This program is a chemical formula drawing software based on X11/GTK. It allows users to create chemical formulas efficiently and accurately.
Chemtool is a small yet effective software program designed for drawing chemical structures on Linux and Unix systems. It utilizes the GTK toolkit under X11 and relies on transfig by Brian Smith for postscript printing and exporting files in PicTeX and EPS formats. The software's companion program, XFig, is an additional feature recommended for enhancing output and creating 2D diagrams and schematics. Luckily, both programs are included with most Linux distributions and are also available through several websites, including www.xfig.org.
If you want to import chemtool drawings into word processing programs other than LaTeX, you'll want to add a preview bitmap to them. Neither StarOffice/OpenOffice nor that software from Redmond can display postscript inserts on screen without them. A suitable option for this purpose is using either ps2epsi, bundled with ghostscript, or epstool, which is a part of gsview.
Starting with version 1.6, Chemtool now has direct support for preview bitmap integration, utilizing the equivalent function offered by recent versions of transfig. Initially developed by Thomas Volk, a former student of chemistry and biology at the University of Ulm in Germany, the software even gained recognition in the German periodical LinuxMagazin, where Volk first introduced his vision for a plain X11.
Chemtool is equipped with a comprehensive range of bond types. You can create a single bond, a double bond (with one line being shorter than the other), a double bond (having the shorter line on the opposite side), a centered double bond, a triple bond (with the flanking lines being shorter than the center), a wedge-shaped bond, a dashed wedge-shaped bond, a wavy line, a dashed wide line, a half arrow, an arrow, a wide bond, a circle, a dotted line, a single bond that 'cuts out' a segment from any bond it crosses, a triple bond (with equal line lengths) and even a quadruple bond.
Overall, Chemtool is a great tool for drawing chemical structures on Linux and Unix systems. It's user-friendly, has direct desktop support, and is capable of producing high-quality diagrams and schematics that are well-suited for professional use.
If you want to import chemtool drawings into word processing programs other than LaTeX, you'll want to add a preview bitmap to them. Neither StarOffice/OpenOffice nor that software from Redmond can display postscript inserts on screen without them. A suitable option for this purpose is using either ps2epsi, bundled with ghostscript, or epstool, which is a part of gsview.
Starting with version 1.6, Chemtool now has direct support for preview bitmap integration, utilizing the equivalent function offered by recent versions of transfig. Initially developed by Thomas Volk, a former student of chemistry and biology at the University of Ulm in Germany, the software even gained recognition in the German periodical LinuxMagazin, where Volk first introduced his vision for a plain X11.
Chemtool is equipped with a comprehensive range of bond types. You can create a single bond, a double bond (with one line being shorter than the other), a double bond (having the shorter line on the opposite side), a centered double bond, a triple bond (with the flanking lines being shorter than the center), a wedge-shaped bond, a dashed wedge-shaped bond, a wavy line, a dashed wide line, a half arrow, an arrow, a wide bond, a circle, a dotted line, a single bond that 'cuts out' a segment from any bond it crosses, a triple bond (with equal line lengths) and even a quadruple bond.
Overall, Chemtool is a great tool for drawing chemical structures on Linux and Unix systems. It's user-friendly, has direct desktop support, and is capable of producing high-quality diagrams and schematics that are well-suited for professional use.
What's New
Version 1.6.12: N/A