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.\" Chemeq - Chemical Equation Analyzer
.TH chemeq 1 "4 june 2000" "" ""
.SH NAME
Chemeq - Chemical Equation Analyzer
.SH SYNOPSIS
\fBchemeq\fP [options]
.SH DESCRIPTION
\fBChemeq\fP is a chemical equation analyzer. It is a fast lexical and
syntaxic analyser which helps to find out chemical informations embedded
in source chemical equations. Data can be output in various sophisticated
formats, depending on options. 'chemeq' defaults to 'chemeq -mlcwn'.
.SH OPTIONS
Options are active only if chemeq parses an equation of chemical
reaction. If chemeq parses the formula of a simple chemical,
no option is taken in account, the output is just a straightforward
TeX string representing the simple chemical.
.IP "\fB-h"
Displays Help.
.IP "\fb-M"
Outputs al list of space separated molecular weights.
.IP "\fB-m"
Outputs a \fBM\fPinimal output. It allows chemeq to be idempotent,
i.e. the command 'chemeq | chemeq' is equivalent to 'chemeq'.
.IP "\fB-l"
Outputs a \fBL\fPaTeX string representing the chemical equation.
.IP "\fB-c"
Outputs a message giving informations about the \fBC\fPonservation of
elements and charges in the equation. 'OK' means that both elements
and electric charges are balanced.
.IP "\fB-w"
Outputs the LaTeX string representing the Gulder-\fBW\fPaage equation
related to the input chemical equation, or the Nernst equation,
if the input equation is a redox semi-equation.
.IP "\fB-n"
Outputs a \fBN\fPormalized string accounting for the input equation.
Two chemical equations having the same normalized string are chemically
equivalent, even if the molecules are scrambled around and the 
coefficient are not equal but proportionnal.
.SH EXAMPLES
.TP
echo "1/2 Cu^2+ + OH- ->  1/2Cu(OH)2s" | chemeq
will display informations about the reaction of hydroxyde and Cu II ions.
.TP
echo "MnO4^- + 8H3O^+ + 5e- --> Mn^2+ + 12 H2O" | chemeq
will display informations about the reaction of reduction of permanganate
ions in an acid environment.
.TP
echo "MnO4^- + 8H3O^+ + 5e- --> Mn^2+ + 12 H2O" | chemeq -w
will display the LaTeX format for the Nernst law related to the reduction
of permanganate ions in an acid environment.
.TP
echo "MnO4^- + 8H3O^+ + 5e- --> Mn^2+ + 8 H2O" | chemeq -c
will highlight the lack of conservation of elements H and O
(water molecules are not well balanced).
.SH NOTE: syntax of ions
allthough in some cases, shorter expressions are sucessfully parsed,
it is safer to consider that an "up arrow" (^) must be put before the
charge symbols of an ion.
Examples : H3O^+, Fe(CN)6^4-, OH^-

.SH AUTHORS
.br
.nf
Georges Khaznadar, 
  <\fBgeorgesk@boltz.univ-littoral.fr\fP>
.fi
.El
.SH KNOWN BUGS
When not specified, chemical entities coming from the standard input are
believed to be in aqueous solutions. Water is considered by default as the
main solvent. Only one liquid (aqueous) phase is currently taken in account.
All solid chemical entities are considered as parts of separated phases.
Suffixes _s, _g and _aq can be used to enforce the type of some chemical
entities.