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SketchEl
A standalone Java editor for drawing 2D molecular structures and editing molecular datasheets.
Open source. 30 of 65 checklist features confirmed.
Main canvas
No dark mode
Fixed light interface and gray canvas; dark override has no effect.
Default drawings
We could not finish testing this tool: Native image and structure exports could not be completed: automated filename entry did not reach the Java dialogs.
Caffeine
Paclitaxel
No 3D view
Cholesterol in 3D
- Default drawings use black strokes and atom labels on a gray canvas.
- MOL coordinates were preserved; only viewport zoom was adjusted.
- Paclitaxel retained visible solid and hashed stereobonds.
- Cholesterol SDF projection displays explicit hydrogens and red overlap markers.
- Native exports remain unverified; supplemental canvas crops are screenshots.
- Redraw: current Kekule SMILES paste returned No molecule data available for caffeine and paclitaxel; MOL fallback used.
- Redraw: native SVG and MDL MOL exports succeeded using keyboard filename entry; retained failure and earlier export observations describe the initial pass.
Facts
- Latest version
- 1.62
- Version we tested
- 1.62
- Runs on
- macOS, Windows, Linux
- License
- GPL v2 or later; homepage lists GPLv2.
- Price
- Free
- Relies on
- No third-party engine found. Own EditorPane canvas, molecular model, stereochemistry, and depiction; no external chemistry dependencies.
- Draws with
- Java2D Graphics2D for screen and PNG; custom SVG and OpenDocument vector exporters
- Chemistry from
- In-house Java molecule model and stereochemistry algorithms
- Interface
- Java Swing
- Main language
- Java
- Other languages
- None
- Renderer
- Original: SketchEl DrawMolecule / ArrangeMolecule
- Third-party licenses
- Not established
- Download
- 0.5 MB
- Installed
- 111 MB
- Last released in 2015; requires a Java runtime.
- Web embedding depends on obsolete Java applets.
- Publication document assembly uses exported graphics in external editors.
In use
Screenshots from our test of this version.
Single, double and triple bonds
Bond tools and drawn double and triple bonds on the canvas.
Wedge, hash and wavy bonds
Solid wedge, hashed wedge and wavy bonds on the canvas.
Ring tools
Ring chooser with common ring sizes and an aromatic ring.
Chair and Haworth rings
Ring chooser includes chair and boat cyclohexane templates.
Template library
Template chooser with fused rings and heterocycles.
Charges, isotopes and atom labels
Edit Molecule table with element, charge and isotope columns.
Radicals and lone pairs
Edit Molecule table includes an Unpaired column.
Atom mapping
Edit Molecule table includes a MapNum column.
Reusable custom styles
Rendering policies with font, line and bond settings.
Color control
Rendering policy includes foreground and atom colour settings.
TLC plates and tables
DataSheet with a selected molecule cell.
MOL and SDF
Export as MDL MOL dialog with MOL file format selected.
SVG export
Export as SVG dialog with SVG file format selected.
High-resolution PNG
PNG export dialog showing a structure preview and dimensions.
Features
- Tested by running it
- Seen in the app
- The manual says yes
- Partly, with the reason shown
- Not supported
- Not established, which is not the same as no
Select a mark for its proof. A filled mark opens our screenshot, or the manual if the check left nothing to picture. A ring opens the manual.
Drawing structures
- Yes, tested by running it: Drew three bond orders; changed an existing single to double. Opens the screenshot.Single, double and triple bondsDrew three bond orders; changed an existing single to double.sourceforge.net
- Yes, tested by running it: Applied solid wedge, hashed wedge and wavy styles to existing bonds. Opens the screenshot.Wedge, hash and wavy bondsApplied solid wedge, hashed wedge and wavy styles to existing bonds.sketchel.sourceforge.net
- Yes, according to the manual: Dotted zero-order bonds represent coordination and hydrogen bonds. Opens the cited page.Dative, hydrogen and quadruple bondsDotted zero-order bonds represent coordination and hydrogen bonds.sketchel.sourceforge.net
- Not establishedChoose double-bond side
- Partly: Chooser shows common rings; automated placement did not complete. Opens the screenshot.Ring toolsChooser shows common rings; automated placement did not complete.sourceforge.net
- Yes, according to the manual: Includes cyclohexane chair and boat templates. Opens the cited page.Chair and Haworth ringsIncludes cyclohexane chair and boat templates.sourceforge.net
- Not establishedChain tool
- Partly: Chooser shows fused rings and heterocycles; automated placement did not complete. Opens the screenshot.Template libraryChooser shows fused rings and heterocycles; automated placement did not complete.sourceforge.net
- Partly: Temporary applet templates; no persistent template saving. Opens the cited page.Save your own templatesTemporary applet templates; no persistent template saving.sourceforge.net
- Partly: Whole-molecule abbreviation rejected: Must select a terminal fragment. Opens the cited page.Group abbreviationsWhole-molecule abbreviation rejected: Must select a terminal fragment.sourceforge.net
- Yes, according to the manual: Arbitrary labels, ionic charges and isotope masses. Opens the cited page.Charges, isotopes and atom labelsArbitrary labels, ionic charges and isotope masses.sketchel.sourceforge.net
- Yes, according to the manual: Unpaired-electron counts represent radicals. Opens the cited page.Radicals and lone pairsUnpaired-electron counts represent radicals.sketchel.sourceforge.net
- Partly: Typing selects element tools; placement still requires clicking. Opens the cited page.Keyboard drawingTyping selects element tools; placement still requires clicking.sourceforge.net
- Yes, according to the manual: Arbitrary atom selection with rotation, flips and scaling. Opens the cited page.Lasso select and transformsArbitrary atom selection with rotation, flips and scaling.sourceforge.net
- Not establishedTilt drawings in perspective
Reactions and mechanisms
- No: No arrow tool found in menus, toolbar or template chooser. Opens the cited page.Reaction arrowsNo arrow tool found in menus, toolbar or template chooser.
