Displaying bond as perpendicular to each other

Trying to draw say 2,2-dimethylbutane with all the hydrogen atoms explicitly defined, the C--H bonds by default diversify so that they aren't in a regular linear arrangement. What I would like to be able to do is draw

...well...that to be honest. (I just got the above displayed formula off Google Images, but it's not a very high quality image and I need to send my series of structures in an electronic editable file format.) Any straightforward solution would be much appreciated.

Hi,

you can import the name in MarvinSketch if you paste or drag the name to the canvas, or if it is in a file you can also open the file. After importing the structure you will not see the explicit hydrogens, but you can use Structure>Add>Explicit hydrogens menu to add the explicit hydrogens to the structure.

After adding the hydrogens you can edit the placement, and you can use OLE to place it in a word document in an editable manner, or you can also save it into various formats from MarvinSketch.

To make the bonds perpendicular to each other, you can use the rotation tools. After you have selected the bond you should activate the Edit>Transformation>Rotate in 2D menu point,  to rotate the bond with 15 degree units.

I hope that helps.

Best regards,
Istvan

I have the same problem. The problem with the rotation tool is that I can't get the bonds into a perpendicular position with the 15° units, they're always off by 5 or 10 ° and then if I simply want to drag the hydrogen into the right position the bond length changes and it's incredibly difficult to get the hydrogen where I want it.

I have the same problem. The problem with the rotation tool is that I can't get the bonds into a perpendicular position with the 15° units, they're always off by 5 or 10 ° and then if I simply want to drag the hydrogen into the right position the bond length changes and it's incredibly difficult to get the hydrogen where I want it.

Hi,

If you hold down the SHIFT key during the rotation, then you can rotate it to any position.

Best regards,

Akos