150 Interactive VSEPR Molecules (with lone pairs and pi)

Submitted by George Lisensky / Beloit College on Tue, 04/14/2026 - 15:30
Description

In our course sequence, students use VSEPR in general chemistry. Organic chemistry uses hybrid orbitals and pi-bonding. When students get to inorganic chemistry, they are often confused by the two descriptions, especially with a steric number (lone pairs plus bonded atoms) greater than four.

This activity is designed to serve as a bridge between multiple levels and returned to in more than one course.
150 different molecules can be manipulated in JSmol, with options to show multiple bonds, lone pairs, and orbitals suitable for pi-bonding.
 

COMFORT, A web resource for fragment molecular orbitals of simple fragments
Description

The website entitled COMFORT (https://ipc.iisc.ac.in/~ags/ip312/comfort.html) is a easy way to visualise fragment molecular orbitals of many different organic ligands and also metal fragments. One can match the frontier orbitals of the fragments to see if they can form stable molecules. It helps one to see how fragments of an octahedral organometallic complex can be stripped of its ligands one by one to generate fragments that can match organic ligands with multiple "pi" bonds.

samuelson / Indian Institute of Science Tue, 06/17/2025 - 02:56

In-class Activity - Colligative Properties

Submitted by Jack Eichler / University of California, Riverside on Sat, 09/07/2024 - 10:33
Description

This activity is intended for use in a college-level second term general chemistry course, and is designed to engage students in a guided concept development exercise that will help them construct conceptual understanding of how non-volatile solutes impact the boiling point and freezing point of aqueous solvent. 

 

Introduction to Strong and Weak Acid Ionization
Description

This is an in-class activity that introduces students to the concepts of ionization of strong and weak acids in aqueous solutions and equilibrium constants for acid ionization using two of the domains in Johnstone's triangle of chemistry knowledge, submicroscopic particle level illustrations and symbolic representations.

 

Sheri Lense / University of Wisconsin Oshkosh Tue, 12/19/2023 - 17:09

Atomic Orbital Representations and the Orbitron

Submitted by Andrea Van Duzor / Chicago State University on Fri, 06/09/2023 - 16:37
Description

This POGIL based activity is intended to review general chemistry concepts of atomic structure and to further those concepts with additional attention to d orbitals and radial distribution graphs.  The primary model in the activity is The Orbitron website (https://winter.group.shef.ac.uk/orbitron/) with students examining the isosurface and radial distributions for a variety of orbitals.

The Potential and Cost of Lithium-Ion Batteries

Submitted by Michael Drummond / Saint Mary's College on Thu, 08/04/2022 - 14:19
Description

These slides were originally developed as a part of an Earth Week presentation for a general audience, but can also be used as part of a general chemistry course or any course with electrochemistry. They provide a modern context and relevance to how lithium-ion batteries are produced and function. 

VIPEr Fellows 2022 Workshop Favorites

Submitted by Barbara Reisner / James Madison University on Sun, 06/26/2022 - 14:31

The second 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.

Basics of Redox Reactions

Submitted by Austin Scharf / Oxford College of Emory University on Wed, 05/26/2021 - 13:56
Description

This worksheet was designed as an in-class, group activity in a flipped classroom. It relies on an understanding of the octet rule and common charges of various elements, as well as basic nomenclature of ionic compounds.  The worksheet teaches students to balance simple redox reactions (in which only the oxidized and reduced atoms are present) by identifying half-reactions, counting electrons transferred, and multiplying half-reactions to "cancel" electrons.  

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