Lessons for Introductory Chemistry
John S. Martin and Edward V. Blackburn Department of Chemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2G2, Canada
Note:	Included in the General Chemistry Collection (SP-16) Ordering Information
These twelve lessons, and an introductory lesson, are tutorials in basic topics of introductory chemistry. They are suitable for school use, individual study, or distance learning. They are particularly valuable as review material for students in more advanced courses who may have been away from the subject for some time. They contain a great variety of problems and exercises driven by random-number generators, so that the same problem never repeats exactly. "Chemical Calculations: Combustion Analysis" is one of the 12 modules in Introductory Chemistry Lessons. This screen shows an animation of the combustion of a hydrocarbon. Note the on-screen data table displayed at the bottom of the screen and the on-screen calculator in the lower right corner. The lessons are, in most part, Socratic dialogues in which the student is required to answer questions and perform simulated experiments in order to discover chemical principles. They are organized in an intuitive chapter and page structure. One may move readily around each lesson. There are many on-screen facilities such as help, data tables, and a calculator. Many lessons contain simulations and animations corresponding to those in the previously published Simulations and Interactive Resources (1). The lessons on the periodic table, oxidation numbers, nomenclature, and reactions will be reinforced by playing the Periodic Table Games (2). These latter two programs are meant to be coordinated with the lessons. They are now available for free download by Journal subscribers. All of the lessons end with comprehensive review quizzes. It is good strategy for a student to look first at the quiz, to ascertain whether the material of the lesson will be of value, or whether only certain topics are needed. Ten of the quizzes produce scores out of 100. Scores may be recorded in a dataset, and presented in histogram form. There is a "hall of fame" display, which shows the top fifteen scores. The instructor may view the lesson scores or reset the scoreboards. Scores are kept starting on the date of resetting. Hardware and Software Requirements Computer CPU RAM Graphics Operating System Windows Compatible 80386 or higher  16 MB VGA; SVGA with  256 or more colors suggested Windows 98/95 or Windows 3.1 Literature Cited Martin, J. S. SIRs: Simulations and Interactive Resources. J. Chem. Educ. Software, 1996, 9B No. 2 Martin, J. S. Periodic Table Games. J. Chem. Educ. Software 1997, 10B, No. 1 Availability Available: Now
Note:	Additional documentation is available for instructors. Download Lessons_Instructor.pdf. Adobe Acrobat Reader is required to view the file.

First Published: June 0

Citation: Martin, J. S.; Blackburn, E. V. Lessons for Introductory Chemistry J. Chem. Educ. Software SP16.4

Keywords: Computer Room; High School; General; Atomic orbital electron distributions; Descriptive chemistry of elements; Inorganic nomenclature; Periodic table; Unit conversions; Barometers and manometers; Gas laws

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Last Updated: March 16, 2001 Created: May 24, 2000	Created by: Comments to: jceonline@chem.wisc.edu
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