diff --git a/modules/mol/base/src/impl/query_impl.cc b/modules/mol/base/src/impl/query_impl.cc
index d90ded27a50d2955fde5002b2dfd27b447f8f5f8..9cc961f133c098fcee3b39dcc3dd80c37997aba2 100644
--- a/modules/mol/base/src/impl/query_impl.cc
+++ b/modules/mol/base/src/impl/query_impl.cc
@@ -145,16 +145,10 @@ bool is_ident_or_str(char c) {
 QueryToken QueryLexer::LexIdentOrStringToken() {
   static IdentTokens ident_tokens;
   size_t start=current_;
-  bool is_string=false;
   while (current_<query_string_.length() && 
          is_ident_or_str(query_string_[current_])) {
-    if (!isalnum(query_string_[current_]))
-      is_string=true;
     current_++;
   }
-  if (is_string) {
-    return QueryToken(Range(start, current_-start), tok::String);
-  }
   String ident=query_string_.substr(start, current_-start);
   if (tok::Type* t=find(ident_tokens, ident.c_str())) {
     return QueryToken(Range(start, current_-start), *t);
diff --git a/modules/mol/base/tests/test_query.cc b/modules/mol/base/tests/test_query.cc
index 3dd125e4412447d148d216e7b7686fcb801b4406..d84a3156be0375fedf8db262a0970d29c8a0d952 100644
--- a/modules/mol/base/tests/test_query.cc
+++ b/modules/mol/base/tests/test_query.cc
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ EntityHandle make_query_test_entity()
   EntityHandle eh = CreateEntity();
   XCSEditor e=eh.RequestXCSEditor();
   ChainHandle chain = e.InsertChain("A");
-  chain.SetFloatProp("testpropc", 1.0);
+  chain.SetFloatProp("testprop_c", 1.0);
   ResidueHandle res = e.AppendResidue(chain, "MET");
   res.SetFloatProp("testpropr", 1.0);
   AtomProp c_atom;
@@ -229,9 +229,9 @@ BOOST_AUTO_TEST_CASE(test_query_eval)
   ensure_counts(e, "grtestpropr:0=1", 1, 1, 8);
   ensure_counts(e, "grtestpropr:1.0=1", 1, 3, 27);
   ensure_counts(e, "grtestpropr:2.0=2", 1, 2, 19);
-  ensure_counts(e, "gctestpropc:0=1", 1, 3, 27);
-  ensure_counts(e, "gctestpropc:1.0=1", 1, 3, 27);
-  ensure_counts(e, "gctestpropc:2.0=2", 0, 0, 0);
+  ensure_counts(e, "gctestprop_c:0=1", 1, 3, 27);
+  ensure_counts(e, "gctestprop_c:1.0=1", 1, 3, 27);
+  ensure_counts(e, "gctestprop_c:2.0=2", 0, 0, 0);
 }
 
 BOOST_AUTO_TEST_CASE(test_query_eval_on_view) 
@@ -261,9 +261,9 @@ BOOST_AUTO_TEST_CASE(test_query_eval_on_view)
   ensure_counts_v(v, "grtestpropr:0=1", 1, 1, 8);
   ensure_counts_v(v, "grtestpropr:1.0=1", 1, 3, 27);
   ensure_counts_v(v, "grtestpropr:2.0=2", 1, 2, 19);
-  ensure_counts_v(v, "gctestpropc:0=1", 1, 3, 27);
-  ensure_counts_v(v, "gctestpropc:1.0=1", 1, 3, 27);
-  ensure_counts_v(v, "gctestpropc:2.0=2", 0, 0, 0);
+  ensure_counts_v(v, "gctestprop_c:0=1", 1, 3, 27);
+  ensure_counts_v(v, "gctestprop_c:1.0=1", 1, 3, 27);
+  ensure_counts_v(v, "gctestprop_c:2.0=2", 0, 0, 0);
 }
 
 BOOST_AUTO_TEST_CASE(test_query_throw) 
@@ -275,8 +275,8 @@ BOOST_AUTO_TEST_CASE(test_query_throw)
   BOOST_CHECK_NO_THROW(e.Select("grtestpropr:0=1"));
   BOOST_CHECK_NO_THROW(e.Select("grtestpropr:1=1"));
   BOOST_CHECK_THROW(e.Select("grtestpropr=1"), std::exception);
-  BOOST_CHECK_NO_THROW(e.Select("gctestpropc:0=1"));
-  BOOST_CHECK_NO_THROW(e.Select("gctestpropc:1=1"));
+  BOOST_CHECK_NO_THROW(e.Select("gctestprop_c:0=1"));
+  BOOST_CHECK_NO_THROW(e.Select("gctestprop_c:1=1"));
   BOOST_CHECK_THROW(e.Select("ganotsetprop=1"), std::exception);
   BOOST_CHECK_THROW(e.Select("grnotsetprop=1"), std::exception);
   BOOST_CHECK_THROW(e.Select("gcnotsetprop=1"), std::exception);