Incorporating Indigenous Perspectives into the Chemistry Classroom
Yvonne Clifford | Mon, 10/14/2024 - 10:12
Yvonne Clifford shares a compilation of lessons that incorporate Indigenous peoples and cultures.
molecular geometry
Using LEGO bricks and paper springs to illustrate helical chemical structures
Dean Campbell | Sat, 06/29/2024 - 13:56
Helical structures can be built from media such as LEGO bricks and paper. These structures can be used to model helical structures in chemistry. These include circularly polarized light and various helical biomolecules.
VSEPR Flat Packs: An Economical Model Kit
Kathryn Rust | Tue, 06/13/2023 - 09:59
Molecular geometry is a center piece to a student’s understanding of intermolecular forces. Unfortunately, many students don’t have the special skills to “see” the geometry without a model kit. Check out this inexpensive take-home model kit!
Paper Snowflakes to Model Flat Symmetrical Molecules
Dean Campbell | Wed, 04/06/2022 - 13:39
Flat, symmetrical molecules can be modeled by folding a sheet of paper, cutting patterns into the folded structure, and unfolding to produce the flat paper models. The finished models resemble paper snowflakes, but have a variety of rotational symmetries. Template patterns for several molecules are available for download in the Supporting Information.
Are Red Table Grapes Sold in Stores Always Red?
Scott Donnelly | Mon, 03/28/2022 - 23:43
Structure. Structure. Structure. This blog post describes a classroom activity where students propose the structure of a molecule- based on bond type information- used to accelerate the change in color of red table grapes.
A Polystyrene Model of Polystyrene Tacticity
Dean Campbell | Sun, 11/21/2021 - 10:55
Thin sheets of polystyrene can be patterned with permanent markers to represent repeating units of the polymer and then shrunk down in size using heat. The shrunken models of the repeating units can be connected with a string and then flipped into positions to demonstrate different types of polymer tacticity.
The Sweet and Delicious Chemistry of Brownies
Scott Donnelly | Wed, 05/26/2021 - 12:05
Who is not interested in food, right? Why not use what happens in the kitchen everyday to teach some chemistry? This blog post shares some conceptually based questions based on the information found on the backside of a popular dry mix brownie product.
A Simple Method to Determine the Number of Lone Pairs on a Hypervalent Central Atom
Joseph Lomax | Wed, 02/10/2021 - 16:21
Teaching about hypervalent structures is problematic. This post discusses a simple and quick way in determining the number of lone pairs on a hypervalent central p-block atom.
Geometric Approach to Lewis Structures
Lauren Stewart | Tue, 04/12/2016 - 18:25
Lauren Stewart discusses why she is having her students build 3-D models BEFORE teaching them to draw Lewis structures.