In this work we are going to present how an interactive platform can be used as a powerful tool to allow students to better explore a foundational problem in quantum chemistry: the application of the variational method to the dihydrogen molecule using simple Gaussian trial functions. The theoretical approach for the hydrogen atom is quite…

Effective professional development that influences teachers' classroom practices starts with what teachers know, understand, and do in their classroom. The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) challenge teachers to make changes to their classroom; to help teachers make these changes, it is necessary to know what they are doing in their…

This article presents simple tools and concepts to engage students in inquiry-based learning about the carbon cycle, thawing permafrost, and climate change. The lessons focus on learning in Earth science, environmental science, chemistry, and biology and align with the "Next Generation Science Standards".

Box-and-whisker plots or simply boxplots are powerful graphical representations that give an overview of a data set. In this work five different examples illustrate the applications of boxplots in food chemistry. The examples involve relative sweetness of sugars and sugar alcohols with respect to sucrose, the potassium content of fruits and…

The present study investigated pre-service chemistry teachers' problem solving strategies and alternative conceptions in solving stoichiometric problems and later on formulate a teaching framework based from the result of the study. The pre-service chemistry teachers were given four stoichiometric problems with increasing complexity and they need…

A discovery-based Grignard experiment that emphasizes several important concepts in organic chemistry is reported. The Grignard reagent from 1- bromo-4-chlorobenzene was prepared and reacted with dimethylformamide (DMF) to synthesize 4-chlorobenzaldehyde. Students were tasked with predicting halogen reactivity in the formation of the Grignard…

We describe an activity that is suitable for high school students and makes use of plastic bottles. This activity allows students to familiarize themselves with gas chemistry by introducing technologies that were applied in old submarine systems. Plastic bottles, which are representative of submarines, are used as reaction vessels. Three simple…

Sample handling and laboratory notebook maintenance are necessary skills but can seem abstract if not presented to students in context. An introductory exercise focusing on proper sample handling, data collection and laboratory notebook keeping for the general chemistry laboratory was developed to emphasize the importance of keeping an accurate…

An undergraduate electrical conductivity measurement experiment in a physical chemistry lab and basic fitting procedures are presented that allow a characterization of micellar system of hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (cetyltrimethylammonium bromide, CTAB) in binary mixture of water and acetonitrile (ACN) as a cosolvent (10%, v/v) at 30.0 °C.…

Three new examples are presented illustrating three-dimensional chemical information searches of the Cambridge structure database (CSD) from which basic core concepts in organic and inorganic chemistry emerge. These include connecting the regiochemistry of aromatic electrophilic substitution with the geometrical properties of hydrogen bonding…

This study focused on how culture of peace and care for the planet earth variables predicted public coeducational secondary school students understanding of chemistry concepts in Anambra State of Nigeria. Three research questions guided the study. It was a survey and correlational research designs that involved sample of 180 drawn from six schools…

Misconception is one of the most widely researched topics in science education, including chemical education. This research aims to apply simple graphical visualization tool named Winplot for a learning exercise activity and explore its potency to counter misconceptions about orbitals and quantum numbers. Misconceptions that were countered in this…

Many chemistry laboratory exercises follow a given protocol with known results. Such traditional laboratories rarely give students an accurate representation of how research is conducted, the scientific practices involved in research, and the ownership that accompanies developing and carrying out an independent project. Several laboratory reforms…

This study presents a method for teaching the subject of chemical equilibrium in which students engage in self-learning mediated by the use of a new multimedia animation (SEQ-alfa©). This method is presented together with evidence supporting its advantages. At a microscopic level, the simulator shows the mutual transformation of A molecules into B…

Three internally developed mobile apps, "3D Sym Op", "SM2 Chem" and "ARMolVis," available for free on both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store were evaluated in seven studies. Each study was a systematic process of Pre-Test, In-lecture App Demo, App Assisted Interactive Tutorials (AAITs) and/or Independent App…