Interactive Lewis Structures

Submitted by Adam Bridgeman / The University of Sydney on Wed, 01/20/2010 - 21:51
Description

http://firstyear.chem.usyd.edu.au/iChem/lewis.shtml

A set of Flash-based, interactive tools for students to construct Lewis structures for electron deficient, octet rule obeying and hypervalent MLx molecules and ions (x = 2 - 6).

The user chooses the number of electrons and bond type (single, double or triple) and is steered towards the correct stucture.

For cases where resonance structures are possible, the user must construct each form to complete the puzzle.

Biological and medical examples in intro chem at MIT

Submitted by Joanne Stewart / Hope College on Fri, 01/01/2010 - 16:29
Description

I read about these new biology examples for intro chem in a recent Association for Women in Science (AWIS) Washington Wire (December 2009, Issue II).  Professor Catherine Drennan from MIT and her colleagues introduced "examples of biological and medical topics that demonstrate chemistry principles into her introductory chemistry lectures to highlight the connection between the fields of biology and medicine, that students often love, and chemistry."  Their assessment showed that the examples increased student satisfaction with the course.

Metals in Acid Base Chemistry

Submitted by Sheila Smith / University of Michigan- Dearborn on Sun, 10/18/2009 - 08:26
Description

This is a simple in class exercise to review acid- base equilibria and to lead the students to thinking about metals as both Lewis and Bronsted- Lowry acids. I use it as a discussion starter when I introduce the role of metals in biological acid/base chemistry in my upper division inorganic course, but it can be used at any level once acid-base equilibria has been covered.

Chemistry Bingo Generator

Submitted by Adam Johnson / Harvey Mudd College on Tue, 09/08/2009 - 10:59
Description

I used this Excel spreadsheet to generate bingo cards for teaching *organic* nomenclature and functional groups to first year students during a recitation section.  I gave each student a handful of pennies and a bingo card generated randomly.  The topics could be easily changed to inorganic nomenclature, solid state lattices, you name it.  Its a quick way to review a small amount of material before an exam.

Free Rice...and Periodic Table Symbols?

Submitted by Nancy Williams / Scripps College, Pitzer College, Claremont McKenna College on Mon, 08/17/2009 - 14:11
Description

A neat site that quizzes you on chemical symbols (e.g., Ag for silver), and donates rice for right answers. Hey, if students are going to learn chemical symbols, they may as well do it in a game setting, and many will find it a touch less pointless if they're doing someone else some good at the same time.

Sol-Gel Silica: Nanoarchitectures of Being and Nothingness

Submitted by Maggie Geselbracht / Reed College on Thu, 08/06/2009 - 16:59
Description

In this lab experiment, students use sol-gel chemistry to prepare silica gel monoliths from tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS).  Carrying out the hydrolysis and condensation under acid-catalyzed vs.

Basic Chemistry Review

Submitted by Adam Johnson / Harvey Mudd College on Mon, 07/13/2009 - 14:32
Description

This website is a self-paced review of concepts for gen chem and includes test questions (and answers) for the reader.  It would be a great site to point your intro chem students to if they want/need extra review.  It is a set of 10 units, covering things like stoichiometry, unit conversions, and basic acid-base chemistry.  

Theo Gray's Mad Science: Experiments You Can Do at Home--But Probably Shouldn't

Submitted by Hilary Eppley / DePauw University on Wed, 07/08/2009 - 16:18
Description

Theo Gray has compiled some of his Popular Science columns into a beautiful book of sometimes dangerous experiments, many of them with particular relevance to inorganic chemistry! With chapter names like "Experimental Cuisine", "Doomsday DIY", and "Twisted Shop Class", you know you in for a wild ride. Some particularly intriguing experiments include electroplating a copper design on your iPod, making glass and elemental silicon out of sand, making a burning Mg/dry ice sculpture, anodizing Ti for cool color effects, and creating a "hill billy hot tub" using 600 lbs of quicklime.

The Elements: Theo Gray's periodic table website

Submitted by Hilary Eppley / DePauw University on Thu, 07/02/2009 - 16:47
Description

While this site is also a commercial site (selling Theo's periodic tables and book, etc.) it is a wonderful resource of pictures of elements and their compounds, and "real life" uses of elements (such as a gamma ray imaging of the skeleton for Tc, a hard drive for B, and sushi for Hg!). It is also a source of movies of reactions of the elements, including some pretty impressive ones for the alkali metals and the thermite reaction. It also provides easy access to his chemistry column for Popular Science magazine.

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