JCE Software, 5C2: Inorganic Nomenclature

Inorganic Nomenclature

David B. Shaw
Madison Area Technical College, Madison, WI 53704

Note:
This program is included in the General Chemistry Collection (SP-16).

To Order General Chemistry Collection

Inorganic Nomenclature is a HyperCard stack that is a drill-and-practice exercise in naming and writing formulas for inorganic compounds, both ionic and covalent. The stack consists of multiple-choice questions where a name or formula is given and the correct formula or name is chosen from a list of five possible answers. A series of introductory screens explains that throughout the tutorial the keyboard is inactivated, the cursor is kept in the "browse" mode, and navigation is by means of mouse clicks only. At the end of the introduction a student chooses whether to start with a name and give a formula, start with a formula and give a name, or receive a random selection of these two types of questions.

Screen from Inorganic Nomenclature.
If the student requests, for example, "Compound Name to Formula", an exercise can be chosen from a list of 60 names. Clicking on the first name on the list, iron(III) chlorate, generates a question that requests the formula. Five possible answers are provided on five separate lines labeled as choices A through E. When the student clicks on a choice, a bullet appears next to it. An incorrect answer generates a message explaining a possible reason why the choice is incorrect. For iron(III) chlorate, choosing "FeCl₃" as the answer generates the message, "This compound does not contain a monatomic anion. Please use this information to make another choice." At any time the student can access help that includes a periodic table, a list of polyatomic ions employed in the tutorial, and nomenclature rules. Once the right answer has been chosen, a congratulatory message is given on the screen.
To choose subsequent examples, the student could select another compound from the list of names, select a formula from a list and attempt to give the correct name, or randomly generate questions of either type from the list of 120 examples.
Hardware and Software Requirements
Software in Series C of JCE: Software requires an Apple Macintosh computer with a hard disk drive (Macintosh Plus, SE or SE/30, Classic or Classic II, any Macintosh II, Centris, Quadra, or PowerBook). System Software version 6.0.7 or later is also required. If you are running MultiFinder or System 7, at least 2 MB of memory are needed. In addition to the hardware and software recommended above, Inorganic Nomenclature requires HyperCard version 2.1 or greater. Installation of the Inorganic Nomenclature stack requires about 370 KB of hard disk space. Inorganic Nomenclature is compatible with System 7.

First Published: March 1994
Citation: Shaw, D. B. . Inorganic Nomenclature J. Chem. Educ. Software 5C2
Keywords: Lecture Aid; Computer Room; High School; General; Inorganic nomenclature

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JCE Online | Journal | Software | Internet | Happenings | About JCE | Contact JCE

Last Updated: July 19, 2001
Created: December 4, 1996 Created by: J. L. Holmes
Comments to: jceonline@chem.wisc.edu

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



Inorganic Nomenclature
David B. Shaw Madison Area Technical College, Madison, WI 53704

Note:	This program is included in the General Chemistry Collection (SP-16). To Order General Chemistry Collection

Inorganic Nomenclature is a HyperCard stack that is a drill-and-practice exercise in naming and writing formulas for inorganic compounds, both ionic and covalent. The stack consists of multiple-choice questions where a name or formula is given and the correct formula or name is chosen from a list of five possible answers. A series of introductory screens explains that throughout the tutorial the keyboard is inactivated, the cursor is kept in the "browse" mode, and navigation is by means of mouse clicks only. At the end of the introduction a student chooses whether to start with a name and give a formula, start with a formula and give a name, or receive a random selection of these two types of questions. Screen from Inorganic Nomenclature. If the student requests, for example, "Compound Name to Formula", an exercise can be chosen from a list of 60 names. Clicking on the first name on the list, iron(III) chlorate, generates a question that requests the formula. Five possible answers are provided on five separate lines labeled as choices A through E. When the student clicks on a choice, a bullet appears next to it. An incorrect answer generates a message explaining a possible reason why the choice is incorrect. For iron(III) chlorate, choosing "FeCl₃" as the answer generates the message, "This compound does not contain a monatomic anion. Please use this information to make another choice." At any time the student can access help that includes a periodic table, a list of polyatomic ions employed in the tutorial, and nomenclature rules. Once the right answer has been chosen, a congratulatory message is given on the screen. To choose subsequent examples, the student could select another compound from the list of names, select a formula from a list and attempt to give the correct name, or randomly generate questions of either type from the list of 120 examples. Hardware and Software Requirements Software in Series C of JCE: Software requires an Apple Macintosh computer with a hard disk drive (Macintosh Plus, SE or SE/30, Classic or Classic II, any Macintosh II, Centris, Quadra, or PowerBook). System Software version 6.0.7 or later is also required. If you are running MultiFinder or System 7, at least 2 MB of memory are needed. In addition to the hardware and software recommended above, Inorganic Nomenclature requires HyperCard version 2.1 or greater. Installation of the Inorganic Nomenclature stack requires about 370 KB of hard disk space. Inorganic Nomenclature is compatible with System 7.


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

Last Updated: July 19, 2001 Created: December 4, 1996	Created by: J. L. Holmes Comments to: jceonline@chem.wisc.edu

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