diff --git a/applications/utilities/thermophysical/chemkinToFoam/chemkinToFoam.C b/applications/utilities/thermophysical/chemkinToFoam/chemkinToFoam.C
index 2f56ee07dea1f13086c13c4c1c33c266c102b183..f844195ae9356dea066207712b364dea3c7c0584 100644
--- a/applications/utilities/thermophysical/chemkinToFoam/chemkinToFoam.C
+++ b/applications/utilities/thermophysical/chemkinToFoam/chemkinToFoam.C
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
   =========                 |
   \\      /  F ield         | OpenFOAM: The Open Source CFD Toolbox
    \\    /   O peration     |
-    \\  /    A nd           | Copyright (C) 2011 OpenFOAM Foundation
+    \\  /    A nd           | Copyright (C) 2011-2013 OpenFOAM Foundation
      \\/     M anipulation  |
 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 License
@@ -42,11 +42,20 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[])
     argList::validArgs.append("CHEMKINThermodynamicsFile");
     argList::validArgs.append("FOAMChemistryFile");
     argList::validArgs.append("FOAMThermodynamicsFile");
+
+    argList::addBoolOption
+    (
+        "newFormat",
+        "read Chemkin thermo file in new format"
+    );
+
     argList args(argc, argv);
 
+    bool newFormat = args.optionFound("newFormat");
+
     speciesTable species;
 
-    chemkinReader cr(args[1], species, args[2]);
+    chemkinReader cr(args[1], species, args[2], newFormat);
 
     OFstream reactionsFile(args[3]);
     reactionsFile
diff --git a/src/thermophysicalModels/reactionThermo/chemistryReaders/chemkinReader/chemkinLexer.L b/src/thermophysicalModels/reactionThermo/chemistryReaders/chemkinReader/chemkinLexer.L
index 678300a172ca945e6da19b0cea0377a753de995e..6db89e7a69e732a957455696770a62f24bfbfc90 100644
--- a/src/thermophysicalModels/reactionThermo/chemistryReaders/chemkinReader/chemkinLexer.L
+++ b/src/thermophysicalModels/reactionThermo/chemistryReaders/chemkinReader/chemkinLexer.L
@@ -439,20 +439,25 @@ bool finishReaction = false;
 
 <readThermoSpecieName>{thermoSpecieName} {
         string specieString(foamSpecieString(YYText()));
-        // Old format
-        size_t spacePos = specieString.find(' ');
-        if (spacePos != string::npos)
+        if (newFormat_)
         {
-            currentSpecieName = specieString(0, spacePos);
+            specieString.replaceAll(" ", "_");
+            size_t strEnd = specieString.find_last_not_of('_');
+            currentSpecieName = specieString.substr(0, strEnd + 1);
         }
         else
         {
-            currentSpecieName = specieString;
+            size_t spacePos = specieString.find(' ');
+            if (spacePos != string::npos)
+            {
+                currentSpecieName = specieString(0, spacePos);
+            }
+            else
+            {
+                currentSpecieName = specieString;
+            }
         }
-        // New format
-        // specieString.replaceAll(" ", "_");
-        // size_t strEnd = specieString.find_last_not_of('_');
-        // currentSpecieName = specieString.substr(0, strEnd + 1);
+
         BEGIN(readThermoDate);
     }
 
diff --git a/src/thermophysicalModels/reactionThermo/chemistryReaders/chemkinReader/chemkinReader.C b/src/thermophysicalModels/reactionThermo/chemistryReaders/chemkinReader/chemkinReader.C
index 5ee2a03ac3da93eda3043e7c6ccd96948a99b327..63dd057f3d9f5ea52d3f85b016563e866fec64aa 100644
--- a/src/thermophysicalModels/reactionThermo/chemistryReaders/chemkinReader/chemkinReader.C
+++ b/src/thermophysicalModels/reactionThermo/chemistryReaders/chemkinReader/chemkinReader.C
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
   =========                 |
   \\      /  F ield         | OpenFOAM: The Open Source CFD Toolbox
    \\    /   O peration     |
-    \\  /    A nd           | Copyright (C) 2013-2013 OpenFOAM Foundation
+    \\  /    A nd           | Copyright (C) 2011-2013 OpenFOAM Foundation
      \\/     M anipulation  |
 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 License
@@ -862,13 +862,15 @@ Foam::chemkinReader::chemkinReader
 (
     const fileName& CHEMKINFileName,
     speciesTable& species,
-    const fileName& thermoFileName
+    const fileName& thermoFileName,
+    const bool newFormat
 )
 :
     lineNo_(1),
     specieNames_(10),
     speciesTable_(species),
-    reactions_(speciesTable_, speciesThermo_)
+    reactions_(speciesTable_, speciesThermo_),
+    newFormat_(newFormat)
 {
     read(CHEMKINFileName, thermoFileName);
 }
@@ -883,8 +885,14 @@ Foam::chemkinReader::chemkinReader
     lineNo_(1),
     specieNames_(10),
     speciesTable_(species),
-    reactions_(speciesTable_, speciesThermo_)
+    reactions_(speciesTable_, speciesThermo_),
+    newFormat_(thermoDict.lookupOrDefault("newFormat", false))
 {
+    if (newFormat_)
+    {
+        Info<< "Reading CHEMKIN thermo data in new file format" << endl;
+    }
+
     fileName chemkinFile(fileName(thermoDict.lookup("CHEMKINFile")).expand());
 
     fileName thermoFile = fileName::null;
diff --git a/src/thermophysicalModels/reactionThermo/chemistryReaders/chemkinReader/chemkinReader.H b/src/thermophysicalModels/reactionThermo/chemistryReaders/chemkinReader/chemkinReader.H
index 4cd84f59a507b93d2aa3fcc5b3f35dfdc213a881..ad1c50abd8589c33190e9f0ffcf9f60d2485ed1f 100644
--- a/src/thermophysicalModels/reactionThermo/chemistryReaders/chemkinReader/chemkinReader.H
+++ b/src/thermophysicalModels/reactionThermo/chemistryReaders/chemkinReader/chemkinReader.H
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
   =========                 |
   \\      /  F ield         | OpenFOAM: The Open Source CFD Toolbox
    \\    /   O peration     |
-    \\  /    A nd           | Copyright (C) 2013-2013 OpenFOAM Foundation
+    \\  /    A nd           | Copyright (C) 2011-2013 OpenFOAM Foundation
      \\/     M anipulation  |
 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 License
@@ -39,6 +39,7 @@ SourceFiles
 #include "chemistryReader.H"
 #include "fileName.H"
 #include "typeInfo.H"
+#include "Switch.H"
 #include "HashPtrTable.H"
 #include "ReactionList.H"
 #include "DynamicList.H"
@@ -207,6 +208,9 @@ private:
         //- List of the reactions
         ReactionList<gasHThermoPhysics> reactions_;
 
+        //- Flag to indicate that file is in new format
+        Switch newFormat_;
+
 
     // Private Member Functions
 
@@ -319,7 +323,8 @@ public:
         (
             const fileName& chemkinFile,
             speciesTable& species,
-            const fileName& thermoFileName = fileName::null
+            const fileName& thermoFileName = fileName::null,
+            const bool newFormat = false
         );
 
         //- Construct by getting the CHEMKIN III file name from dictionary