Science Information Literacy Badge--Reading the Literature
Description
This is an activity designed to introduce general chemistry students to reading the chemistry literature by familiarizing them with the structure of a published article. The activity first presents an article from the Whitesides group at Harvard about writing a scientific manuscript, along with a video about the peer-review process. There are two parts to the questions in the activity, which are based on a specific article from Nature Communications (doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-08824-8).
Constructing a Class Acid-Base Titration Curve
Description
In this in-class activity, each student calculates the inital pH, equivalence volume, and pH at the equivalence point for both a strong acid-strong base and a weak acid-strong base titration.
In addition, each student is assigned a unique volume before the equivalence point and a unique volume after the equivalence point for each titration curve.
The data from the class is then assembled in Excel to construct the two titration curves.
An improved method for drawing the bonding MO for dihydrogen
Description
Most of us have probably been there. Discussing homonuclear diatomic MO diagrams and on the first day you want to put up the sigma bonding molecular orbital for H2. If you teach it like me, you emphasize the LCAO-MO approach, so you draw a hydrogen atom with its 1s orbital interacting with a hydrogen atom with its 1s orbital...and then you notice giggling from the less mature audience members. My technique will help to prevent this from happening. The technique is in the "faculty only" files section.
Principles of Chemistry II
Description
This second semester general chemistry course is a continuation of the Principles of Chemistry sequence that is recommended for science students. The focus of the course is the fundamentals of structure and bonding, with an emphasis on predicting reactivity.
VIPEr Fellows 2019 Workshop Favorites
During our first fellows workshop, the first cohort of VIPEr fellows pulled together learning objects that they've used and liked or want to try the next time they teach their inorganic courses.
IUPAC Brief Guide to the Nomenclature of Inorganic Chemistry
Description
This is a short nomenclature guide designed to be used by students and faculty.
VSEPR: Flash Review
Description
This presentation is meant to be a review of applying VSEPRup to steric number 6. It's designed to be viewed as a powerpoint and printed out to keep for the student's notebook.
It can be used at multiple levels: as a review immediately after learning VSEPR in general chemistry, or as a refresher before starting upper level inorganic chemistry. The instructor could add text or voice over the slides to add more detail or leave the presentation as is for students.
Molecular Orbital Theory: Flash Review
Description
This presentation is meant to be a review of constructing and utilizing an MO diagram, in this case O2. It's designed to be viewed as a powerpoint and printed out to keep for the student's notebook.
It can be used at multiple levels: as a review immediately after learning MO theory in general chemistry, or as a refresher before starting upper level inorganic chemistry. The instructure could add text or voice over the slides to add more detail or leave the presentation as is for students.
Maths for Chemists
Description
Chemistry requires mathematics in almost all areas but it is a subject many students struggle with. This short booklet introduces mathematics from basic concepts to more advanced topics. A particularly nice feature is that examples of chemistry calculations are included so that students can understand why they have learn mathematics at all. This resource comes from the Royal Society of Chemistry's Learn Chemistry website.