WHAT IS Chime?

The Chime plug-in was developed by MDL Information Systems, Inc. It displays 2D and 3D molecules directly within a web page and works with both Netscape and Microsoft browsers. The molecules in the web page are "live," meaning they are not just pictures, but chemical structures that can be rotated, reformatted, and saved in various file formats for use in modeling or database software.

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HOW TO OBTAIN Chime.

Chime can be downloaded from MDL's web site.

    1. To install the PC windows version, double click on the ch203w32.exe installer program. It is a self-extracting program. This version runs under Windows 95, Windows 98 and Windows NT.
    2. To install the MAC version*, double-click on the Chime_2.0a_Installer.hqx program. It is a BinHex’ed, self-extracting archive for the PowerMac.

*NOTE TO MAC USERS: To download Chime correctly from the internet, you need to have either "Stuffit" or "Binhex" on your Macintosh. These are free software programs and are available on the ACN (Academic Computing Network) Macintosh network or from Aladdin Systems. If you have any questions about this, please see R. Frey.

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INSTRUCTIONS TO USE Chime:

Support and Tutorials for Chime can be found at MDL's Chime Support web site.

  1. Basic Instructions (using the menus):
    1. After the molecule opens in the browser, clicking the right mouse button (Windows) will bring up the Chime menu. On a Macintosh, press and hold the mouse button down to bring up the menu.
    2. To manually rotate the molecule. Press and hold the left mouse button on the molecule. Dragging the cursor across the screen will cause the molecule to rotate.
    3. To change to different representations (i.e., CPK, stick, ribbon, etc.): Display
    4. Below is a Mouse Control Summary
      5. Action Windows Macintosh
      MENU Right Hold Down
      Rotate X,Y Left Unmodified
      Translate X,Y Ctrl-Right# Command*
      Rotate Z Shift-Right Shift-Command*
      Zoom Shift-Left Shift
      Slab Plane Ctrl-Left Ctrl
      *On some Macs, the Option (Alt) key has the same effect on RasMol as the Command key.
      #Simply Right in RasWin. This is the only mouse control which differs between Chime and RasWin.
    5. Color Representation of Atoms
      6. Carbon: gray
      Hydrogen: white
      Oxygen: red
      Nitrogen: blue
      Sulfur: yellow
      Iron: orange
  • Advanced Chime Usage:

    • The following links provide more detailed instructions on the use of Chime.