Switch from ChemDraw: shortcuts, files and styles
Your hands know ChemDraw’s keys, your files are CDX and CDXML, and your journal wants ACS Document 1996. Here is how each one carries over to Athanor, including what does not yet.
39
ChemDraw shortcuts that work the same
31
more with ChemDraw classic turned on
17
that do the same thing on another key
65
not in Athanor yet
1. Turn on ChemDraw classic
Open Settings › Shortcuts and set Shortcut set to ChemDraw classic. ChemDraw’s keys then apply where Athanor’s differ (Flip, Copy as CDXML, F2 and F3 for front and back), and ChemDraw’s atom label keys work over an atom: e Et, Shift+P Ph, y Boc. Switch back any time and your own shortcuts return.
2. Open your files
Athanor opens and saves ChemDraw CDX and CDXML files as they are, so collaborators on ChemDraw never have to know. Open one with Ctrl+O. It also reads ChemDraw templates and old ISIS/Draw files.
3. Keep your journal style
Pick ACS Document 1996, or one of 21 journal styles, under Document type in Properties. Use Import a ChemDraw style sheet beside it to bring your own .cds settings, and Save document type as ChemDraw style sheet to take them back.
What does not carry over yet
- ChemDraw’s hover sprouts on the number keys (methyl, carbonyl, phenyl, cyclohexyl and the rest) and a few fused rings, such as the chair cyclohexane on 9.
- Several tool keys, such as the acyclic chain tool on Shift+X and the TLC plate tool on G. The tools exist; the keys do not.
- Save as a key: Athanor saves as you work, so there is no save command to need one.
The full list is in the table below, filtered to “Not yet”.
Every ChemDraw shortcut, side by side
Atom (hover)
| ChemDraw | Does | In Athanor | With ChemDraw classic on | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shift+a | Label Ac | Enter over the atom, type the label | Same key: hover + Shift+a sets Ac | Not yet |
| b | Label Br | Hover + b sets B | Same key: hover + b sets Br | Different |
| Shift+b | Label B | Enter over the atom, type the label | Same key: hover + Shift+b sets B | Not yet |
| c | Label C | Hover + c sets C | Same | |
| Shift+c | Label Cl | Enter over the atom, type the label | Same key: hover + Shift+c sets Cl | Not yet |
| d | Label D | Enter over the atom, type the label | Same key: hover + d sets D | Not yet |
| e | Label Et | Enter over the atom, type the label | Same key: hover + e sets Et | Not yet |
| Shift+e | Label CO2Me | Enter over the atom, type the label | Same key: hover + Shift+e sets CO2Me | Not yet |
| f | Label F | Hover + f sets F | Same | |
| Shift+f | Label CF3 | Enter over the atom, type the label | Same key: hover + Shift+f sets CF3 | Not yet |
| h | Label H | Hover + h sets H | Same | |
| Shift+h | Label Cbz | Enter over the atom, type the label | Same key: hover + Shift+h sets Cbz | Not yet |
| i | Label I | Hover + i sets I | Same | |
| l | Label Cl | Enter over the atom, type the label | Same key: hover + l sets Cl | Not yet |
| Shift+l | Label Li | Enter over the atom, type the label | Same key: hover + Shift+l sets Li | Not yet |
| m | Label Me | Enter over the atom, type the label | Same key: hover + m sets Me | Not yet |
| Shift+m | Label MgBr | Enter over the atom, type the label | Same key: hover + Shift+m sets MgBr | Not yet |
| n | Label N | Hover + n sets N | Same | |
| w | Label N | Enter over the atom, type the label | Same key: hover + w sets N | Not yet |
| Shift+n | Label NO2 | Enter over the atom, type the label | Same key: hover + Shift+n sets NO2 | Not yet |
| o | Label O | Hover + o sets O | Same | |
| Shift+o | Label OMe | Enter over the atom, type the label | Same key: hover + Shift+o sets OMe | Not yet |
