Athanor by arbastro
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How to turn a name or SMILES in text into a structure

Select the text block and press Ctrl+Shift+N (Convert text to a structure). It reads SMILES, or a name the library knows, and draws the structure in place of the text.

On a Mac, Ctrl is Cmd.

Steps

  1. Select a text block that holds a compound's name or a SMILES string, for example "ibuprofen". Click it with Select (V), or click it in Layers.

    A text block reading ibuprofen, selected on the canvas.A text block reading ibuprofen, selected on the canvas.

  2. Press Ctrl+Shift+N, or press Ctrl+K and choose Convert text to a structure.

  3. The text is replaced by the structure, named in Layers.

    The same place after converting: ibuprofen drawn as a structure, listed in Layers as Ibuprofen, C13H18O2.The same place after converting: ibuprofen drawn as a structure, listed in Layers as Ibuprofen, C13H18O2.

Ctrl+Z brings the text back.

What it reads

  • SMILES, such as CC(C)Cc1ccc(cc1)C(C)C(=O)O.
  • A name the library knows, such as a common or trade name. A name the library does not know is not converted.

It works on text you typed, pasted, or brought in from a Word document, which makes it a quick way to turn a list of names into drawings.

Note

Ibuprofen has one stereocenter that the name does not define, so Athanor marks it with a warning. See choose undefined stereocenters.

Files and formatsHow to bring in a Word documentOpen a .docx file with Open, or drag it onto the window. Its text comes in as text you can edit, each ChemDraw drawing embedded in it as a structure you can edit, and its pictures and tables too, in one group named after the file.

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Last updated Nov 12, 2026