Asking students to work in groups and developing group projects is always challenging. This 5-slides about describes approaches for increasing the effectiveness and success of student groups. It also contains some helpful links to resources on how to form groups and help students develop group skills.
This community challenge was to come up with problems on solid state structures. Not exactly my area of expertise. In fact, I ofter turn to VIPEr for help when I teach this these topics. I think we received some really great contributions for this community challenge. I am honored to have co-authored a few of them with Maggie Geselbracht. I look forward to using the rest of these in my class in the future.
This is a simple activity designed to help students visualize the interaction of atomic orbitals to form molecular orbitals. Students construct atomic orbitals out of Play-Doh and determine whether overlap of a given pairs of atomic orbitals along the specified axis can result in a σ, π, or δ interaction or no net interaction. I do this activity following a reading assignment and lecture on the formation of molecular orbitals from atomic orbitals that cover the various types of interactions. Students then work in groups of 3-4 to complete the instructions described on the attached worksh
Students are asked to find a coordination complex in the recent literature and analyze its structure. This homework or in-class activity is a great way for the instructor to crowd source the discovery of interesting new complexes to use as material in future exams.
I like having students look at data and then explain data based on what they know about periodic trends. This activity uses the data we all use for radii and ionization energies and asks students to look just a little bit deeper.
I have gone back and forth between using this as an in class activity (my current practice) and using some of these questions on exams.
This lab was part of the materials science portion of my second-year inorganic chemistry course. Students synthesize a zeolite structure and grow a chemical garden as examples of silicate chemistry.
Students use a Java-based website to explore the faujasite zeolite structure. The activity questions guide them through identifying different atomic positions within the structure, and orienting the zeolite pores and "cages" relative to the crystal axes.
This lab handout and supplementary materials were developed based on a publication in the Journal of Chemical Education:
Berger, P.; Adelman, N.; Beckman, K.; Campbell, D.; Ellis, A.; Lisensky, G. Preparation and Properties of an Aqueous Ferrofluid. J. Chem. Educ. 1999, 76 (7), 943-48