A New "Bottom-Up" Framework for Teaching Chemical Bonding

Abstract

Traditional curriculum for teaching bonding often fosters the use of over-simplifications and over-generalizations. Therefore, there is a need for a presentation that is consistent with current scientific knowledge and that provides the student with the proper intellectual infrastructure for further studies. In this article, we present a general framework for bonding that can be presented at different levels of sophistication depending on the student's level and needs. This is achieved without sacrificing the benefits of traditional qualification of different bond types as this qualification is presented along a continuum scale of chemical bonding. The pedagogical strategy for teaching this model is a "bottom-up" one, starting with basic principles and ending with specific properties. It is our hope that its use could remove learning impediments and enhance students understanding of the nature of chemical bonds.

College chemistry students' understanding of potential energy in the context of atomic–molecular interactions

“…Paul's incorrect conclusion that interactions between helium atoms would not change the potential energy of the system may in part stem from his framing of potential energy as exclusively related to covalent bonding. The tendency of students to view covalent and ionic bonding as distinct from intermolecular interactions, despite the fact that all arise from similar types of electrostatic interactions, has been noted as a persistent difficulty and one that may be encouraged by traditional approaches to instruction (Kronik, Levy Nahum, Mamlok‐Naaman, & Hofstein, ; Nahum et al, ; Taber, ). Our own experience suggests that while traditional general chemistry texts may discuss potential energy changes in conjunction with formation of covalent bonds, explicit discussions of atomic structure and their relationship to forces and potential energy in the context of intermolecular interaction are far less common.…”

The challenges of learning and teaching chemical bonding at different school levels using electrostatic interactions instead of the octet rule as a teaching model

“…Chemical bonding is a fundamental concept in chemistry education (Levy Nahum et al, 2010). Chemical bonds do not exist ontologically as separate objects, and chemical bonding describes the phenomenon of atoms ''sticking together'' due to electrostatic interactions and quantum mechanical phenomena (Gillespie, 1997;Gillespie and Robinson, 2007).…”

Development and use of a construct map framework to support teaching and assessment of noncovalent interactions in a biochemical context

“…One group developed a ''bottom-up'' approach in which chemical bonding is taught using a unified progression, which starts with atoms and culminates with chemical properties. In this model, noncovalent interactions are depicted as being on a continuum with other bonds, which range in strength from ionic bonds to van der Waals bonds (Kronik et al, 2008). Another group designed a curriculum based on the relationship among structure, energy, and properties in chemistry.…”

“…Some students may attain this level of understanding in upper secondary level chemistry, but many, especially in the United States, will first attain this level in post-secondary general chemistry and introductory biology. Some educators attempt to frame their instruction on noncovalent interactions within the context of the electrostatic force described by Coulomb's law (Kronik et al, 2008). Yet students' understanding at this level is often characterized by memorized definitions of noncovalent interactions, including dipole-dipole interactions, hydrogen bonding, London dispersion interactions, and iondipole interactions.…”