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The call to present chemistry concepts through hands-on, inquiry-based activities has been sounded by countless individuals. While research seems to indicate that this is the most effective way to teach the subject matter, there are certain topics within the realm of chemistry that do not seem to lend themselves well to this approach. One of them is chemical bonding. This article presents a couple of laboratory activities that are designed to help high school-level students gain insight into some basic principles of chemical bonding.
The first activity, A Diaper a Day, has the goal of introducing students to the differences between ionic and covalent bonding that manifest themselves in the different ways that sample compounds from each category interact with a sodium polyacrylate–water gel. The second activity, What's Going on with Gaviscon?, helps introduce the students to the connection between the families on the periodic table and how elements engage in chemical bonding. It does this by looking at the way several chloride salts interact with another polymer, sodium alginate. Both activities also require the students to analyze and interpret data to find patterns and recognize relationships.
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