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Chemistry Outlook
An Activity of
The Committee on Chemistry in the Two-Year Colleges
Division of Chemical Education
American Chemical Society
Website: http://2yc3.org
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N
otes From The Chair
14.0067
Nitrogen
Neil Bastian
Salt Lake Community College
Salt Lake City, UT
Neil Bastian, Chair
INSIDE THIS ISSUE!
Vol. 2014 – Issue III
Notes from
the Chair
Page 1
207th
Conference:
Jacksonville, FL
23rd BCCE
Grand Valley
State University
Page 4
Page 6
208th
Conference
Pasadena, TX
ACS Science
Coaches
Page 8
Page 8
ACS
Chemical
Technology
Student Award
How Do
You Teach
Polyatomic Ions?
Page 9
Page 9
I recently re-watched the 2002 version of Spiderman starring
Tobey McGuire. One line in the movie caught my attention. Uncle
Ben tells Peter Parker “Remember, with great power comes great
responsibility.” I want to use this column to discuss the idea of
personal responsibility, specifically our responsibilities as educators
to both our students and to society. In our relationships with students
we are the ones with the greater power and hence the greater
responsibility. So, what are our responsibilities?
A few days ago a student told me that part of the reason he wanted
a degree in chemistry was so “he could work in a lab” but then he
continued “that way I won’t have to work with people.” I tried to
convince him that he would likely be working as part of a team
and that he would need to interact with his supervisor, and with
other scientists. I don’t think I got through to him and that worries
me. We somehow need to instill a sense of community into our
students. Students need to learn that science is a human activity
and that part of what makes us human are our social interactions
including interactions with supervisors and coworkers. How do we
do that? Assigning and stressing group assignments is one possible
mechanism. I tell my students that if they want help with a group
assignment they have to come to me as a group. I want them to learn
to interact and work together, to teach and help each other. I know
my group assignments are working when everyone is talking to their
neighbor at the start of class and I have to shout to get their attention.
When classes are quiet then I get nervous.
continued on page 2
Chemistry Outlook 1
6
C
class; I think it is because I am so passionate about
them. We must engage our students on these topics if
we ever expect the public to want a change.
onference Calendar
12.011
Carbon
2014
What about discussions of fraud in science? This
latter discussion is a natural topic for students who are
writing lab reports. Some are tempted to “fudge” their
data to make it look better or to get a better grade.
A few years ago when I started requiring my organic
chemistry lab students to submit samples of their
synthetic products I was surprised that the reported
melting points dropped by an average of almost 5oC
over previous years. A discussion on fraud ensued.
Did it change anyone? Perhaps not, but at least they
are aware of the potential problems.
206th CONFERENCE August 3 – 7, 2014
Grand Valley State University
Allendale, MI
Contact: Tom Neils
Email: [email protected]
207th CONFERENCE
October 10-11, 2014
Florida State College at Jacksonville
Jacksonville, FL
Contact: John Taylor
Email: [email protected]
We don’t need to tell our students what to think, but
we do need to teach them to think for themselves
and to make wise decisions. With great power comes
great responsibility. Who has more power to shape the
future of chemistry than we do as chemical educators?
It is a responsibility I take seriously. I hope you do
also.
208th CONFERENCE
November 14-15, 2014
San Jacinto College
Pasadena, TX
Contact: Dolores Aquino
Email: [email protected]
“Notes from the Chair” ...continued from page 1
Another way to impart a sense of community is to
describe to students how science is actually done. We
discuss Nobel Prize winning experiments but do we
tell stories about who really did the research especially
emphasizing the group nature of most projects?
Students need to understand that in both industrial
and academic science most projects are collaborative.
One way to introduce students to the group nature of
science is to have students write a short biographical
sketch (or a book report) of a famous scientist as a
way for them to see famous scientists as people.
The second concept is a little harder for me to
explain. I think we need to instill in our students a
sense of social responsibility and ethics. I notice that
our philosophy colleagues have no qualms about
defining and promoting moral values in our students.
I think we should be no less fervent in our teachings
of chemistry. I realize that discussions of gas laws
or of chemical equilibria are not ethics intensive.
