Chemistry Typing

Type chemistry the way you say it — H2SO4, SO4^2-, 2H2 + O2 -> 2H2O, <=> — and it is formatted as you type. Copy into Microsoft Word with real subscripts and superscripts, download a .docx, or save drafts in this browser.

1Type plain text2See it formatted3Copy to Word

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Formatted select and copy, or use the buttons

Fix zero/O and small letters (h20 → H₂O)

Structures & compound library SMILES · PubChem · 2D drawings

Type a name and press Look up: the record comes from PubChem (the US National Library of Medicine's open database) — IUPAC name, formula, molar mass, SMILES and the 2D structure. Or paste any SMILES to draw it. In the document, {{SMILES | caption}} places a structure anywhere.

How to type chemistry here cheat sheet

H2SO4, Ca(OH)2, Fe2(SO4)3

H₂SO₄, Ca(OH)₂, Fe₂(SO₄)₃

Numbers after an element or a bracket become subscripts on their own.

SO4^2-, NH4^+, Fe^3+, e^-

SO₄²⁻, NH₄⁺, Fe³⁺, e⁻

^ lifts a charge or power; the minus becomes a proper minus sign.

^{14}C, ^{235}U, _{92}^{238}U

¹⁴C, ²³⁵U, ₉₂²³⁸U

Braces hold anything longer than one character: isotopes, mass and atomic numbers.

-> <- <=> =>

→ ← ⇌ ⟶

Reaction arrows. Put a condition on the arrow with ->[heat] or ->[Pt, 500 K].

(s) (l) (g) (aq)

(s) (l) (g) (aq)

States are left as they are, so 2H2O(l) reads 2H₂O(l).

alpha beta gamma delta Delta pi lambda mu nu

α β γ δ Δ π λ μ ν

Greek letters by name. deg gives °, x between numbers gives ×, +- gives ±.

K_a, v_max, x^2, 10^-3

K_a, v_max, x², 10⁻³

_ is a subscript, ^ a superscript, for maths as well.

\H2O

H2O

A backslash in front leaves a word exactly as typed.

{{c1ccccc1 | benzene}}

a drawn ring

A SMILES string in double braces becomes a 2D structure drawing, with an optional caption after the bar. Drawings go into Word and the .docx as pictures.

{{aspirin}}

looked up

A plain name in double braces is fetched from PubChem when you press Look up in the library panel; the SMILES is then filled in for you.

Copy for WordPuts the formatted text on the clipboard. In Word press Ctrl+V — subscripts, superscripts and arrows arrive as real Word formatting, in the font chosen above.

Download .docxA Word file you can open, edit and print like any other; structure drawings are embedded as pictures.

On a phoneCopy as Unicode text works in every app: H₂SO₄ uses Unicode small digits, which WhatsApp and email show correctly.

Save draftKeeps your work in this browser only; nothing is uploaded. Drafts appear as chips under the editor.

More chemistry on 4AB: the Periodic Table, the Calculator (molar mass, equation balancer), the Symmetry Lab, the Crystal Lab and the Question Bank.

' + toHtml(IN.value) + ''); w.document.close(); w.focus(); setTimeout(function () { w.print(); }, 300); }); /* ---- drafts in this browser ---- */ function drafts() { try { return JSON.parse(localStorage.getItem('ct.drafts') || '[]'); } catch (e) { return []; } } function listDrafts() { var box = document.getElementById('ctSaved'), d = drafts(); box.innerHTML = d.length ? '' : 'No saved drafts yet — they stay in this browser only.'; d.forEach(function (x, i) { var b = document.createElement('button'); b.type = 'button'; b.innerHTML = esc(x.name) + '×'; b.addEventListener('click', function (e) { if (e.target.tagName === 'I') { if (confirm('Delete "' + x.name + '"?')) { d.splice(i, 1); localStorage.setItem('ct.drafts', JSON.stringify(d)); listDrafts(); } return; } IN.value = x.text; render(); say('Opened "' + x.name + '".'); }); box.appendChild(b); }); } document.getElementById('ctSave').addEventListener('click', function () { if (!IN.value.trim()) { say('Nothing to save yet.'); return; } var name = prompt('Name this draft:', fileName()); if (!name) return; var d = drafts().filter(function (x) { return x.name !== name; }); d.unshift({ name: name, text: IN.value, at: Date.now() }); try { localStorage.setItem('ct.drafts', JSON.stringify(d.slice(0, 40))); listDrafts(); say('Saved in this browser.'); } catch (e) { say('Could not save (browser storage is off).'); } }); document.getElementById('ctNew').addEventListener('click', function () { IN.value = ''; render(); IN.focus(); }); document.getElementById('ctClear').addEventListener('click', function () { if (!IN.value || confirm('Clear the text?')) { IN.value = ''; render(); } }); try { var cur = localStorage.getItem('ct.current'); if (cur) IN.value = cur; } catch (e) {} if (!IN.value) IN.value = '2H2 + O2 -> 2H2O\nCaCO3(s) ->[heat] CaO(s) + CO2(g)\nN2(g) + 3H2(g) <=> 2NH3(g) Delta H = -92 kJ/mol\nFe^3+ + e^- -> Fe^2+\n^{238}U -> ^{234}Th + ^{4}He\nK_a = [H^+][A^-]/[HA]'; render(); listDrafts(); })();