Lewis Structure Online Practice

Acetic acid Lewis structure

Drawing Lewis structures is a very difficult thing to do on the computer.  Over the years, my class has been moving ever so slowly toward more online content.  One area of chemistry I have found find nearly impossible to go digital is the drawing of Lewis structures.  No matter what I have found, it is almost always easier to have the students use paper and pencil.  There are some interesting programs and apps out there, but in the end, students still need to draw them.

With this being said, here are two interesting Lewis structure "drawing" sites that I have recently found.  Although, neither of these sites allows the students to "draw" the Lewis structures, I still believe they have some educational value.   Let me explain!

St. Olaf College's Construct a Lewis Structure

Wow, Disney's Olaf has been sainted and has a college named after him?  I bet this university was happy with the success of Frozen.

Scree shot of St. Olaf College's Lewis Structure Program

Anyhow, this is nice little program for students to practice Lewis structures.  The site lists the general rules for drawing Lewis structures and then provides the student with the skeleton, i.e. only containing the single bonds, of the structure.  It is up to the student to complete the octet for each atom by adding double bonds, triple bonds and lone-pair electrons.  I think this is a good place for some students to start "drawing" the Lewis structures.   From a students perspective, much of the tediousness of drawing Lewis structures is removed.  After using this, I would still have my students draw Lewis structures on whiteboards and on paper.

http://www.stolaf.edu/depts/chemistry/courses/toolkits/121/js/lewis/

Wolfram-Alpha Widgets: Lewis Structures

Again this program doesn't actually allow students to draw Lewis structures either, but here is how I use it with my students.  Often students what to know if their Lewis structure is correct, especially when they are working on homework or studying for a test.

Screen shot of Wolfram-Alpha Widget: Lewis Structures

Wolfram's Lewis structure widget is great for letting students know if their structures are correct.  All they have to do is enter the formula into the site and the Lewis structure is immediately drawn for them.  My students love to know if they are correct and this saves me from having to look at and grade every single Lewis structure.

The nice thing about this widget is that it provides the student with all the various isomers that my form along with the nomenclature.

http://www.wolframalpha.com/widgets/view.jsp?id=689aa5a01c216d8b16ed0250cebdc702


Even though we a ways from completely replacing paper, especially when it comes to Lewis structures, there are still some worth while programs and apps out there.  If you have one that you use or feel works better than these two please comment!  I would love to hear from you.

Thanks,
Dan

Molecular-The Strategic Chemistry Tile Game

If you love games and are a chemistry fan than you need to take a look at Molecular-The Strategic Chemistry Tile Game that is currently on Kickstarter and has six days remaining.  

"Long hours in the lab to master your molecule, the life of a junior researcher is a busy one.  Your supervisor has given you specifications for a new molecule, something with huge potential.  It's your job to bring these ideas to fruition using the resources at your disposal.  If only life was that easy.  Rival researchers also have their own agendas, they are more than willing to sabotage the best laid plans or even steal the value of your research for their own ends.  Not to mentions the risks and stresses of working in a lab, be careful not to blow yourself up..."

Molecular is a tile laying game where players attempt to construct molecular compounds by drawing tiles and playing effector & functional group cards.  From the look on Kickstarter, it looks like it could be a fun game.  I'm a backer, but I have not actually played the game.  The game is for 2-8 players, which is really good because it is hard to find a game that plays more than five players.

It seems like there is a new chemistry game popping up on Kickstarter every other month.  The thing is, they all seem to get funded, so people must love chemistry themed board games.  I have to say that I have yet to see a physics board/card game and I have not seen many biology themed games either.

The Kickstarter campaign ends in six days and the game is still not fully funded, so if you haven't done so, cruise over to Kickstater and support this project!

Also if you get a chance, check out my Prefundia page for my game, Molecules that will be hitting Kickstarter in September.  As I said, it seems like chemistry themed games are popping up on Kickstarter every other month!

Thanks
Dan