDraw 18.1 Expand Generic Structures 303 Atom-to-Atom Mapping 305 Stereochemical Symbols 308 3D Properties 309 Export Compatibility 310 Chapter 15: Sharing Information 315 The Clipboard 315 Transferring Objects 318 Embedding Objects 319 Exporting 320 Importing 321 Transferring Across Platforms 325 Understanding ChemDraw Cloud 325 Chapter 16: Chemical Interpretation 337 Database Conventions 337 Chapter 17: Property Calculations 350 Chapter 18: ChemDraw Add-ins 353 Add-in Manager 353 ChemACX.com Structure from

FAQs

What does ChemDraw 18.1 cover for getting started with chemical drawing?

It introduces the ChemDraw user interface, document handling, and page layout, then explains how to set preferences for drawing and printing. It also provides guidance on core drawing workflows and foundational objects like atoms, bonds, and labels.

How can I customize ChemDraw using hotkeys and tool settings?

The guide explains how to set preferences, customize toolbars, and customize hotkeys. It also describes shortcut categories such as atom hotkeys, bond hotkeys, and generic tool-switching hotkeys.

How does ChemDraw support automation and advanced features beyond basic drawing?

ChemScript is covered for creating and editing scripts, and the guide includes features such as query structures, chemical interpretation, property calculations, and specialized modules like BioDraw, ChemDraw/Excel, CombiChem, and add-ins.

Nov 4, 2026

Uploaded by sagouaw