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jacs-figures
GitHub用于按JACS标准设计反应方案、机理图、结构式及光谱数据图。提供绘图规范、工具建议及TOC摘要图形设计指南，确保图表符合学术出版要求且清晰可读。
Trigger Scenarios
需要构建反应方案、机理循环或化学结构图
光谱或数据图混乱、标签错误或难以阅读
图表不符合ACS格式规范（如字体、键长）
需要设计期刊目录(TOC)摘要图形
Install
npx skills add brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills --skill jacs-figures -g -y
SKILL.md
Frontmatter
{
"name": "jacs-figures",
"description": "Use when building schemes, spectra, structures, and reaction\/mechanism figures in ACS style for a Journal of the American Chemical Society (JACS) manuscript. Designs and audits graphics — it does not generate the underlying data."
}
Schemes, Structures, and Figures (ACS Style) (jacs-figures)
When to trigger
- Reaction schemes, mechanism cycles, or structure drawings need building
- Spectra/plots are cluttered, mislabeled, or unreadable
- Figures don't follow ACS conventions (fonts, bond lengths, panel labels)
- The TOC/abstract graphic needs designing
Figure types and what each must do
| Figure type | Must convey | Common tool |
|---|---|---|
| Reaction scheme | Substrate → product, conditions, yield/ee under the arrow | ChemDraw |
| Scope figure | Generality at a glance; products with yields/ee; failures noted | ChemDraw |
| Mechanism / catalytic cycle | Stoichiometry-balanced steps; oxidation states; key intermediates | ChemDraw |
| Spectra (NMR/IR/UV-vis) | Axes, units, assignments of diagnostic peaks | MestReNova / Origin |
| Crystal structure (ORTEP) | Thermal ellipsoids (with % probability), labeled key atoms, H omitted as stated | Mercury / OLEX2 |
| Property/kinetics plot | Variables, units, error bars, fit + equation | Origin / Matplotlib |
| TOC graphic | The central advance in one glance | ChemDraw + Illustrator |
ACS drawing conventions (ChemDraw)
- Use ACS document settings (consistent bond length, line width, atom-label font).
- Stereochemistry: explicit wedges/hashes; consistent depiction across all schemes.
- Conditions sit over the arrow (reagents) and under (solvent, T, time); yields by the product.
- Number compounds in bold consistently; the same number means the same structure everywhere.
- Charges, lone pairs, and formal oxidation states shown where mechanistically relevant.
Spectra and data plots
- Label axes with quantity and unit (δ / ppm; wavenumber / cm⁻¹; m/z; nm).
- Annotate the diagnostic peaks that support the claim; don't dump raw, unlabeled traces in the main text (full spectra go to SI).
- Crystal-structure figures: state ellipsoid probability (e.g., 50%), which H atoms are omitted, and symmetry-generated atoms.
- Plots: include error bars / replicate info and the fitted model; state n.
TOC graphic craft (the most-seen image of the paper)
The abstract graphic is the paper's storefront — it appears in the issue TOC, alerts, and search results at thumbnail size. Design for that scale:
- One idea only. The single transformation, concept, or property — not a collage of every scheme. If the advance is selectivity, show the two possible products and mark which one forms.
- Structures over prose. A substrate→product pair with one annotated arrow beats any sentence; keep text to a few words (e.g., "24 examples, up to 97% ee").
- Legible at thumbnail. Bond lines and labels must survive reduction; test by zooming the export to ~25%.
- Match the abstract's claim. Editors compare the two; a graphic promising more than the text is a credibility leak.
- Follow the current ACS size/aspect specification for abstract graphics — check the author page rather than reusing an old template.
Caption discipline (worked micro-edit)
- Before: "Figure 2. NMR spectra of the reaction."
- After: "Figure 2. ¹H NMR spectra (400 MHz, CD₂Cl₂, 25 °C) of the reaction of 1 with 2a: (a) t = 0; (b) t = 30 min, showing the hydride resonance of intermediate 3 at δ −8.4 (d, J = 12 Hz)."
A JACS caption names the technique, conditions, and the diagnostic feature the reader should find — it argues the claim, it does not merely label the image.
Scope-figure craft
- Group products by substrate class with a one-line class header; readers scan for their own chemistry.
- Print yield and ee/er under every structure; mark limitations honestly (footnote lower-yielding or failed cases rather than deleting them).
- Highlight the hardest examples (drug-like, sterically encumbered, previously unreactive) — these carry the generality argument, so give them visual room.
Composition and accessibility
- One consistent color palette; ensure meaning survives grayscale and color-vision deficiency (don't rely on red/green alone).
- Panel labels (a, b, c) match the caption order; captions are self-contained (a reader gets the point without the text).
- Export vector where possible; raster at the resolution ACS specifies per figure type.
- Keep figure count disciplined; merge related panels rather than proliferating figures.
Checklist
- Every compound number in figures matches the text and SI
- Scheme conditions (reagents/solvent/T/time) and yields present
- Mechanism steps are mass- and charge-balanced
- ORTEP states ellipsoid % and omitted atoms
- Spectra/plots have labeled axes, units, and annotated diagnostic peaks
- Color works in grayscale and for color-blind readers
- TOC graphic encodes the advance and meets ACS size rules
Anti-patterns
- Inconsistent compound numbering between scheme, text, and SI
- Catalytic cycle that is not balanced or omits the oxidant/reductant
- Spectra pasted as low-res screenshots with no axis labels
- ORTEP without ellipsoid probability or H-atom statement
- Decorative TOC graphic that doesn't show the chemistry
- Rainbow plots unreadable in grayscale
Output format
【Figures】list with purpose of each
【Numbering consistent?】Y/N
【Schemes】conditions + yields present? Y/N
【Mechanism balanced?】Y/N
【ORTEP】ellipsoid % + omitted atoms stated? Y/N
【Accessibility】grayscale/colorblind safe? Y/N
【TOC graphic】encodes advance? Y/N
【Next】jacs-supplementary (full spectra) → jacs-writing-style
Related resources
../../resources/external_tools.md— ChemDraw, Mercury/ORTEP, plotting and figure-assembly tools
Version History
- 1839142 Current 2026-07-05 13:59
