JCE Software, 6B1: Alkane Isomers

Alkimers

Richard R. Hiatt
Brock University, St. Catharine's, Ontario CANADA

Note:
Series B (MS DOS) software previously included on the General Chemistry Collection CD-ROM is now available for free download by Journal of Chemical Education subscribers.
Go to the download page.

Alkimers is a tutorial and practice program for one of the first problems encountered in Organic Chemistry, isomerism and nomenclature of saturated hydrocarbons; i.e., finding the longest chain, determining whether two differently written structures are the same compound, and finding the total number of isomers for a given formula.
Alkimers consists of six modules. Three present the rules of elementary and intermediate nomenclature and isomer construction, while the other three are interactive.

Identify the longest chain shown in this screen from Alkimers. Can you name this alkane?
The first interactive module displays the isomers of a specified alkane, from methane to decane, and the student is encouraged to guess the number of isomers before they are displayed.
The second generates a random carbon skeleton, displays it, and challenges the student to find the longest chain, number it correctly, and name the alkane. This module offers three levels of difficulty: novice, where the longest chain is no greater than eight with no branched substituents; intermediate with carbon chains up to eleven and isopropyl substituents; and expert, where the only limitation is that branched substituents have no more than four carbons. If the student declines to number the longest chain or name the alkane, the program will do so. The program attempts to analyze any errors and provide meaningful messages as well as the correct answers.
The last of the three interactive modules generates six random structures and asks the student to identify those structures that are the same compound. More than one set of duplicates or none at all may be present among the six. The program identifies the duplicates if the user declines or makes an error. Alkimers is menu-driven and includes context sensitive on-line help.
Hardware and Software Requirements
Alkimers requires an IBM PS/2, PC, or PC-compatible microcomputer with 640K of RAM and one floppy disk drive. EGA or compatible graphics and PC- or MS-DOS 3.1 or later are also required.

First Published: April 1993
Citation: Hiatt, R. R. . Alkimers J. Chem. Educ. Software 6B1
Keywords: Lecture Aid; Computer Room; High School; General; Organic nomenclature; Organic structural isomers

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Last Updated: April 26, 2001
Created: December 3, 1996 Created by: J. L. Holmes
Comments to: jceonline@chem.wisc.edu

© 1997 Division of Chemical Education, Inc., American Chemical Society. All rights reserved.



Alkimers
Richard R. Hiatt Brock University, St. Catharine's, Ontario CANADA

Note:	Series B (MS DOS) software previously included on the General Chemistry Collection CD-ROM is now available for free download by Journal of Chemical Education subscribers. Go to the download page.

Alkimers is a tutorial and practice program for one of the first problems encountered in Organic Chemistry, isomerism and nomenclature of saturated hydrocarbons; i.e., finding the longest chain, determining whether two differently written structures are the same compound, and finding the total number of isomers for a given formula. Alkimers consists of six modules. Three present the rules of elementary and intermediate nomenclature and isomer construction, while the other three are interactive. Identify the longest chain shown in this screen from Alkimers. Can you name this alkane? The first interactive module displays the isomers of a specified alkane, from methane to decane, and the student is encouraged to guess the number of isomers before they are displayed. The second generates a random carbon skeleton, displays it, and challenges the student to find the longest chain, number it correctly, and name the alkane. This module offers three levels of difficulty: novice, where the longest chain is no greater than eight with no branched substituents; intermediate with carbon chains up to eleven and isopropyl substituents; and expert, where the only limitation is that branched substituents have no more than four carbons. If the student declines to number the longest chain or name the alkane, the program will do so. The program attempts to analyze any errors and provide meaningful messages as well as the correct answers. The last of the three interactive modules generates six random structures and asks the student to identify those structures that are the same compound. More than one set of duplicates or none at all may be present among the six. The program identifies the duplicates if the user declines or makes an error. Alkimers is menu-driven and includes context sensitive on-line help. Hardware and Software Requirements Alkimers requires an IBM PS/2, PC, or PC-compatible microcomputer with 640K of RAM and one floppy disk drive. EGA or compatible graphics and PC- or MS-DOS 3.1 or later are also required.


News \| Issues \| CD-ROM / Video \| Find It! \| Technical Support \| For Authors
JCE Online \| Journal \| Software \| Internet \| Happenings \| About JCE \| Contact JCE

Last Updated: April 26, 2001 Created: December 3, 1996	Created by: J. L. Holmes Comments to: jceonline@chem.wisc.edu

© 1997 Division of Chemical Education, Inc., American Chemical Society. All rights reserved.