| q | Label O | Enter over the atom, type the label | Same key: hover + q sets O | Not yet |
| Shift+q | Label Fmoc | Enter over the atom, type the label | Same key: hover + Shift+q sets Fmoc | Not yet |
| p | Label P | Hover + p sets P | Same | |
| Shift+p | Label Ph | Enter over the atom, type the label | Same key: hover + Shift+p sets Ph | Not yet |
| r | Label R | Enter over the atom, type the label | Same key: hover + r sets R | Not yet |
| s | Label S | Hover + s sets S | Same | |
| Shift+s | Label Si | Enter over the atom, type the label | Same key: hover + Shift+s sets Si | Not yet |
| x | Label X | Enter over the atom, type the label | Same key: hover + x sets X | Not yet |
| y | Label Boc | Enter over the atom, type the label | Same key: hover + y sets Boc | Not yet |
| Shift+z | Label N3 | Enter over the atom, type the label | Same key: hover + Shift+z sets N3 | Not yet |
| ! | Label ? | Enter over the atom, type the label | Not yet | |
| > | Sprout ? | Not yet | ||
| 0 | Sprout methyl (cyclic mode) | Not yet | ||
| 1 | Sprout methyl, linear | Hover + 1 grows a single bond | Different | |
| 2 | Sprout carbonyl / acetyl | Hover + 2 grows a double bond | Different | |
| 3 | Sprout phenyl | Hover + 3 grows a triple bond | Different | |
| a | Sprout phenyl | Hover + a attaches benzene | Same | |
| 4 | Sprout wedge + methyl | Not yet | ||
| 5 | Sprout hashed wedge + methyl | Not yet | ||
| 6 | Sprout cyclohexyl | Not yet | ||
| 7 | Sprout ethynyl | Not yet | ||
| 8 | Sprout methylidene | Not yet | ||
| 9 | Sprout gem-dimethyl | Not yet | ||
| z | Sprout cyclopentadienyl? | Not yet | ||
| v | Sprout cyclopropyl | Not yet | ||
| u | Sprout cyclobutyl | Not yet | ||
| Shift+k | Sprout t-Bu at 90 degrees | Not yet | ||
| . | Attachment point | Not yet | ||
| k | Sprout sulfonyl | Not yet | ||
| j | Sprout benzene ring | Not yet | ||
| Shift+j | Sprout cyclopentadiene ring | Not yet | ||
| ' | Atom number | Not yet | ||
| - | Charge - | Hover + - | Same | |
| + | Charge + | Hover + + | Same | |
| g | Select the hotspot | Click | Different |
Bond (hover)
| ChemDraw | Does | In Athanor | With ChemDraw classic on | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| f | Displays the bond in the front | Hover + f reverses the bond (ChemDraw: bond to front) | Different | |
| l | Align Double Bonds to the Left | Hover + l: double bond left | Same | |
| r | Align Double Bonds to the Right | Hover + r: double bond right | Same | |
| c | Align Double Bonds Centered | Hover + c: double bond centered | Same | |
| 1 | Set Bond to Single | Hover + 1: single | Same | |
| 2 | Set Bond to Double | Hover + 2: double | Same | |
| 3 | Set Bond to Triple | Hover + 3: triple | Same | |
| v | Fuse 3 membered ring | Not yet | ||
| 4 | Fuse 4 membered ring | Hover + 4: fuse 4-ring | Same | |
| 5 | Fuse 5 membered ring | Hover + 5: fuse 5-ring | Same | |
| 6 | Fuse 6 membered ring | Hover + 6: fuse 6-ring | Same | |
| 7 | Fuse 7 membered ring | Hover + 7: fuse 7-ring | Same | |
| 8 | Fuse 8 membered ring | Hover + 8: fuse 8-ring | Same | |
| 9 | Fuse chair cyclohexane | Not yet | ||
| 0 | Fuse chair cyclohexane | Not yet | ||
| a | Fuse benzene | Hover + a: fuse benzene | Same | |
| z | Fuse cyclopentadiene | Not yet | ||
| d | Display a Bond as Dashed | Hover + d: dashed | Same | |
| Shift+d | Display a Bond as DoubleDashed | Not yet | ||
| Shift+h | Display a Bond as Hashed | Not yet | ||
| h | Display a Bond as HashWedged | Hover + h: hash | Same | |
| Shift+w | Display a Bond as HashWedged | Not yet | ||
| Shift+b | Display a Bond as Bold | Not yet | ||
| b | Display a Bond as Bold | Hover + b: bold | Same | |
