Biomolecules Module:
Chime Tutorial

Chime is a freeware browser plug-in developed by MDL Information Systems, Inc. for the interactive display of molecules in web browsers. When a browser equipped with Chime meets a web page that has a Chime structure embedded in it, the browser downloads a file with the molecule's coordinates and instructions on how to display the molecule. Using the plug-in, the browser then interprets the commands and the coordinates to produce an interactive molecular structure.

The table lists several things you can do with Chime to manipulate a molecular structure. Each line of the table lists an action you can perform to the structure and the mouse and keyboard buttons you should push to perform that action. Instructions in red refer to clicks you make with your mouse; instructions in blue refer to buttons on the keyboard you hold down while clicking and moving the mouse. Use the structure of ATP at the right to practice (table taken from the Chime and RasMol home page at the University of Massachusetts).

Atoms in molecular structures are often colored according to the following scheme: carbon, gray; oxygen, red; nitrogen, blue; hydrogen, white; phosphorus, orange.

* The X and Y axes are left-right and up-down on your screen, respectively. The Z axis is perpendicular to your computer screen.

** The Slab Mode option must be activated in the Display submenu of the Chime menu before this option can be used. Think of the slab as a plane parallel to your computer screen. Anything on the other side of the slab plane from you can be seen. The Slab Plane option moves the slab plane closer or further away from you when you move the mouse up or down.

***Opening the Chime menu only requires a right mouse click (Windows) or held mouse click (Macintosh). The menu gives a multitude of options to manipulate the display which are best learned by practice. Trying the options in the Color and Display submenus will provide the most striking changes to the display.

For more information on how to use Chime, try the Chime and RasMol home page at the University of Massachusetts, or MDLI's Chime support page.