Many thanks for all the suggestions on incorporating chemical formula. PPCHEMTEX now looks like something to play with, but not something I will switch to whith a deadline for writing the book coming closer. From the publisher I got an example of the layout (a book they had published), and they have symbols in the inside-margins. The "binding" (gluing?) seems to allow that. It's not pretty, but the book opens flat on a table. And this might interest or amuse the professionals on this site: half a year ago, I sent in a "test chapter" as a pdf file, accompanied by a tex-file. I expected them (whoever is responsible) to say they wanted it in Word (they had told me that based on the test-chapter, they would prepare a Word-"mask" for me to fill in text and figures), but to my surprise they thought it looked pretty good, and that if I could "do just a few minor changes", they could print it as is - but that they didn't have anybody who "knows TeX". Now of course I'm a bit nervous, not to say afraid, because I'm pretty sure the "minor changes" will be way beyond my capabilities... Cheers, Jörg. Prof. Dr.med. Jörg Hagmann-Zanolari Institute of Biochemistry and Genetics DKBW, University of Basel Mattenstrasse 28 CH-4058 Basel Switzerland Phone +41 (0)61 6953049