diff --git a/Cantera/cxx/src/Makefile.in b/Cantera/cxx/src/Makefile.in
index 6b6fc24d3..5b172fdf1 100644
--- a/Cantera/cxx/src/Makefile.in
+++ b/Cantera/cxx/src/Makefile.in
@@ -9,8 +9,8 @@
 ###############################################################
 
 
-SUFFIXES=
-SUFFIXES= .cpp .d .o
+.SUFFIXES :
+.SUFFIXES : .cpp .d .o .h
 
 PIC_FLAG=@PIC@
 CXX_FLAGS = @CXXFLAGS@ $(CXX_OPT) $(PIC_FLAG)
@@ -19,26 +19,30 @@ OBJS =  importPhase.o
 
 DEPENDS = $(OBJS:.o=.d)
 
-# the C++ compiler
-CXX = @CXX@
+PIC_FLAG=@PIC@
+CXX_FLAGS = @CXXFLAGS@ $(CXX_OPT) $(PIC_FLAG)
+
 
 # the directory where Cantera include files may be found.
 CXX_INCLUDES = -I../../src/base -I../../src/thermo @CXX_INCLUDES@
 
 # how to compile C++ source files to object files
-.@CXX_EXT@.@OBJ_EXT@:
+.cpp.o:
 	$(CXX) -c $< $(CXX_INCLUDES) $(CXX_FLAGS)
 
+%.d:
+	@CXX_DEPENDS@ $(CXX_FLAGS) $(CXX_INCLUDES) $*.cpp > $*.d
+
 LIB_NAME=libctcxx
 CXXLIB=@buildlib@/$(LIB_NAME).a
 
-all: $(CXXLIB)
+all: .depends $(CXXLIB)
 
 $(CXXLIB): $(OBJS)
 	@ARCHIVE@ $(CXXLIB) $(OBJS) 
 
 clean:
-	$(RM) $(OBJS) $(CXXLIB)
+	$(RM) $(OBJS) *.d $(CXXLIB)
 	(if test -d SunWS_cache ; then \
            $(RM) -rf SunWS_cache ; \
          fi )
@@ -46,12 +50,11 @@ clean:
 install:
 	@INSTALL@ $(CXXLIB) @prefix@/lib/cantera
 
-%.d:
-	@CXX_DEPENDS@ $(CXX_INCLUDES) $*.cpp > $*.d
+depends: 
+	@MAKE@ .depends
 
-depends: $(DEPENDS)
-	cat *.d > .depends
-	$(RM) $(DEPENDS) 
+.depends: $(DEPENDS)
+	cat $(DEPENDS) > .depends
 
 ifeq ($(wildcard .depends), .depends)
 include .depends