The chemical education literature has identified many misconceptions around students’ understanding of the chemical bond.  This paper will describe a conceptual approach that emphasizes the role of electrostatic interactions in chemical bonding and behavior.  The motivation of this work is to evaluate whether such an approach can help students overcome common misconceptions, including the fundamental nature of the chemical bond, the importance of electrostatic interactions in bonding, physical properties such as boiling points and solubility, and energetics accompanying chemical transformations.  The paper will describe a learning activity that was developed to help support this conceptual approach.  Student learning was assessed by a mixed-methods approach that included pre- and post- questions, answers to questions included in this learning activity, and responses to specific questions on final exams.  The analysis of the students’ responses focused on the evolution of their understanding of electrostatic interactions that result in a chemical bond, the significance of potential energy in influencing why atoms tend to bond and why bond formation is accompanied by a lowering of potential energy. Students’ ability to translate this understanding to the energetics of chemical reactions was also assessed.  Data analysis supports the conclusion that such a conceptual approach is an effective way to help students understand the nature of chemical bonding, molecular interactions, and energetics, and helping students overcome common misconceptions.

Emphasizing the significance of electrostatic interactions in chemical bonding and behavior

251st National Meeting (2016)

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