School of Chemistry

Intro

In September 2022 the School of Chemistry purchased a 3-year site license for the Chemdraw software. This allows us an unlimited number of copies of the basic chemical drawing package for both Mac and PC computers. Chemistry IT staff will be installing the software on the shared student cluster PCs and Glasgow Anywhere cloud desktop, but it is also available for individual computers and home use by students and staff on their own computer, including laptops.

This will help avoid the problem that the software was previously only available on a limited number of computers in the Joseph Black building, and only during normal working hours.

The site license is restricted by email address, so to download your own copy, you must enter a valid Glasgow University email address.

The latest version, 21 and upwards, has a new registration process, even if you registered before. Follow the instructions at Chemdraw site license to register, or login.

Students will need to use the email address format 1234567a@student.gla.ac.uk rather than the @research alias. Staff should use their @glasgow.ac.uk address.

The company selling us the software, Perkin-Elmer requires you to create a free login account on their website as part of the download process. They do have a privacy policy, which you should review. If you prefer not to register with them, then we can provide the download by alternative means.

Please contact support@chem.gla.ac.uk for help if you have trouble.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Where's the activation code ?

  The code you need is not emailed to you, but can be found on the same PerkinElemer site as the download. Look under 'List Entitlements' on the left of the web page, and find your XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX (letters and numbers) code there.

• Can I install Chemdraw at home ?

Yes, by downloading the installer and obtaining a license code by University email,you are entitled to install the package on your home computer or laptop.

• How many copies can I have ?

There is no limit on the number of copies we install under the terms of the license. You should be able to activate up to three installations with the same serial number, but you can obtain more than one serial number too. Activation after installation is most easily accomplished with a live internet connection, but can also be done by phone or email as detailed in the activation window in Chemdraw. Bulk installations on the clusters of PCs in the School will be done by IT staff using a different mechanism.

• Which version of chemdraw is covered ?

We have purchased a site license for the Chemdraw Prime version, which includes the basic drawing package and the web plugin, but not the more sophisticated features in Chemdraw 'Pro', 'Ultra' or 'Suite'. The current (Sep 20222) version number is 21 and our 3-year license allows us to upgrade as new versions are released.

• How long does it last ?

Unlike an individual permanent license, this license expires after one year. Each year the new version of chemdraw must be installed, and this will continue for a total of three years from September 2019. After that, if we do not pay the fee to renew the license, all the downloaded versions will stop working. 

• Does this replace the version I already paid for ?

No, if you already purchased a normal permanent license for any version of chemdraw, you should continue using it. It will not expire after a year, and you may well have purchased a more sophisticated version than the basic drawing program covered by this scheme. Of course, if you want to switch to a newer version under our site license, then you can, but it will be Chemdraw Prime, and it will have a limited lifespan.

• Why haven't you answered the question I wanted to ask ?

Email it to us at support@chem.gla.ac.uk and we'll try.