December 1, 2013 (Vol. 33, No. 21)
Rating:
Strong Points: Includes some pre-drawn functional groups
Weak Points: Limits on reaction arrows, textbox not working
Platform:
iPad
Cost:
Free
Summary:
The Elemental app is a free chemical drawing app that allows users to sketch benzene rings and chemical reactions with the tap of their fingers. Users select buttons along the top and the left side of the app to select the features they want to draw. These include specific atoms, lines, or other shapes. There are also buttons to select, delete, and copy/paste. The app has promise, although at the moment it also has some glitches and limitations. For one, although it touts itself as an app for drawing chemical reactions, the app (puzzlingly) limits users to a single reaction arrow per drawing. Additionally, there is also a glitch that renders the textbox tool unusable. Those limitations aside, the app still has some utility (and it will have much more once the present issues are addressed).
