Entropy and the second law of thermodynamics have long been identified as difficult concepts to teach in the physical chemistry curriculum. Their highly abstract nature, mathematical complexity and emergent nature underscore the necessity to better link classical thermodynamics and statistical thermodynamics. The objectives of this systematic…

Under the appropriate conditions, oscillatory chemical reactions have the capacity to generate chemical waves and spatial patterns. Among these structures, Turing patterns are a distinct class that, to date, has not been commonly demonstrated in a classroom environment. We present here a novel, practical procedure for the demonstration of Turing…

It is natural to interpret entropy as a measure of energy dispersion. However, the classical, phenomenological introduction to the topic, which relies on detailed analysis of Carnot engines, obscures this interpretation. Here, we propose a modification of the classical approach, which allows the basic properties of entropy to be proven without…

Energy conversion devices such as fuel cells, metal-air batteries, and electrolyzers have been envisaged as possible solutions for cutting down the continuous accumulation of greenhouse gases resulting from the combustion of fossil fuel. The bottleneck reaction for these devices is the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) occurring at the cathode. The…

This study explores the challenges faced by tertiary education instructors in teaching thermodynamics, with a specific focus on entropy. This study completes and adds to the current literature by providing self-reported perceptions of difficulty by teachers, which is lacking, compared to students' opinions, in this area of research. Through a…

An activity is described that uses simple materials and an easy-to-perform protocol to estimate the Curie temperature of nickel, which is the temperature at which nickel loses its ferromagnetism. To do so, an object made of nickel metal is heated with a lighter until it loses its ferromagnetism. The metal is allowed to drop into a beaker that…

This paper starts with an introduction to the concept of momentum current. It is followed by a discussion of its strength and density with the aid of several analogies made between momentum current and electric current. Based on the novel concepts of thermal charge and its quantity (entropy), the analogies are extended to entropy current. The…

We use the Survey of Thermodynamic Processes and First and Second Laws-Long, a research-based survey instrument with 78 items at the level of introductory physics, to investigate introductory and advanced students' difficulties with internal energy, work, and heat transfer. We present analysis of data from 12 different introductory and advanced…

Analogies can be powerful teaching tools because they can make new material intelligible to students by comparing it to material that is already familiar. In assisting students to understand chemistry concepts, teachers occasionally use analogies. These analogies are believed to help the students to structure the new knowledge and they are…

The distinction between pressure in a liquid and in a gas is often treated in a cursory way, or not treated at all, even in university level textbooks. Most texts fail to point out the relation between pressure and density in a gas as compared to pressure in a--virtually incompressible--liquid. In many instances this also results in a dismissive…

Redox reactions and their balancing are one of the basic chemistry subjects in which students may experience remarkable learning difficulties at the beginning of their university career. This topic represents an evolution of stoichiometry concepts related to the balancing of chemical reactions and can be taught with different approaches as a…

The author introduces the concept of the quantum volume into thermodynamics teaching. A new derivation of the basic part of the Sackur-Tetrode equation uses the microcanonical ensemble instead of the math-heavy canonical ensemble. Entropy diagrams, based on the binomial distribution, visualize the ratio between the quantum volume and system volume.

The alternative conceptions that students hold put a brake on subsequent meaningful learning, and therefore, the identification of these wrong ideas is crucial for effective teaching and academic success. Undergraduate STEM students often perceive Chemical Thermodynamics as a difficult subject, in which entropy has been pointed out as a threshold…

This paper describes an upper-division undergraduate exercise involving the synthesis and iodometric and infrared spectroscopic analysis of the peroxide double salt [Zn(NH[subscript 3])[subscript 4]][Mo(O[subscript 2])[subscript 4]]. Here, iodometric methods are employed to determine the peroxide content of the compound, a procedure widely used…

When we teach thermodynamics, a vacuum container used to keep food isolated from air is a cheap and interesting teaching device. There are some experiments already described in the literature and we can also find videos of demonstrations on YouTube. At the same time, there is increasing interest in how to utilize smartphones in physics…