| w | Display a Bond as Wedged | Hover + w: wedge | Same | |
| y | Display a Bond as Wavy | Hover + y: wavy | Same | |
| g | Selects the bond with the hotspot | Not yet |
Tool (no hotspot)
| ChemDraw | Does | In Athanor | With ChemDraw classic on | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| j | Activates the benzene draw tool | J selects the benzene ring tool | Same | |
| Shift+j | Activates the cyclopentadiene draw tool | Not yet | ||
| x | Activates the bond draw tool | D selects the bond tool | Different | |
| Shift+x | Activates the acyclic chain tool | Not yet | ||
| e | Activates the arrow draw tool | W selects the arrow tool | Different | |
| Shift+e | Activates the drawing elements tool | Not yet | ||
| t | Activates the text tool | T selects the text tool | Same | |
| Shift+t | Activates the bracket tool | Not yet | ||
| g | Activates the TLC plate tool | Not yet | ||
| Shift+g | Activates the orbitals tool | Not yet | ||
| Space | Activates the Marquee Tool | M selects the marquee | Different | |
| = | Display a dialog to choose a Nickname | Not yet | ||
| / | Displays the Properties Dialog | Not yet | ||
| ? | Displays the Properties Dialog | Not yet |
File menu
| ChemDraw | Does | In Athanor | With ChemDraw classic on | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ctrl+N | New document | file.new Mod+N | Same | |
| Ctrl+O | Open | file.open Mod+O | Same | |
| Ctrl+S / Shift+Ctrl+S | Save / Save as | Autosave; no save command | Different | |
| Ctrl+P | Share > Export > PDF | Not yet | ||
| Ctrl+W | Close document | tabs.close | Unconfirmed |
Edit menu
| ChemDraw | Does | In Athanor | With ChemDraw classic on | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ctrl+X / C / V / A | Cut, Copy, Paste, Select all | same keys | Same | |
| Ctrl+Z / Shift+Ctrl+Z | Undo / Redo | same keys | Same | |
| Ctrl+Y | Repeat last command | Not yet | ||
| Ctrl+D | Copy as CDXML | chem.copyCdxml (no key; Mod+D is Duplicate) | Same key: Ctrl+D | Different |
| Alt+Ctrl+C | Copy as SMILES | chem.copySmiles Alt+Mod+C | Same | |
| Alt+Ctrl+O | Copy as MOL text | chem.copyMolfile (no key) | Same key: Alt+Ctrl+O | Not yet |
| Alt+Ctrl+P | Paste as SMILES | chem.pasteSmiles (no key) | Same key: Alt+Ctrl+P | Not yet |
Object menu
| ChemDraw | Does | In Athanor | With ChemDraw classic on | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ctrl+G / Shift+Ctrl+G | Group / Ungroup | select.group / ungroup, same keys | Same | |
| Ctrl+J | Join | Not yet | ||
| F2 / F3 | Bring to front / Send to back | ] / [ | Different | |
| Shift+Ctrl+H | Flip horizontal | select.flipH (no key) | Same key: Ctrl+Shift+H | Different |
| Shift+Ctrl+V | Flip vertical | select.flipV (no key; Mod+Shift+V is Paste in place) | Same key: Ctrl+Shift+V | Different |
| Alt+arrows | Rotate 15 / 1 degrees | check | Unconfirmed | |
| Ctrl+R / Ctrl+K | Rotate... / Scale... dialogs | Not yet | ||
| Alt+Shift+Ctrl+L/C/R/T/M/B, H/V | Align and distribute | same keys | Same |
Structure menu
| ChemDraw | Does | In Athanor | With ChemDraw classic on | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shift+Ctrl+K | Clean up structure | chem.cleanUp, same key | Same | |
| Shift+Ctrl+N | Convert name to structure | Quick insert (/) takes names | Different | |
| Alt+Ctrl+N | Convert structure to name | chem.toName, same key | Same | |
| Alt+K | Toggle aromatic display | view.aromaticCircles (no key) | Same key: Alt+K | Different |
| Alt+D | Structure perspective | structure.tilt (no key) | Same key: Alt+D | Different |
ChemDraw’s side is read from ChemDraw 26.0 hotkeys.xml and User Guide, not by pressing keys; two rows still need a press in ChemDraw to confirm and are marked Unconfirmed.