A set of questions to be used in General or Introductory Inorganic Chemistry as a review or “quiz” of shapes and polarities.

This activity was created as part of a primer on cyclic voltammetry for the 2015 TUES workshop. The activity is designed to have one person represent the potential and several other people represent the molecules in solution. By simply scanning (walking through the line of people) and shaking hands, several simple mechanisms can be illustrated. The use of a joy buzzer with the first hand shake is highly encouraged, but not at all necessary.

This question set has students examine the kinetics of the electrocatalytic reduction of CO₂ to CO described in Sampson, D.L.; Nguygen, D., Grice, K.A.; Moore, C.E.; Rheingold, A.L.; Kubiak, C.P. Manganese Catalysts with Bulky Bipyridine Ligands for the Electrocatalytic Reduction of Carbon Dioxide:  Eliminating Dimerization and Altering Catalysis.  J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2014, 136, 5460-5471. 

I do this activity as an introduction to the nature of science.  An object (not easily guessable) is put into a paper bag.  The job of the class is to figure out what is in the bag. At first, the students are simply shown the bag (sense of sight). Discussion (hypotheses) ensues on what could be in the bag.  I then walk around and shake the bag so students can hear what's in it (hearing). This results in more discussion, with some previous ideas being discarded. The bag is then passed around and students can feel (but not open!) the bag and also try to smell it.