nomenclature

As a chemistry teacher of ten years there is one unit I used to enjoy but as time has gone on it now feels like a huge task....the unit on the nomenclature of ionic and covalent compounds. Currently, in the state of Michigan, it's not a specific state standard that aligns with the Next Generation Science Standards so it has become “extra” content;

My students have always struggled with nomenclature. Even at the end of the unit, I had students mixing up the roman numerals with the molecular prefixes and they would give answers such as Copper Monoxide (II) or Mononitrogen (III) trihydride (I). I decided to try a new approach this school year.

Hang on to your hats, folks! We are about to enter my longest notebook unit of the year: Bonding. This unit is massive with 6 two page spreads. Read on to see my discussion of pros and cons of splitting it into two units versus keeping it as one big unit.

Co-Authored by Dean J. Campbell* and Kathryn Campbell* *Bradley University, Peoria, Illinois

I am always looking for little activities to fill those "dead spaces" during the school day like passing times, when some students finish early, or when there is not enough time before the bell to start the next activity.

Chemical bonding is a pivotal topic in chemistry classes that can be overwhelming for students and teachers alike - so much to teach, so many ways that it can be overwhelming! On November 4th, 2021, Nora Walsh shared her unit covering chemical bonding and naming in this ChemBasics Talk.

While students usually do well with naming binary ionic compounds of fixed charge, many students struggle with naming ionic compounds that contain ions of variable charge. Common mistakes include:

As a follow-up to the first two activities (Part 1 and Part 2) using paper tools to introduce

To help introduce students to organic nomenclature in a way that clearly summarizes the patterns that exist in the IUPAC system, a series of paper tools were developed. The paper tool in this activity can be used to introduce the IUPAC naming of major classes of organic compounds.