Frequently Asked Questions
Most students who use ACE Organic don't encounter any technical problems when they use it, but some do. Here are listed some problems that students have encountered and how they overcame them. Before you try to find your problem below, though, make sure that you are using an approved browser and that your browser's settings are correct.

I log into ACE Organic, and when I click on an assignment, an error message says: Your session was idle for too long. Please log out and log back in again.

I'm using a PC in my school's library, and when I click on Solve to do an ACE problem, all I get is an empty box, with no way of drawing structures and molecules. Do I simply need to try another computer or is there a problem with the campus computers?

Does ACE show the correct answer after a specified number of incorrect tries?

Sometimes when I click on a button in ACE nothing happens. I can't finish my assignments because of it.


Q: I log into ACE Organic, and when I click on an assignment, an error message says:

Your session was idle for too long. Please log out and log back in again.

If you continue to receive this message, see these troubleshooting tips.

A: This error arises when you remain logged in to ACE for a long time without activity or if your browser is not accepting cookies. Try the following:
  1. Click logout and then log back into ACE.
  2. Hold down the control key and click your browser's refresh button.
  3. Empty the cache and all cookies.
  4. Change your browser settings to allow all cookies.
  5. Quit your browser, restart it, and log back into ACE.
  6. If the error appears again, right-click [Control-click in Safari on a Mac] on the error page and choose refresh/reload frame.
You can avoid the problem completely by logging out of EPOCH if you are not going to use it for more than 15 minutes or so.


Q: I'm using a PC in my school's library, and when I click on Solve to do an ACE problem, all I get is an empty box, with no way of drawing structures and molecules. Do I simply need to try another computer or is there a problem with the campus computers?

A: Students may not be able to use ACE with the PCs at their school's library. Security settings often block the code that checks for the correct Java environment to run, so a user will see a broken link where the MarvinSketch applet would appear. Consult the technology professionals at the lab to see if they can set it up so that ACE will run normally.


Q: Does ACE show the correct answer after a specified number of incorrect tries?

A: No. Instead of providing the correct answer, ACE provides answer-specific feedback to guide the student to the correct answer, learning along the way. If the student still needs additional help to arrive at an answer, working with a classmate, tutor, or instructor might be a better learning experience than ACE providing the answer.


Q: Sometimes when I click on a button in ACE nothing happens. I can't finish my assignments because of it.

A: There are two things that usually cause this problem.
  1. There is a known glitch in the way Safari handles some mouse events. Often a button will not register a click until the second attempt. If you experience the above problem and are using Safari, simply click a second time. If that does not work, refer to the next possibility.
  2. If you experience this problem while working with the MarvinSketch applet, it is likely due to a problem with LiveConnect. Please refer to part 4 of the Browser Check-up to solve that problem.
If neither of the above two solutions solve your problem, try closing your browser and restarting it. There is a chance that part of your browser locked up and a simple restart is all that is needed.


If you have any other issues with the site, please consult the help manual and browser check-up.

If your problem still hasn't been solved, click here to contact ACE Support.
Created by Robert B. Grossman and Raphael Finkel
Departments of Chemistry and Computer Science
University of Kentucky
© 2006 Pearson Education