Curriculum Map

Introductory Chemistry

Author:
Rebecca DeVasher, Associate Professor, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, Terre Haute, Indiana

This Curriculum Map provides a list of highly relevant and engaging content from throughout AccessScience for use in enriching your teaching. Site assets such as tables, graphs, diagrams, photos, and animations have been mapped to standard topics taught in an introductory Chemistry course. Use the "Copy Link" functionality to paste a direct link from each asset into your school's learning management system for easy incorporation into your curriculum.

Course Topics


Chemical Elements
Asset Description
Diagram The organization of the periodic table of the elements, shown in this figure, is of great importance for students in an introductory chemistry course. A key that illustrates the symbol, atomic number, and atomic weight is inserted.

Suggested use: Assign as a research project for each student to choose an element(s) of the week, or day, and give a one-minute talk about that element's properties in relation to its position in the periodic table, common uses, and so on.		 copy link
Graph This figure shows the cosmic abundances of the elements, plotted as a function of atomic number.

Suggested use: Have students use this graph, along with the table below, in the suggested activity below.		 copy link
Table This table shows the distribution of elements among some of the major subdivisions of Earth.

Suggested use: Along with the graph (see above), have students choose two elements from this table and discuss how their relative geochemical abundance in the Earth's crust is similar or different from their cosmic abundance.		 copy link
Biography Dmitri Ivanovich Mendeleyev (1834–1907) was a Russian chemist whose name will always be linked with his outstanding achievement, the development of the periodic table.

Suggested use: Assign as reading for students to explore the interesting life story of this chemist who, in addition to developing the periodic table, has element number 101 named after him (mendelevium).		 copy link
Gases
Asset Description
Animation Diffusion of gases occurs according to molecular weight. This animation shows the diffusion occurring as a reaction proceeds in a sealed tube.

Suggested use: Assign to students as an introduction to gas diffusion―the gradual mixing of gases through random motion. Have students calculate which gas in each pair diffuses faster: CH4 or NH3; CO or CO2.		 copy link
Biography The work of Johannes Diderik van der Waals spanned both physical and organic chemistry, with an emphasis on gases and organic compounds. The ideal gas law was central to his work in the stoichiometry of gases and the historical determination of molecular weight.

Suggested use: Have students explore the life and work of this scientist, known for the van der Waals equation of state and van der Waals forces, theories in the behavior of gases and intermolecular interactions.		 copy link
Equation The universal gas constant and the ideal gas law are central to quantitative application of gases for uses such as thermal cracking, industrial processes, chemical reactors, and many other applications. This article shows the ideal gas law equation.

Suggested use: Have students use this equation to solve for P, such as given that 5 moles of nitrogen gas is in a 100-liter fixed cylinder at 300 Kelvin and R = 0.08 L atm.		 copy link
Diagram Monitoring the composition of gases in air is critical to maintaining human health and safety. This figure from the article Gas and atmosphere analysis shows a variety of collection devices used in the workplace.

Suggested use: Have students research any two devices shown in this figure and report on the advantages and disadvantages of each.		 copy link
Thermochemistry
Asset Description
Equation Equation (1) from this article on thermochemistry expresses the principle of conservation of energy: When a closed system changes from an initial state to a final state, its internal energy, U, changes by the amount shown in the equation.

Suggested use: Have students express this equation in their own words.		 copy link
Animation Students can visualize the relationship between potential, kinetic, and total energy in this animation detailing the concept of the first law of thermodynamics, the conservation of energy, as expressed in the equation (see above).

Suggested use: Support the discussion of conservation of energy.		 copy link
Biography Pierre Berthelot worked on synthesis and thermochemistry and is credited with the invention of the bomb calorimeter in the late nineteenth century.

Suggested use: Refer students to this biography to learn about Berthelot's contributions to thermochemistry.		 copy link
Reaction The reaction of aluminum being used as fuel, presented in the Explosive article, is an example of a reaction that evolves energy in an exothermic process.

Suggested use: Display this reaction and discuss what is meant by an exothermic process.		 copy link
Atomic Structure and Chemical Bonding
Asset Description
Table The valence for each element identifies the bonding nature of that element. This table from the Valence article shows the electron configuration of certain atoms.

Suggested use: Use this table to support a discussion of valence, the rule of eight, and atomic bond formation, as discussed in this article.		 copy link
Animation Ionic and covalent bonding bring about very different macroscopic characteristics. This animation shows the differences in these two bonding types.

Suggested use: Play this animation to define ionic and covalent bonds and demonstrate formation of these bonds.		 copy link
Video Biography Louis Brus is challenging the stereotype of chemistry as a test-tube-only lab science as he conducts ground-breaking research in nanoscience.

Suggested use: Have students watch the video and read the biographical information presented on the page, and then ask students to prepare a short essay on how semiconductor nanocrystals represent a cornerstone of modern chemistry.		 copy link
Biography Linus Pauling was most influential to the concept of bonding in the twentieth century. His work focused on molecular structure and chemical bonds.

Suggested use: Ask students to read and summarize the work of this two-time Nobel Prize winner (for Chemistry and for Peace), and to compare and contrast his contributions with the contributions of Louis Brus (see above) in the twenty-first century.		 copy link
Covalent Bonding
Asset Description
Diagram Figure 2 from the article on molecular orbital theory shows the molecular orbital diagram of hydrogen gas, which is the simplest molecule in terms of bonding.

Suggested use: Use this diagram to introduce the concept of molecular orbital theory.		 copy link
Animation An important concept in covalent bonding is resonance, or delocalization of electrons through a pi system. This animation details the concept of resonance for ozone.

