ChemIllusion Study Tools for Moodle: Bringing Open Chemistry Learning Tools into the LMS
ChemIllusion Study Tools for Moodle is now public on GitHub, bringing open-source, privacy-aware molecule tools, chemistry diagrams, study decks, and accessible flashcards directly into Moodle.
ChemIllusion Study Tools for Moodle is now public on GitHub.
This is a small but important release for ChemIllusion: an open-source Moodle plugin that brings chemistry-native study tools directly into the learning management system. The plugin is currently released as local_chemillusion and is pending review for the Moodle Plugins Directory.
The goal is simple: chemistry students should not need a proprietary desktop workflow just to practice creating molecules, reaction diagrams, Newman projections, and study cards inside the course environment where they already work.
Why Moodle?
Moodle has always mattered to open education. It is widely used, extensible, and deeply aligned with the idea that learning infrastructure should be shaped by teachers and institutions, not only by commercial platforms.
Chemistry needs more of that.
Most chemistry software still assumes a very specific workflow: leave the LMS, open a separate drawing tool, export an image, paste it somewhere else, and hope the result is readable. That workflow can be powerful for experts, but it creates friction for students and instructors who just need fast, reliable chemistry practice.
ChemIllusion Study Tools is an attempt to make chemistry learning feel native inside Moodle.
What the plugin provides
The first public release focuses on local, privacy-aware study tooling:
Molecule lookup with PubChem support and local server-side caching
Browser-side RDKit.js structure rendering
SMILES validation
Functional-group recognition using SMARTS patterns
Static atom and bond highlighting
Organic chemistry reagent and functional-group dictionaries
Student study decks and flashcards
Accessible, keyboard-operable flashcard review
Teacher/admin dashboard and local usage counters
Optional ChemIllusion account linking for richer AI, image, video, and teacher workflows
The dashboard also introduces chemistry diagram entry points for molecule structures, Newman projections, reaction-coordinate diagrams, and orbital diagrams.
The plugin is licensed GPL-3.0-or-later and public on GitHub. That matters for more than licensing. Moodle admins, chemistry educators, and developers can inspect the code, file issues, suggest improvements, and adapt the tool to real classroom needs.
Screenshots
Dashboard
Choose a chemistry diagram to create: molecule structure, Newman projection, reaction coordinate, or orbital diagram.
Reaction coordinate
Reaction coordinate card editor with template presets, transition-state labels, activation energies, intermediate, and ΔG.
Orbital diagram
Orbital/hybridization card with SMILES-based p-orbital overlap overlay for ethene (sp² C=C).
Privacy by default
The default install is designed to work locally without a ChemIllusion subscription.
Admins can control external calls, disable account linking, and turn off outbound services. No grades, rosters, raw prompts, or student responses are sent to ChemIllusion by default. Optional PubChem lookup and optional ChemIllusion account linking are disclosed and admin-configurable.
That is the right model for education software. Start with trust. Let institutions decide what integrations they want.
What comes next
The current release is still early. It is labeled alpha, with Phase 1A and Phase 1B scaffolding in place. The next steps are feedback, Moodle review, classroom testing, and careful expansion of the chemistry-specific toolset.
I am especially interested in feedback from:
Moodle admins who care about clean installation and privacy
Organic chemistry instructors who want better study tools inside the LMS
Accessibility-focused educators and students
Developers interested in open chemistry education infrastructure
Chemistry education needs tools that are accurate, inspectable, affordable, and designed around what students actually need.
This release is one step in that direction.