ChemDraw comes with an extensive set of chemical nicknames, with everything from "Boc" to "Val". This video demonstrates how to customize your own nicknames, using beta amino acids and D-amino acids as the example.
ChemBioDraw interprets standard chemical nicknames like "Et" for ethyl and "Ph" for phenyl. However, you can add to the set of nicknames for moieties that you commonly use. In both cases, the nicknames are interpreted chemically and can be shared with your colleagues, even those who do not have ChemDraw or your customized nicknames.
This video demonstrates how to draw customized nicknames, then applies that method to building two sets of useful nicknames: beta amino acids and D-amino acids. You can install the two sets of amino acids into your ChemDraw customization folder and use them immediately for synethic peptide sequences.
The ChemDraw customization folder is:
C:\ProgramData\CambridgeSoft\ChemOffice2010\ChemDraw\ChemDraw Items\Nicknames
(please modify the path for versions prior to ChemOffice2010, and for operating systems prior to Windows-7).
- Draw beta-alanine in ChemBioDraw (you can use Name-to-Structure)
- Select the beta-alanine subunit, excluding the hydroxyl on one terminus and one of the amine hydrogens on the other terminus.
- Make sure you select the bonds to act as attachment points, crossing the two bonds which will become attachment point 1 and attachment point 2.
- Select menu item Structure > Define Nickname.
- With attachment points selected correctly, the formula field should be C3H5NO2*.
- Enter "bAla" as the name of the nickname, and click OK.