The use of representations is an important skill in chemistry. Accurate use of chemical representations allows students to correctly interpret and predict physical properties and reactivities of chemical compounds. This study used an assessment instrument delivered as a digital learning object (DLO) to measure organic chemistry students’ preferences in using various types of structural representations such as Lewis structures, electrostatic potential maps, Newman and Fischer projections, ball-and-stick models, dash-and-wedge structures, and molecular formulas. Students were asked to compare specific properties of   compounds in each item. Representation preferences were correlated with observed item difficulty for each representation type, structural property of interest for each item, as well as student level of organic chemistry expertise.<br/>

Measuring chemical representations use among organic chemistry students to understand how they interpret different aspects of molecular structures

253rd National Meeting (2017)

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