- No: No curved electron-pushing tool found in inspected controls. Opens the cited page.Curved mechanism arrowsNo curved electron-pushing tool found in inspected controls.
- Not establishedMachine-readable reactions
- Partly: Editable atom map numbers; reaction-level mapping workflow unverified. Opens the cited page.Atom mappingEditable atom map numbers; reaction-level mapping workflow unverified.sourceforge.net
- Not establishedOrbitals and symbols
Figures and layout
- Not establishedRich text captions
- Not establishedShapes, brackets and curves
- Not establishedAlign and distribute
- Not establishedGroup and ungroup
- Partly: Normalizes average bond length by scaling; angles remain unchanged. Opens the cited page.2D structure cleanupNormalizes average bond length by scaling; angles remain unchanged.sourceforge.net
- Partly: Generic PublicationMetrics preset; no journal-specific presets. Opens the cited page.Journal drawing stylesGeneric PublicationMetrics preset; no journal-specific presets.sourceforge.net
- Yes, according to the manual: ConfigData.java saves named font, bond and scale policies. Opens the cited page.Reusable custom stylesConfigData.java saves named font, bond and scale policies.sourceforge.net
- Partly: Colors apply by element type, rather than individual atoms. Opens the cited page.Color controlColors apply by element type, rather than individual atoms.sourceforge.net
- Partly: Blue atom selection halos appear during editing but disappear from exports. Opens the cited page.Color highlightingBlue atom selection halos appear during editing but disappear from exports.sourceforge.net
- Not establishedPage layout and multipage
- Not establishedImported pictures
- Yes, tested by running it: SDF opened in a molecular datasheet with an editable molecule cell. Opens the screenshot.TLC plates and tablesSDF opened in a molecular datasheet with an editable molecule cell.sketchel.sourceforge.net
Chemistry intelligence
- Partly: Overlap warnings only; chemical valence validation unverified. Opens the cited page.Structure checkingOverlap warnings only; chemical valence validation unverified.sourceforge.net
- Yes, according to the manual: Molecule.java computes chirality; editor displays R/S and E/Z. Opens the cited page.R/S and E/Z labelsMolecule.java computes chirality; editor displays R/S and E/Z.sourceforge.net
- Partly: Formula generation for abbreviations; molecular-mass calculation unverified. Opens the cited page.Formula and massFormula generation for abbreviations; molecular-mass calculation unverified.sourceforge.net
- Not establishedProperty estimates
- No: No name import command found in inspected menus or dialogs. Opens the cited page.Name to structureNo name import command found in inspected menus or dialogs.
- No: No structure naming command found in inspected menus or dialogs. Opens the cited page.Structure to nameNo structure naming command found in inspected menus or dialogs.
- Not establishedNMR prediction
- Yes, according to the manual: R-group labels and editable atom/bond query properties. Opens the cited page.R-groups and query structuresR-group labels and editable atom/bond query properties.sourceforge.net
- Not establishedPolymers and repeat units
- Not establishedPeptides and nucleic acids
- Not establishedImage to structure
- Not establishedOnline structure lookup
- No: Cholesterol SDF opened as a flat drawing without a 3D viewport. Opens the cited page.3D model viewCholesterol SDF opened as a flat drawing without a 3D viewport.
- Not establishedCrystal structures
Files and exchange
- No: CDXML startup import produced Invalid MDL MOL file errors. Opens the cited page.CDXML import and exportCDXML startup import produced Invalid MDL MOL file errors.
- Not establishedCDX import and export
- Partly: MOL/SDF loaded; MOL export dialog opened, but filename entry failed. Opens the screenshot.MOL and SDFMOL/SDF loaded; MOL export dialog opened, but filename entry failed.sketchel.sourceforge.net
- No: SMILES file import failed; paste also failed to produce a structure. Opens the cited page.SMILESSMILES file import failed; paste also failed to produce a structure.
- Not establishedInChI
- Not establishedRXN files
- Partly: Export dialog opened; filename input failed, so no SVG was saved. Opens the screenshot.SVG exportExport dialog opened; filename input failed, so no SVG was saved.sketchel.sourceforge.net
- Partly: PDF requires ODG export followed by OpenOffice Draw. Opens the cited page.PDF exportPDF requires ODG export followed by OpenOffice Draw.sourceforge.net
- Partly: PNG preview rendered; filename entry failed; default size 149×124 pixels. Opens the screenshot.High-resolution PNGPNG preview rendered; filename entry failed; default size 149×124 pixels.sourceforge.net
- Not establishedPaste to and from ChemDraw
- Not establishedEditable in Word or PowerPoint
- Not establishedWindows Office OLE
APIs and automation
- Not establishedPython API
- Partly: JavaScript molecule bridge requires a legacy Java applet. Opens the cited page.JavaScript or TypeScript APIJavaScript molecule bridge requires a legacy Java applet.sourceforge.net
- Partly: Command-line startup opens GUI; no headless conversion/rendering command. Opens the cited page.Command-line toolCommand-line startup opens GUI; no headless conversion/rendering command.sourceforge.net
- Not establishedAI agent control
- Not establishedBuilt-in AI assistant
Embedding and extension
- Not establishedPlugins
- Partly: GPL-2.0-or-later; obsolete Java applet. Opens the cited page.Embed in your own appGPL-2.0-or-later; obsolete Java appletsketchel.sourceforge.net