Mechanism 101
Follow the arrows. Predict the product/s.
Identify the step
Choose the mechanism before drawing its product/s.
Draw the Main Product
Draw only the main product from scratch, including its formal charges. Other species appear automatically once it is correct.
Click two atoms to connect them, or drag from an atom to empty space. Click a bond to change its order. Carbon hydrogens are implicit; heteroatom hydrogens and lone pairs appear automatically.
Drawing help and shortcuts
Use C, O, N or H to select an atom tool; 1, 2 or 3 to select a bond. Click an existing atom to replace it. With a bond tool, click once to start and again to extend, or drag to draw a bond. Use + or −, then click an atom to change its charge. The eraser removes atoms, bonds or charges as you click or drag across them. Undo restores a whole erase stroke. Delete selects the eraser. Escape cancels a bond. Undo: Ctrl/⌘ Z; redo: Ctrl/⌘ Shift Z. With Move, drag an atom or Shift-drag to move its connected product. Separate products go in separate areas; a plus sign is added automatically.
Keyboard drawing: focus the canvas, move the cursor with the arrow keys, and press Enter or Space to use the current tool. Tab to an atom or bond and use Enter to select or edit it. Drawing position and orientation do not affect marking.