Math & Science ⇒ Drawing Chemical structures with PPCHTEX package

[ChemistKatie]

Hi,

I am trying to get quite ambitious with my latex now I am getting used to the way it works! I would like to have a go at drawing chemical structures using the PPCHTEX package.

I have followed the instructions and quoted

Code: Select all

\usepackage{m-pictex}
\usepackage{m-che-en}

in my preamble but I get the error message:

Latex error: file "m-pictex.sty" not found.

How do I get this package to work? Any help would be much appreciated! Please let me know if you require more information.

Katie

[frabjous]

You need to install the packages. What LaTeX distribution are you using? (MikTeX? TeXlive? etc.) On what operating system?

[localghost]

This package is part of ConTeXt (but nevertheless can be used with LaTeX). A quite new and very sophisticated and well documented LaTeX package is chemfig.


Best regards and welcome to the board
Thorsten

[ChemistKatie]

You need to install the packages. What LaTeX distribution are you using? (MikTeX? TeXlive? etc.) On what operating system?

Before when using new packages they have been installed automatically. I am using TeXnicCentre on Windows XP.

[frabjous]

That does not tell us what LaTeX distribution you're using. TeXnicCenter is an editor, not a LaTeX distribution. If it installs on the fly, you're probably using some version of MikTeX, but which one? I'd suspect that the ConTeXt origins of the package have something to do with why it isn't being installed automatically, but I think whether or not ConTeXt packages are available through the MikTeX package manager and how might depend on what version you're using.

[ChemistKatie]

Ahhh yes, sorry I am still not used to the "lingo" of Latex. I am using MikTex 2.8

[GianlucaT]

Hi there,

I am trying to draw the molecule in attached. I am using the code:

Code: Select all

\usemodule[chemic]
\starttext
\startTEXpage
\startchemical [width=fit,height=fit]
\chemical [ONE, DB6, SB38, Z036] [C, CH_3, H_2C]
\chemical [MOV8, Z07, DB7, SB2] [C, O]      
\chemical [MOV2, Z0, SB8] [O]      
\chemical [MOV8, Z0, SB2] [C]      
\chemical [MOV2, Z0, SB1] [C]      
\chemical [MOV1, Z0137, ZT6, SB137] [N, CH_3, CH_3, CH_3, +]      
\chemical [MOV4, MOV5, Z0] [Cl^-]     
\stopchemical
\stopTEXpage
\stoptext

with TeXShop v2.37 and the ConTeXt package but the result it is not so good ...

Actually I am a newbie of LaTeX so I am not so expert, for example how can I install PPCHTEX?
I am using a Mac OsX ... do I have to install all the package of MacTeX (1.6Gb)?

Thank you very much,

Gianluca

[localghost]

In an earlier post I suggested the excellent chemfig package. To me it seems to be much easier to use.

Code: Select all

\documentclass{minimal}
\usepackage{chemfig}

\setatomsep{2em}

\begin{document}
  \chemfig{%
    H_2C=[:-30]
    (-[:-90]CH_3)
    -[:30]
    (=[:90]O)
    -[:-30]\chembelow[1.2em]{O}{\hspace{4em}Cl^-}
    -[:30]
    -[:-30]
    -\chemabove[3pt]{N}{\hspace{-20pt}+}
    (-[2]CH_3)
    (-[6]CH_3)
    -CH_3
  }
\end{document}

The package is based on pgf/tikZ.


Thorsten

[GianlucaT]

Localghost,

that's perfect but how can I add chemfig to my packages? I downloaded the package but now what do I have to do with the chemfig.sty file?


Sorry for the silly question.

Gianluca

[GianlucaT]

Solved,

sorry but I am still a newbie ...

Now, how can I draw the molecule and save it as a TIFF? I mean can I save only the image in the tiff format and not all the page?

Gianluca