This article aims to introduce the lanthanides (also known as the lanthanoids) to teachers and their students. The lanthanides are not mere "footnotes" at the bottom of the periodic table but make up a group of interesting and unique metallic elements. They and their compounds have widespread technological applications that have become…

Mapping methods employed by geographers, known as diffusion cartograms (diffusion-based density-equalizing maps), are used to present visually interesting and informative plots for data such as income, health, voting patterns, and resource availability. The algorithm involves changing the sizes of geographic regions such as countries or provinces…

Chemistry is widely perceived as difficult. Specialized language, mathematical and abstract conceptual nature, and the amount of content are often cited reasons. Researchers have been trying to explain how students should be helped in learning chemistry better. This paper reports the results of a survey to identify the chemistry units in standard…

This paper presents a history of chemistry case study focusing on selected aspects of the work of American engineer Thomas Midgley, Jr. (1889-1944): the development of tetraethyl lead as an antiknock gasoline additive and of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) as fluids for refrigeration devices. One general aim of this case study is to display the complex…

Although the "Next Generation Science Standards" (NGSS) present a detailed set of "Science and Engineering Practices", a finer grained representation of the underlying skills is lacking in the standards document. Therefore, it has been reported that teachers are facing challenges deciphering and effectively implementing the…

A teacher's orientation toward science teaching has been proposed as very influential to a teacher's pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) and teaching practice. Experienced teachers' orientation toward science teaching and its connections to their practice has not been well explored. Focusing on a unit about the periodic table, this study provides…

Although several chemical elements were not known by end of the 19th century, Mendeleev came up with an astonishing achievement, the periodic table of elements. He was not only able to predict the existence of (then) new elements, but also to provide accurate estimates of their chemical and physical properties. This is a profound example of the…

The work reported here involved a comparative study regarding the understanding that high school students (16-18 years) have of the concept of chemical elements and their periodic classification. More specifically, the level of knowledge on this topic was compared before and after the completion of baccalaureate studies in a sample of Spanish…

This book provides a basic introduction for the student to hazardous materials chemistry. Coverage of chemistry, rather than non-chemical hazards, is particularly stressed on a level which the layman can understand. Basic terminology is emphasized at all levels, as are simple chemistry symbols, in order to provide the student with an introductory…

In this paper, the characteristics and results of a teaching unit based on the use of educational games to learn the idea of chemical elements and their periodic classification in secondary education are analyzed. The method is aimed at Spanish students aged 15-16 and consists of 24 1-h sessions. The results obtained on implementing the teaching…

The periodic table and the periodic system are central to chemistry and thus to many introductory chemistry courses. A number of existing activities use various data sets to model the development process for the periodic table. This paper describes an image arrangement computer program developed to mimic a paper-based card sorting periodic table…

A study of transition metals includes studying the physical and chemical properties of first-row d block metals in the Periodic Table. The curriculum on transition metals emphasizes learning the physical and chemical properties and is a lecture-based strategy that is predominately employed by teachers to transfer the knowledge on properties of the…

Presented is a modern view of chemistry suitable for pupils with a wide range of skills and abilities. The outline of topics provides the unifying principles of chemistry together with related facts. The principles included in the outline are basic to man's understanding of his environment. The topical outline is divided into nine major units:…

This guide, developed for the chemistry 200, 300 program in Manitoba, is designed to articulate with previous science courses, provide concepts, processes, and skills which will enable students to continue in chemistry-related areas, and relate chemistry to practical applications in everyday life. It includes a program overview (with program goals…

We present a guided-inquiry experiment using Spartan Student Version, ready to be adapted and implemented into a general chemistry laboratory course. The experiment provides students an experience with Spartan Molecular Modeling software while discovering the relationships between the structure and properties of molecules. Topics discussed within…