Lone pairs, radicals and charges
Short answer: Pick the lone pair tool and click an atom to add a pair of dots. Use the radical tool for one dot. Charge tools add plus and minus marks you can drag around the atom.
- Click the Lone pair tool in the left rail.
- Click an atom. A pair of dots appears.
- Drag the dots around the atom to a free side.
- For a radical, open the small arrow and pick the radical tool.
Charges#
Use + and − in the rail. Click again for +2 or −2. The rail also has circled charges and δ+ and δ−.
When to show lone pairs#
Show lone pairs when you draw mechanisms. A curved arrow should start at a lone pair or a bond. Oxygen in water has two pairs. Nitrogen in ammonia has one.
Tip
Check that charges match electrons. Oxygen with three bonds and one lone pair is +1.
Questions and answers
How do I add a lone pair in MolDraw?
Pick the Lone pair tool in the left rail and click the atom. Drag the dots to move them.
How do I add a radical?
Open the small arrow under the lone pair tool, pick the radical, and click the atom.