ChemDraw Beta 21.0 Portal
I know there is a related topic, but think this is different.
I draw a molecule with absolute stereochemistry. For simple example (2R,5R)-5-chloro-2-methylpiperidine. The I decide that I drew it 'upside down' and want to flip the vertical. I do so, but then it becomes (2S,5S)-5-chloro-2-methylpiperidine, ie the enantiomer of what I had.
I can do what I want: '3d Cleanup', rotate 180 degrees, 'cleanup', but that is neither short nor intuitive. Or I can change the bonds in the new structure, but this is error prone.
Can you implement 'Flip horizontal preserve stereochemistry' (ditto vertical) please?
This may sound trivial, but it has actually caused me quite a bit of work recently making sure that I keep the same stereochemistry when altering how molecules are visualised.
The shortcut for "mirror flip" (getting the enantiomer of the structure) has been transferred to "Rotate 180°", based on the numerous complaints. Mirror flip is still accessible through the Object menu or as an icon in the object toolbar. The previously existing Rotate 180 shortcut (Ctrl+Shift+Alt+H/V) has been re-assigned to Horizontal/Vertical Distribution.
I wish I had known the difference between 'flipping' and 'rotation' earlier as well. Then I would have saved myself a lot of work in restoring the stereochemistry. Maybe the term 'flipping' could be changed into 'mirroring' or something that makes clear that the stereochemistry will be changed by using it.
cheers, much appreciated.
And to return the compliment Gareth - you may well know this already. You can add your own keyboard shortcuts in Keyboard/Shortcuts on the Mac.
Thanks a lot Gareth! Wish I'd known that 6 months ago. But then I've only been using Chemdraw since 1986 so still learning:) And yes, terminology is not clear....
This discussion made me think about those commands and I realize:
I actually did not know much about them. So thanks.
They should really be renamed to be more obvious.
See attached image.
The simplest conclusion is that "rotation" keeps the correct stereochemistry, at least on simple molecules, while "flipping" does not. Which is strange because the term "flipping" actually implies a rotation and not a mirror-image.
Also the naming of the commands is weird. "Rotate 180° vertical" is actually a 180° rotation around horizontal axis.
Hi Mike, I think you are doing (asking for) the opposite to me (I posted the related topic).
You want the shortcut for >Rotate 180° Vertical< or cmd+shift+v (on a Mac) instead of >flipping< ... that will give the result you are looking for (see picture).
Ironically, I wanted a shortcut for what you appear to be doing. Perhaps the problem is the terminology used by ChemDraw?
(apologies if I have misinterpreted your post)