JCE Online Journal of Chemical EducationDivision of Chemical Education, American Chemical SocietyAmerican Chemical Society
 | Subscriptions  | Software Orders  | Support  | Contributors  | Advertisers  | 

JCE Print
   Current Issue
 Previous Issues
 Supplements
 Search JCE Index

JCE Digital Library
   ChemInfo
 DigiDemos
 Featured Molecules
 LivTexts
 LrnCom
 QBank
 SymMath
 WebWare

JCE Software
   Latest Releases
 Software & Video
 Downloads
 Support

Only@JCE Online
   JCE Online Store
 JCE HS CLIC
 JCE Discussion Forums
   Biographical Snapshots
 ChemEd Resource Shelf
 Featured Molecules
 Hal's Picks
 Project Chemlab
 Reviewed WWW Sites
 "Web-Ed" Articles

About JCE
   Features
 Publications
 Operations
 Outreach
 Contact Us


  Home > JCE Print > Journal of Chemical Education > Issues > 1995  > July  >
Features
Textbook Forum
Common Textbook and Teaching Misrepresentations of Lewis Structures
Laila Suidan, Jay K. Badenhoop, Eric D. Glendening, and Frank Weinhold
Theoretical Chemistry Institute and Department of Chemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706
Cover
July 1995
Vol. 72 No. 7
p. 583
Abstract
Current freshman chemistry textbooks commonly advise the drawing of Lewis structures with much emphasis on the reduction of formal charge and little on the preservation of the octet rule. This currently accepted method produces structures different from the original Lewis structures, which rarely had expanded valence shells on central atoms. Computational results from Gaussian 92 have shown us that the leading resonance structures cited in freshman chemistry textbooks are often not the most accurate to represent the molecules and are, at best, minor resonance structures, whose presentation is not worth the confusion that it causes for many first-year students. Instead, the Lewis structures that most accurately represent these molecules are the original Lewis structures, which generally abide by the octet rule. If the octet rule is more strongly stressed in the teaching of Lewis structures-thus avoiding the many complications and sources of confusion related to valence-shell expansion and reduction of formal charge-freshman chemistry students will be able to rest a little easier at night.
More Information
*  Citation
 Suidan, Laila; Badenhoop, Jay K.; Glendening, Eric D.; Weinhold, Frank. J. Chem. Educ. 1995 72 583.
*  Keywords
*  History
 Created:
Last Updated:		 10/1/1999
5/22/2006
<< Previous Article Table of Contents Next Article >>
  Home > JCE Print > Journal of Chemical Education > Issues > 1995 > July > Page 583


Subscriptions
 Subscription Info
 Order Forms

JCE HS CLIC

Our Secondary School editors work hard to distill all the JCE materials to produce a fraction of particular interest to high school teachers. We call it CLIC.
 JCE HS CLIC

Contributions Welcome
JCE welcomes your submission
 Contributors' Corner

Advertisers
In recent years we have worked hard to better match our advertisers with our readers. When shopping for chemistry education materials, visit our advertisers' WWW sites first.
 Recent Advertisers

Be An Ambassador
Take JCE along on your outreach missions. Copies of the Journal, guest access to JCE Online, our publications catalog, and more are available for your participants.
 Outreach with JCE

Comments to
jceonline@chem.wisc.edu		 Copyright © Division of Chemical Education, Inc., American Chemical Society.
All rights reserved.