However, discussions of environmental chemistry or
waste storage (both chemical and nuclear) can be. My
general chemistry II students love these sections of
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Chemistry Outlook 2
COCTYC AND SUPPORT STAFF
Newsletter Editor
Jon Gittins, Delta College
1961 Delta Road, University Center, MI 48710
Office: (989) 964-1112
Email: [email protected]
Division of Chemical Education, Inc.
American Chemical Society
2014 Roster of Committee Members
Industrial Sponsors Chair
Michele Turner, University of Akron - Wayne College
1901 Smucker Rd, Orrville, OH 44667-9758
Office: (330) 972-8925 Email: [email protected]
Chair
Neil Bastian, Salt Lake Community College
Salt Lake City, UT
Office: (801) 957-4405Email: [email protected]
Immediate Past Chair (TAB Coordinator)
Pamela Clevenger, Itawamba Community College
Fulton, MS
Office: (662) 862-8362
Email: [email protected]
Chair-Elect 2014
Scott Donnelly, Arizona Western College
Yuma, AZ
Office: (928) 344-7730
Email: [email protected]
Past Chair (Future Sites Coordinator)
Jason Jadin, Rochester Community and Technical College
851 30th Ave SE, Rochester, MN 55904
Office: (507)-285-7299Email: [email protected]
Chair-Elect 2015
Tameika Duplessis, Delgado Community College
New Orleans, LA
Office: (504) 671 6774
Email: [email protected]
Past Chair (DivCHED Representative)
Mark Matthews, Durham Technical Community College
1637 Lawson St., Durham, NC 27703
Office: (919) 686-3773
Email: [email protected]
Treasurer
Julie Ellefson-Kuehn, Harper College
1200 West Algonquin Road, Palatine, Illinois 60067
Office: (847) 925-6694 Email: [email protected]
2YC3 Webmaster
http://2yc3.org
Luca Preziati, Stark State College
6200 Frank Ave NW, North Canton, OH 44720
Office: (330) 966-5457 Ext 5267 Email: [email protected]
Membership/College Sponsors Chair
Thomas Higgins, Harold Washington College
30 E Lake St, Chicago, IL 60601
Office: (312) 553-5791Email: [email protected]
2YC3 Membership Form
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Thomas Higgins, Harold Washington College, 30 E Lake St, Chicago, IL 60601
Chemistry Outlook 3
23rd BCCE at
Grand Valley State University
Greener on the Grand:
Empowering Chemical Educators for a
Greener Tomorrow
Two-year college chemistry faculty will have a number of opportunities for both professional development and
providing input into ACS policies at the 2014 Biennial Conference on Chemical Education (BCCE), Grand
Valley State University (MI), August 3 – 7, 2014. During BCCE, the ACS Two-Year College Advisory Board,
the SOCED Task Force on ACS Guidelines for Chemistry in Two-Year College Programs (2015), the ACS
Office of Two-Year Colleges, the ACS High School Office, and the ACS Undergraduate Programs Office will
sponsor a wide variety of activities designed to benefit the community and gain valuable insights.
Community feedback:
Come to the following interactive symposia to provide your input into the following topics:
•S12: Recognizing Excellence: Investigating a Recognition Program for Two-Year Colleges
Sunday, August 3, 2014, 2:00 p.m.–5:00 p.m., Room MAK B1120
•S18: Adapting to Emerging Trends: Revision of the ACS Guidelines for Chemistry in Two-Year College Programs
Monday, August 4, 2014, 9:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m., Room MAK A2121
Professional development: Use the following to enrich your curriculum and support your students:
•S20: Enriching Professional Preparation of Students: Vertical Skill Integration and Capstone Experiences
Monday, August 4, 2014, 9:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m., Room MAK A2117
•W25: Energy in Chemistry: From the Macroscopic to the Particulate Levels
Monday, August 4, 2014, 9:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m., Room MAK D1209
•W94: Transferability Among Postsecondary Institutions: Past, Present, and Future
Monday, August 4, 2014, 2:00 p.m.–5:00 p.m., Room MAK D1129
•W72: Resources for Excellence: Using ACS Resources to Enhance Effectiveness at your Institution (focusing on
student retention)
Tuesday, August 5, 2014, 2:00 p.m.–5:00 p.m., Room MAK D1209
•S51: Undergraduate Research in Chemistry: Expanding Opportunities and Broadening Participation
Tuesday, August 5, 2014, 2:00 p.m.–5:00 p.m., Room LMH 114
•S47: Demonstrations that Develop Conceptual Understanding in Chemistry
Tuesday, August 5, 2014, 2:00 p.m.–5:00 p.m., Room MAK BLL 126
•S75: Science as Service: Research-Oriented Service-Learning Projects in Undergraduate Science Programs
Thursday, August 7, 2014, 9:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m., Room MAK A1161
Fun and networking
•Ice cream social, sponsored by 2YC3 and the ACS Office of Two-Year Colleges
Tuesday, August 5, 2014, 5:00 p.m.–6:30 p.m., Library Patio
For more information on this or other BCCE programming, visit www.bcceprogram2014.haydenmcneil.com or
contact the ACS Office of Two-Year Colleges ([email protected]; 1-800-227-5558, ext. 6108).
