The Nature of Science

Submitted by Lori Watson / Earlham College on Thu, 07/02/2015 - 12:00
Description

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.

Exploring the Scientific Method in an Electrocatalysis Publication

Submitted by Sarah K. St. Angelo / Dickinson College on Thu, 07/02/2015 - 00:40
Description

This is a learning object focused on discussing application of the scientific method in the chemical literature. This focuses on the paper “Nickel-Iron Oxyhydroxide Oxygen-Evolution Electrocatalysts: The Role of Intentional and Incidental Iron Incorporation” (J. Am. Chem.

Chemistry Infographics from Compound Interest

Submitted by Darren Achey / Kutztown University on Tue, 06/30/2015 - 14:48
Description

Compound Interest is a website that creates infographics for chemistry related events and items.  Specific examples of inorganic chemistry infographics include showing how the metal content in colored glass gives the glass its characteristic color, how the lighting of a match works with the conversion of red phosphorus to white phosphorus, and the various colors that transition metals can have in different oxidation states in water, among many other examples.

The Messy Chemist: Separating a Solid Mixture

Submitted by Mike Norris / University of Richmond on Tue, 06/30/2015 - 14:42
Description

This lab exercise gives students a problem scenario (a mixture of 4 solids) and asks them to determine a way to separate them from each other utilizing experimentation, previous knowledge, and discussion.  Students are expected to write a standard operating procedure detailing the method they determine for the separation at the end of the lab.  A modified version of this lab was originally performed in an accelerated summer class on chemistry given to 7th, 8th, and 9th graders that were on a track for early entrance into college.  The lab was done over the c

Teaching and Learning Package Library from University of Cambridge

Submitted by Vanessa / Albion College on Mon, 06/29/2015 - 15:56
Description

This is a resource that has short, animated tutorials on a variety of different topics. Most of the topics are materials science and/or engineering topics but there are several that would be of interest to chemistry students. (A full list of topics is given below.)

Copper Oxide Crystal Growth

Submitted by Ellen Steinmiller / University of Dallas on Mon, 06/29/2015 - 14:49
Description

Students in a 2nd year inorganic class read an article describing the effect of additives on the final morphology of copper oxide. (Siegfried, M.J., and Choi, K-S, “Elucidating the Effect of Additives on the Growth and Stability of Cu2O Surfaces via Shape Transformation of Pre-Grown Crystals”J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2006, 128 (32), pp 10356–10357.  dx.doi.org/10.1021/ja063574y).

Use of Toulmin’s Argumentation Scheme in Explaining Inorganic Chemistry:

Submitted by Kate Plass / Franklin & Marshall College on Mon, 06/29/2015 - 14:26
Description

This is a presentation to introduce students to Toulmin’s Argumentation Scheme in the context of providing explanations in Inorganic Chemistry. It was inspired by discussions with Rick Moog at Franklin & Marshall College regarding how to encourage students to fully explain the “why” behind chemical behavior, rather than simply cite trends or equations. These slides were used to prompt a discussion about what a complete, logical explanation should include. They also served as a means of defining what is expected on quizzes and exams in response to various prompts.

Bi-weekly literature discussion with ASAP alerts

Submitted by Dave / Saint Michael's College on Mon, 06/29/2015 - 14:23
Description

This assignment introduces students to the various sub-disciplines of Inorganic chemistry and requires them to examine the current literature throughout the semester.  The assignment is introduced the first day of class as part of a discussion on the breadth of inorganic chemistry. I review the journals published by the American Chemical Society and discuss which contain papers related to inorganic chemistry.

Materials Project

Submitted by Barbara Reisner / James Madison University on Fri, 06/12/2015 - 16:58
Description

The Materials Project is part of the Materials Genome Initiative that uses high-througput computing to uncover the properties of inorganic materials.

It's possible to search for materials and their properties

It employs high-throughput computation approaches and IT to create a system that can be used to predict properties and construct phase diagrams andPourbaix diagrams.

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