--- title: "Finding the point group Template – Chemistry Diagram | MolDraw" url: https://www.moldraw.com/templates/library-point-group-flowchart/ description: "Finding the point group template: Decision flowchart from \"linear?\" to the point group, with a table of point groups, their symmetry elements and examples.…" lang: en publisher: Scidart Academy generated: 2026-11-13 --- [MolDraw](https://www.moldraw.com/) › [Templates](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/) › [Symmetry](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/symmetry/) › Finding the point group [Symmetry](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/symmetry/)Premium # Finding the point group template ![Finding the point group template: Decision flowchart from "linear?" to the point group, with a table of point groups, their symmetry elements and examples.](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/library-point-group-flowchart.webp) [Edit in MolDraw](https://www.moldraw.com/)Download with Pro Premium template. Preview and edit it free in MolDraw; downloading and exporting it is part of [MolDraw Pro](https://www.moldraw.com/pricing). Decision flowchart from "linear?" to the point group, with a table of point groups, their symmetry elements and examples. ## What the template shows - Answer each question for the molecule in 3D; "yes" goes right or left, "no" goes down - Linear molecule? - Inversion centre i? - HCN, HCl - Two or more Cn with n ≥ 3? - Any proper axis Cn? - Mirror plane σ? - HOCl, CH₂ClBr - meso anti conformer - Take the highest-order Cn as the principal axis - Horizontal plane σh? - n dihedral planes σd? - allene, staggered ethane - B(OH)₃, trans-ClCH=CHCl - n vertical planes σv? - S₂n axis along Cn? - tetramethyl-COT (S₄) - Common point groups - Point group Symmetry elements Examples C1 E CHFClBr Cs E, σ HOCl, SOCl₂ Ci E, i meso-CHClBr–CHClBr (anti) C2 E, C₂ H₂O₂ C2v E, C₂, 2σv H₂O, SF₄, CH₂Cl₂ C3v E, 2C₃, 3σv NH₃, CHCl₃ C4v E, 2C₄, C₂, 2σv, 2σd BrF₅ C∞v E, C∞, ∞σv HCN, CO C2h E, C₂, i, σh trans-ClCH=CHCl C3h E, C₃, σh, S₃ B(OH)₃ D3 E, 2C₃, 3C₂ [Co(en)₃]³⁺ D2h E, 3C₂, i, 3σ ethene, naphthalene D3h E, 2C₃, 3C₂, σh, 2S₃, 3σv BF₃, PCl₅ D4h E, C₄, 4C₂, i, σh, 2σv, 2σd, S₄ XeF₄, [PtCl₄]²⁻ D6h E, C₆, 6C₂, i, σh, 3σv, 3σd … benzene D∞h E, C∞, ∞C₂, i, σh, ∞σv CO₂, H₂ D2d E, 2S₄, C₂, 2C₂′, 2σd allene D3d E, 2C₃, 3C₂, i, 2S₆, 3σd staggered ethane S4 E, S₄, C₂, S₄³ 1,3,5,7-tetramethyl-COT Td E, 8C₃, 3C₂, 6S₄, 6σd CH₄, P₄, adamantane Oh E, 8C₃, 6C₂, 6C₄, 3C₂, i, 6S₄, 8S₆, 3σh, 6σd SF₆, cubane Ih 120 operations: 6C₅, 10C₃, 15C₂, i … C₆₀, [B₁₂H₁₂]²⁻ - Principal axis: the Cn with the highest n. n in Dnh, Cnv … is its order. - Td, Oh, Ih: check for 4 C₃ axes (tetrahedron, octahedron/cube) or 6 C₅ axes (icosahedron); T, Th, O, I are rarer. Drawn with 105 shapes – every one editable in MolDraw. ## Sources - [Housecroft & Sharpe, Inorganic Chemistry, 5th ed., Pearson 2018, ch. 3](https://openlibrary.org/isbn/9781292134147) Textbook - [Atkins, de Paula & Keeler, Atkins' Physical Chemistry, 11th ed., OUP 2018](https://openlibrary.org/isbn/9780198769866) Textbook ## How to use this template 1. Press **Edit in MolDraw**. The template opens on the canvas of the free MolDraw editor. 2. Change anything: move structures, edit atoms and labels, recolour highlights or delete what you do not need. 3. Add your own structures, arrows and text next to it, or combine several templates on one page. 4. Export the drawing as PNG, SVG or PDF for slides, worksheets, theses and papers. ## Frequently asked questions ### Is the Finding the point group template free? You can preview the Finding the point group template here and open and edit it in MolDraw for free. Downloading or exporting it is part of MolDraw Pro, together with the other premium templates. ### Can I edit the Finding the point group template? Yes. It opens as an ordinary MolDraw drawing, so every structure, arrow, label and colour can be changed, and you can add your own content around it. ### Is the chemistry checked? Every structure is checked with RDKit and every curly arrow passes MolDraw’s electron-flow audit. The sources used are listed on this page. ### Which point groups are covered? C1, Cs, Ci, Cn, Cnv, Cnh, Dn, Dnh, Dnd, S2n, Td and Oh, each with an example molecule drawn to show its 3D shape. ## More symmetry templates [**Point groups by example**Free · Symmetry](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/library-point-groups/)[**Symmetry elements and operations**Free · Symmetry](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/library-symmetry-elements/)[**What symmetry tells you**Free · Symmetry](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/library-symmetry-consequences/) ## Related pages [**All Symmetry templates**4 templates](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/symmetry/)[**All chemistry templates**421 templates in 31 categories](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/) MolDraw Pro Download all 421 templates - Export the 335 premium templates as PNG, SVG or PDF - AI chemistry assistant - Structure scanning from images - Cloud save and teaching slides [See Pro plans](https://www.moldraw.com/pricing) Free templates stay free. Every template can be opened and edited in MolDraw.