Chemistry Outlook 4
Your NMR has arrived
In chemical education NMR spectroscopy is associated with providing definitive identification and
comprehensive structural information. Unfortunately, it’s also associated with large, costly and
complex instruments.The Thermo Scientific™ picoSpin™ 45 NMR spectrometer creates a
new paradigm with an award-winning design that is robust, affordable and accessible. With its
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accessible, affordable, awesome
© 2013 Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. All rights reserved. All trademarks are the property of Thermo Fisher Scientific and its subsidiaries.
• See practical solutions for chemical education at thermoscientific.com/picospin
Chemistry Outlook 5
207th 2YC3 Conference
Program Information
Since Sputnik-Exploring e5: Entropy, Energy, the
Environment, the Extraordinary, and Exodus Earth
through Chemistry
October 10-11, 2014
Florida State College at Jacksonville, North Campus
4501 Capper Road, Jacksonville, FL 32218
Program Co-Chair: Local Arrangements/Program Co-Chair: Exhibits/Program Co-Chair:
Exhibits Co-Chair:
John Taylor Joe Langat Kathleen Laurenzo
Julie Sutton
[email protected] [email protected] [email protected]
[email protected]
Florida State College at Jacksonville (FSCJ), North Campus, is pleased to host the 207th 2YC3 Conference in October,
2014. North Campus is one of the five full service campuses of FSCJ, and is about 8 to 10 miles north of downtown
Jacksonville.
Several years ago Jacksonville and its encompassing county, Duval County, consolidated, making Jacksonville one of the
largest cities in land area in Florida. Known as the “First Coast”, Jacksonville is the first coastal city of Florida reached
by visitors driving south on I-95. It was one of the first places at which Spanish and French explorers landed as early
as 1565. Jacksonville has beautiful beaches, the wonderful St. Johns River (the only major river in the U.S. that flows
north), and historical significance demonstrated by its art, history and science museums. Duval County has a population of
1.2 million with over 40,000 per year attending FSCJ.
2YC3 faculty and friends are invited to join the celebration of the 57th anniversary of the event that rocked the world in
1957: Sputnik (October 4th). The selected theme will take attendees from 1957 to 2057 through the eyes of the chemical
world and faculty who teach chemistry. The 207th Planning Committee is seeking colleagues to contribute to the program
by giving a presentation, leading a workshop, or participating in panel discussions. Topics related to the conference
theme, “Since Sputnik Exploring e5: Entropy, Energy, the Environment, the Extraordinary, and Exodus Earth through
Chemistry”, are encouraged:
What will be teaching in 2057?
Will we own the water, the food, and the energy to continue as a world power?
What role will chemistry play if we again try to leave earth for the moon, Mars, or the stars?
If you would like to present on a different topic, please do not hesitate to submit an abstract, as a diverse a program
is strongly encouraged. FSCJ and the 207th will be able to accommodate all abstracts submitted before September 3,
but after September 3 presentations will fill in blanks in the program. Please submit via email your abstract with any
attachments to John Taylor with cc’s to Kathleen Laurenzo, Joe Langat, and Dana Thomas ([email protected]) :
Banquet: The Friday evening banquet will be at Jacksonville’s Museum of Science and History (MOSH), located in
downtown Jacksonville, 10.3 miles from North Campus. Dr. Mike Reynolds, Kent Campus, FSCJ will be the evening
Chemistry Outlook 6
speaker. Dr. Reynolds trained as a teacher astronaut in the 1980s and was the one of the Teacher in Space Finalist in
1985-86. When the 1986 Challenger disaster took the life of his peer, Christa McAuliffe, NASA cancelled the program,
but one of Mike’s peer teacher team (Barbara Morgan) did make it into space 12 years later. Mike’s presentation will be
“The Chemistry of the Universe”, and maybe we will get him to also tell us about his astronaut days! Still to this day,
almost 30 years later, he dreams of going into space. In addition Mike’s presentation, the Museum will present a special
program designed for 2YC3 quests after the banquet.
