User guide

Hotkeys
HotKeys are keys on your keyboard that are linked to specific atom labels. Use ChemBioDraw hotKeys to quickly
label atoms and apply atom properties. The Hotkeys.xml file in the ChemDraw Items folder contains the hotKeys pro-
vided with ChemBioDraw. You can add or change hotKeys by editing this file in a text editor.
Using hotkeys
Using hotkeys, you can add functional groups to your structures with one keystroke. For example, to add tert-butyl to
the end of a hydrocarbon chain:
1. Draw the chain.
2. Hover the cursor where you want the functional group.
3. Press ‘3’ (the hotkey for tert-butyl) on the keyboard. ‘t-Bu’ is added to the structure.
4. Select ‘t-Bu’ in the structure and go to Structure>Expand Label.
Using the Hotkeys n (nitrogen), O (oxygen), and I (iodine), you can turn ethylbenzene into pyridin-2-yl hypoiodite.
You can also label several atoms at a time. For example, you can change neopentane (figure A below) into meth-
anetetraamine (figure B):
1. Create the neopentane structure.
2. Use SHIFT-click to select all the terminal carbon atoms and press n on the keyboard.
Note: For a complete list of hotkeys, see "Shortcuts and hotkeys" on page 304.
ChemBioDraw 13.0
Chapter 3: Basic drawings 21 of 401