Suggested use: Have students view this video prior to a discussion of resonance.		 copy link
Biography Friedrich August Kekulé von Stradonitz is best known for his theory of the ring structure of benzene, a shorthand notation illustrating the delocalized pi cloud in the six-membered hydrocarbon ring.

Suggested use: After assigning this biography as required reading, have students research the molecular structure of benzene and explain the importance of resonance in its covalent bonds.		 copy link
Diagram This figure, from the Molecule article, shows three different representations of the ethanol molecule, each illustrating chemical bonding.

Suggested use: Have students suggest advantages and disadvantages of using each type of molecular model.		 copy link
Diagram Figure 2 from the Molecule article shows the molecular mechanics of a hydrocarbon, illustrating how a long-chain compound is flexible.

Suggested use: Support a discussion of conformations in covalent bonding.		 copy link
Liquids and Solids
Asset Description
Diagram This figure, from the article on crystal structure, shows the most ubiquitous crystal-packing pattern in solids: close-packed structure.

Suggested use: Using white spheres to represent metal atoms, have students build this molecular model and demonstrate for themselves its hexagonal symmetry.		 copy link
Diagram This diagram, from the Liquid article, exemplifies a phase diagram of a pure substance, plotting pressure against temperature and showing a triple point for three states of matter.

Suggested use: Display in class and have students explain the relationships among the parts of the phase diagram, given that L is the liquid state, S is the solid state, and V is the vapor phase.		 copy link
Diagram Figure 1 illustrates ionic liquids, a unique phenomenon in chemistry where a salt is a liquid rather than a solid as predicted by its intermolecular interactions.

Suggested use: Support a discussion of ionic liquids.		 copy link
Diagram Figure 2 from the article Intermolecular forces illustrates intermolecular interactions—the forces that determine the phase of matter for materials.

Suggested use: Have students point out which part of this diagram best represents the intermolecular interactions in liquids, which part best represents solids, and which part best represents gases.		 copy link
Solutions
Asset Description
Equation Equation 6 from this article on types of intermolecular forces gives the combined escaping tendency of all the molecules in an ideal solution.

Suggested use: Point out that an ideal solution, although nonexistant, is one that obeys Raoult's Law. Have students conduct research on Raoult's Law for extra credit.		 copy link
Equation This equation shows how the molality of a solution may be computed from its molarity, exemplifying the application of different concentration scales.

Suggested use: Provide students with values for M and d, then have students calculate molecular weight of a specific molecule and plug in that value to calculate molality.		 copy link
Animation This animation shows how various molecules in a solution will diffuse across a membrane in the process of osmosis, and demonstrates the concept of osmotic pressure.

Suggested use: Have students watch the video prior to introducing the topic of osmosis. Then ask students to infer how differences in solution concentrations apply to biological systems.		 copy link
Photograph In this image from the article Ferrofluid, a ferrofluid drop exposed to a magnetic field demonstrates how, when an external field is applied to the fluid, the particles line up along the same field lines.

Suggested use: Support a discussion of ferrofluids.		 copy link
Chemical Kinetics and Equilibria
Asset Description
Biography Jacobus van't Hoff pioneered, independently of other scientists, a model for chemical kinetics. He was also awarded the first Nobel Prize for Chemistry.

Suggested use: Assign students this biography to read, and then have them list the contributions to chemical kinetics made by van't Hoff.		 copy link
Reactions Chain reactions, such as those described in this article, undergo a series of elementary steps (or a mechanism) that can be determined through chemical kinetics studies. Reaction (1) is a typical chain reaction: the photochemical reaction between hydrogen and chlorine.

Suggested use: Challenge students to find examples of chain reactions other than those given in this article, and share their examples with the class.		 copy link
Reactions A catalytic reaction is a type of chain reaction. This set of reactions (2), from the Catalysis and catalysts article, provide an example that occurs naturally in the stratosphere: the catalytic destruction of ozone and oxygen atoms by nitric oxide.

Suggested use: Discuss with students whether this particular set of reactions is harmful or beneficial to the environment, and why.		 copy link
Equation An important example of chemical equilbria is the solubility product constant, exemplified in equation (4) giving the product of two concentrations of a solid's respective ions in solution.

Suggested use: Solve for Ksp in this example, and then assign a few different problems for students to solve on their own.		 copy link
Biography This biography discusses Henri Louis Le Châtelier's pioneer work in chemical equilibria.

Suggested use: Have students create a timeline of Le Châtelier's work from this biography.		 copy link
Organic and Biological Compounds
Asset Description
Diagram Figure 2 from the Organic chemistry article shows some classes and principal functional organic groups in structural condensed forms.

Suggested use: Have students select four to five composed classes, and then compare and contrast their structures using their own words.		 copy link
Diagram Figure 1 from the Organic nomenclature article shows how the formal nomenclature of organic compounds in ring systems requires correct sequence numbering.

Suggested use: Show this diagram without position numbering and walk through the numbering of polycyclic aromatic ring systems with students.		 copy link
Animation Biological oxidation is a chemical reaction critical for mammalian survival. This animation shows the process in cellular respiration in which NAD+ molecules are reduced to create energy-carrying NADH molecules.

Suggested use: After watching this video, have students read the AccessScience article on Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) to further understand this process.		 copy link
Video Biography JoAnne Stubbe, awarded the 2010 Benjamin Franklin Medal in Chemistry, was a pioneer in the world of biochemistry.

Suggested use: Have students watch this video, paying special attention to Stubbe's use of physical methods to study biochemistry, and then discuss in class.		 copy link