Lunch Options: North Campus has a wide array of program offering, including the new Biomedical Science program
featuring a new state of the art chemistry lab. Unique to the North Campus is the Culinary Institute of the South, with its
incomparable student-managed “fine dining” restaurant, the Mallard Room, where early arrivals to Jacksonville can enjoy
a dinner on Thursday evening. Friday’s lunch will be served in the Mallard Room for the first 54 participants who request
to do so. For others, the College’s Hospitality Program will provide a catered lunch nearby. The Hospitality Program will
also cater the lunch on Saturday.
Airports/Airlines: FSCJ is located about 7 miles from Jacksonville International Airport (JAX) curb side and between
six to seven miles from JAX’s 22 hotel/motel row, which includes a major shopping mall. Seven major airlines fly into
Jacksonville International Airport (JAX). These airlines include: AirTran, American, Delta, JetBlue, Southwest, United.
US Air, and Silver. Most of the Airport Hotel/Motels offer complimentary shuttle service to and from JAX.
Lodging: The Crowne Plaza Jacksonville Airport is accommodating 2YC3 travels with a special 207th rate of $92 per
night for their Standard room plus 13% room tax. Reservations will be made directly through Crowne Plaza Airport
reservations department (904)-741-4404, or their toll free number, (877)-559-0015. Reservations will need to be made
by September 9 in order to be guaranteed to receive these room rates and to be assured of guest room availability. The
Crowne Plaza is 7.0 miles to North Campus. This hotel will not provide free shuttle service to the college for their guests.
Microtel Airport Inn and Suites By Wyndham is the closest (and newest) hotel to North Campus at a distance of 6.3 miles.
They will accommodate 2YC3 participants with a special room rate of $53 plus 13% room tax. Reservations will be made
directly with Microtel by calling (904)-741-4911. Guests receive complimentary transportation including a round trip
airport shuttle and a shopping center shuttle. Possible free shuttle to and from the college may be arranged once a day for
a group of 2YC3 participants. Please contact Microtel before September 14 to receive this rate. After September 14 this
rates reverts to $70/night.
Transportation: For those without transportation, car-pooling arrangements with the local conference team can be made
during the registration period on Friday and at Friday’s lunch for round trips from the college/hotel to and from MOSH.
Things to Do: On over a 150 acre wooded area, FSCJ’s North Campus has outstanding facilities including the main
campus, a sports complex, and the Criminal Justice Center. Shaded walking paths through and around the college are
available as well as a regulation track in the sports complex for joggers.
2YC3 participants who come to Florida should not miss an opportunity to experience our incredible white sandy beaches
on the Atlantic Ocean. A conference going away party/cookout will be held Saturday evening. The party hosted by the
FSCJ chemistry faculty and Program Co-chair, John Taylor, will be held at his home 30.9 miles from the campus on
waterfront property adjacent to the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway. The Atlantic Ocean is just 2 miles by the way the
crow flies from the party with shuttles to and from the beach before and during sunset provided. Boat rides from the party
dock will occur through sunset into the Intracoastal Waterway (http://funandsun.com/1tocf/boating/intracoastal.html).
Transportation from North Campus and back to the hotels will be provided by the Conference Team for those without
cars.
Registration: Register for the conference at http://2yc3.org/registration207.htm.
Program: For up-to-date conference program and other important details access the
conference web site at: http://www.fscj.me/2YC3.html (or scan the QR code to the right).
