Comparing Apples to Alkanes: Teaching Newman Projections and Conformation by Analogy

Autor/inn/en	Lu, Alexander; Dong, Vy M.
Titel	Comparing Apples to Alkanes: Teaching Newman Projections and Conformation by Analogy
Quelle	In: Journal of Chemical Education, 99 (2022) 2, S.1106-1109 (4 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Zusatzinformation	ORCID (Dong, Vy M.)
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0021-9584
DOI	10.1021/acs.jchemed.1c00730
Schlagwörter	Class Activities; Logical Thinking; Scientific Concepts; Organic Chemistry; Science Activities; Teaching Methods; Science Instruction + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Organische Chemie; Teaching method; Lehrmethode; Unterrichtsmethode; Teaching of science; Science education; Natural sciences Lessons; Naturwissenschaftlicher Unterricht
Abstract	We present two simple classroom exercises designed to explain challenging concepts in conformation for students beginning organic chemistry. These macroscopic demonstrations serve as analogies to bridge students' understanding of flat two-dimensional drawings to real three-dimensional molecules. In the first demonstration, an apple is drawn from its familiar side-on perspective, followed by a "Newman Projection" of an apple, an unusual drawing from the top-down perspective. We show how the two drawings differ drastically despite depicting the same apple. With this definition in mind, they are then asked to draw an alkane from its more familiar side-on perspective, followed by a Newman projection down a central carbon-carbon bond. By comparing apples to alkanes, we demonstrate that a "Newman projection" is simply a drawing made from a different perspective, whether it be down an apple core or along a carbon-carbon bond. In the second activity, student volunteers perform jumping jacks in the front of the classroom. Snapshots of the students illustrate that people can adopt different conformations just as alkanes do, and that these conformations differ in energy. A survey of the class revealed that 95% found these demonstrations helped clarify their understanding of Newman projections and conformational analysis. (As Provided).
Anmerkungen	Division of Chemical Education, Inc. and ACS Publications Division of the American Chemical Society. 1155 Sixteenth Street NW, Washington, DC 20036. Tel: 800-227-5558; Tel: 202-872-4600; e-mail: eic@jce.acs.org; Web site: http://pubs.acs.org/jchemeduc
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2024/1/01