Review for:Molecular Structure Calculations

If you used this resource in your own classroom, please add your review.

    

posted: on December 12, 2006 at 12:24PM

My rating of this resource: ****

My experience using this resource:
Chemistry

Topic I was teaching:
Lewis Structures

My learning goal for which this resource was used:
Draw Lewis structures for systems far down the periodic table where the octet rule is no longer an absolute guideline

Course Level:
A.P.

How I/my students used the resource:
My student were curious about how to decide between a non-expanded valence shell structure (with non-zero formal charges) and an expanded valence shell structure (with no formal charges) for selenium dioxide. I found this site (via Google) which gave precise quantum mechanical calculated values for the bond orders and effective charges of the atoms in the optimal structure for this molecule and many others.

Value Added:
Provides visualization or animation, Increases modeling skills, Provides access to data sets, Increases access to scientists, Provides additional content

Strengths:
Complete, fairly well organized, and relatively easy for me to interpret for students. Emphasizes that Lewis structures are only a simple approximation to the complicated real world of molecular structure.

Weaknesses:
Requires a fairly sophisticated understanding of the jargon used in molecular structure calculations.

Researching the Wireless High School: Effects on Science Teaching and Implications for Professional Development, Copyright 2013 TERC.
Funded by NSF #0455795. Opinions expressed on this site are those of the contributors and not necessarily those of the National Science Foundation.

Note: NSF funding for this project has ended and this site has been converted to a static archive of the working site; dynamic functionality including logging in, search, and posting have been disabled.