Chemistry Outlook 7
208th 2YC3 Conference
Conference Announcement
Call for Papers
Metacognition: Think About It
November 14-15, 2014
San Jacinto College - Central Campus
8060 Spencer Highway, Pasadena, TX 77505
We are currently looking for colleagues who would like to contribute to our program by giving a presentation, leading a
workshop, or participating in panel discussions. We especially encourage topics related to our theme “Metacognition: Think
About It”. If you would like to present on a different topic, please do not hesitate to submit an abstract, as we encourage as
diverse a program as possible. The due date for submitting abstracts is October 20, 2014.
The Friday Keynote Address will be “Livewired: How the brain learns and remembers” by Dr. David Eagleman, Baylor
College of Medicine, Author of the New York Times Bestseller “Incognito: The Secret Lives of the Brain”.
The latest conference updates will be available on the San Jacinto College 2YC­3 website as they become available (http://
www.sanjac.edu/2yc3-208th-conference).
Contact Program Chairs:
Dolores Aquino Rachel Garcia
[email protected]
[email protected]
An Invitation for Submissions
to the Chemistry Outlook
From the Editor: Any and all members of 2YC3 may consider
submitting interesting and relevant articles, commentary,
announcements, job postings or photographs for inclusion
into the Chemistry Outlook. Do you have an interesting and
relevant story to tell about your past 2YC3 experiences? Do
you have an interesting classroom activity you’d like to share?
How about a demonstration or a teaching technique that you
think works especially well? In the past we have published
conference commentary, “It Works for Me”, photographs
of students excelling at presentations and workshop
announcements.
Submissions should be fairly short so that we can include
more in the newsletter. Submissions may be published on an
editorial appropriateness and space-available basis, and should
by typed in Times New Roman font, single-spaced, 12-pt. I
look forward to hearing from you!
The deadline for Volume IV is September 1, 2014.
Chemistry Outlook 8
Call for Nominations
ACS Chemical Technology Student Award
The ACS Chemistry-Based Technology Student Award recognizes chemistry-based technology students who exhibit
outstanding academic performance. Administered by the ACS Committee on Technician Affairs, the award honors
the hard work and accomplishments of students preparing to become applied chemical professionals. The award was
established in 2004, and 221 graduates from 25 institutions have received the award. For more information including,
eligibility requirements and criteria please visit the ACS Chemical Technology Student Award webpage:
http://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/funding-and-awards/awards/other/student/acs-chemical-technology-student-award.
html
Scan the QR code on the right to access the webpage above.
How Do You Teach Polyatomic Ions in Chemistry?
John T. Taylor
Florida State College at Jacksonville
When you examine how the high school, introductory and general college chemistry textbooks approach the
subject of polyatomic ions, you find most have a table of common polyatomic ions and the instructions to learn
or memorize that table. A survey of over 50 texts at the three levels show all textbooks introduce polyatomic
ions in a table. Some devote a separate section in the compound chapter, while others may have only one
paragraph.
Chemistry faculty approach the subject in five ways:
(1)
Some give the students a list (or the table from the textbook) and require them to memorize the
formulas and the charge.
(2)
Others provide the students with a list, and allow the students to use the list on exercises and tests.
(3)
Some allow the students to use the list on only one test, and expect the students to learn through rote
usage the formulas and charges and do not allow the list on future tests.
(4)
Others allow students a single-page crib sheet where they can write whatever notes including
polyatomic ion names and formulas that they may need for the exam.
(5)
Some faculty allow open-book tests.
A search of Google reflects over 137,000 hits for polyatomic ions. Most are static lists/tables. Many web sites
go the next step to draw the structure of polyatomic ions. However, this article’s author has found a different
approach to pure memorization of a polyatomic ion table not identified in the first 200 hits (except the author’s
website).
Continued on page 10
Chemistry Outlook 9
Students have a hard time remembering which-ate oxyanions have three oxygen atoms and which have four
in their formula. Some books give a brief explanation of the –ite oxyanions as related to the –ate oxyanions.
Students also mix up the -ite ions with three oxygen atoms with –ate ions with three. For many students,
charges make no sense, but all the anions except ammonium (and hydronium) have negative charges, and most
are -3, -2, or -1. How many of your students get the actual numeric charges mixed up?
Here are the problems the students encounter:
1.
What is the formula for the –ate polyatomic ion?
2.
What is the charge on –ate polyatomic ion?
3.
What happens when you attach hydrogen atom(s) to the higher charge oxyanions?
4. What does –ite mean?
5.
