Symmetry

10 May 2018

3D Sym Op

Submitted by Caroline Saouma, University of Utah
Evaluation Methods: 

None

Description: 

This is a great app that helps students see the symmetry in molecules. It allows you to choose a molecule (by name, structure, or point group) and display a 3D rendition of it. You can then have it display the symmetry elements, and/or apply all the symmetry operations. 

It is available for both android and apple phones: (probably easier to just search for it)

apple: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/3d-sym-op/id1067556681?mt=8

android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.nus.symmo&hl=en_US

Topics Covered: 
Symmetry
Prerequisites: 
General Chemistry
Course Level: 
Second year
Upper Division
Learning Goals: 

A student should be able to find symmetry elements in molecules. 

Corequisites: 
No Corequisites
Subdiscipline: 
Molecular Structure and Bonding
Implementation Notes: 

In class I project my phone screen so they can see it, and I encourage the students to work along with their phones. I prefer this to models, as it is hard to remember what things looked like before you did the transformation, and moreover, my students have a hard time finding the symmetry elements. 

 

I encourage the students to play with it anytime they have a few spare moments- waiting for the bus, in line for food, etc. 

Pages

Subscribe to RSS - Symmetry