How do the hypo- and per- prefixes apply to polyatomic ions?
6.
What are the two –ide polyatomic anions and two -ium positive cations listed in most tables?
The author went page by page through the inorganic chemical section of CRC Handbook and Chemistry and
identified nearly 140 different polyatomic ions in this section.
Sometimes, depending on the class, the author requests his students to make flash cards of 65 polyatomic ions,
of which 21 are –ate and 11 are nonmetal –ite ions. He also asks them to make flash cards for the nonmetal –
ide anions. He asks the student to lay these cards in the positions of the non-oxygen elements on the periodic
table. The better students see a relationship between formulas and charges and the difference between -ate
and –ite However, the slower students seem to lack critical thinking skills and must be told at the end of the
lecture.
Online students are given written directions to go to the author’s web pages, create the flash cards, and lay them
out in the shape of the periodic table. Through discussion, they slowly identify the relationships.
In class, the following interactive web site, http://www.fccj.us/PolyatomicIons/polyionformulabox6none.html,
is demonstrated to see if the student can distinguish between those oxyanions with four oxygen atoms versus
those with three simply by the position of the non-oxygen nonmetal’s position on the periodic table:
The following graphic demonstrates the Three/Four Oxygen Rule:
Three-Four Oxygen Positional Algorithm: If the central nonmetal atom in the polyatomic ion is across the
second row of the periodic table, down Group 14 (IVA), or down Group 17 (VIIA), then the –ate polyatomic
ion contains three oxygen atoms in the formula. If the nonmetal is located inside this inverted U (Box of six) or
is a transition metal oxyanion (in the shape of a T), then the -ate ion has four oxygen in the formula.
Continued on page 11
Chemistry Outlook 10
Next the student has to address the charge on the polyatomic ion. With the growing popularity of Atoms-First
textbooks, the charge rules now make sense if you keep it simple by showing the dot structures using only the
octet rule. After the student positions the –ide nonmetal ion flash cards in the shape of the periodic table and
places the –ate oxyanion card on top, they should make a discovery. Here is the graphic of that discovery:
Charge rule: If all the oxygen atoms are bonded to the nonmetal by a single covalent bond (octet rule only)
then the charge on the –ate oxyanion is the same as the –ide non-oxygen nonmetallic anion. If the structure has
a double bond, reduce the charge by 2. (The 3- on nitride would be reduced to 1- on nitrate.) Borate should be
viewed as following the sextet rule with boron-oxygen single bonds. All transitional metal oxyanions (except
vanadium) have also 2- charges (similar to group 14).
The author has collected data over the last four years in his Beginning and College Chemistry I classes. When
the table of ions is kept to the chart in the book, students prefer to just memorize the formulas and charges.
Over the last two years, he has first asked them to memorize the table and take a short quiz at the beginning
of the next class. During that next class, he gives the list of 65 ions, requests them to make flash cards for all
and then has a separate, 65 ion test requiring the student get 50 correct for a perfect grade. Now the students
seem to prefer using the six rules and the algorithm to help them remember a very large list. The student is
then asked to complete an interactive flash card exercise on the Internet for 20 homework points. Faculty
who would like to use this website may do so, and this author will program the emails to come to that faculty
(at no charge, of course). The email will allow the student three tries before showing the correct answer. All
incorrect answers are listed in the email sent to the instructor and copied to the student. However, the file may
be modified for any number of tries before answer is shown. The flash card exercise may include less ions, any
number up to 65. After trying out the web site, chemistry faculty may request a modified version to be set up
for her or his students.
The partial required list of 55 of the 65 ions may be found on the following web page:
http://www.fscj.me/PolyatomicIons/25MemorizeList.htm
The progressive polyatomic ion exercise may be found at:
http://www.northcampus.net/Nomenclature/PolyatomicIonFormula/ProgressivePolyatomicIonFormula.html
The author may be contacted at: [email protected].
To quickly access “The Polyatomic Ion Problem” website, scan the QR code provided.
Chemistry Outlook 11
Nonprofit Org.
Auto
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COMMITTEE ON CHEMISTRY
IN THE TWO-YEAR COLLEGE
Division of Chemical Education
American Chemical Society
SAVE TIME IN YOUR LAB!
Students can use
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•
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Chemistry Outlook 12