1 The Principle of Conservation of Structural Aspect: Facilitating Visual Communication and Learning in Organic Chemistry Instruction John Andraos CareerChem 504-1129 Don Mills Road Toronto, ON M3B 2W4 Canada
[email protected] Abstract An effective pedagogical method is presented for the visual communication of chemical reactions learned in organic chemistry undergraduate courses. The basis for the method is the preservation of the visual aspect of reactant and product structures so that the tracking of cleaved and formed chemical bonds is made self-evident. This consequently leads to improved clarity of presentation and a better understanding and grasp of proposed reaction mechanisms to explain product outcomes. The method is demonstrated for a variety of individual reaction types and synthesis plans. Various visual training exercises are also presented using ChemDraw Ultra 7.0 software and literature table of contents (TOC) graphics appearing in journal articles. Keywords: upper-division undergraduate, curriculum, organic chemistry pedagogy, problem solving, organic synthesis Introduction It is well known that when students encounter organic chemistry for the first time in undergraduate courses, they perceive the subject as “hard”. From their point of view their complaint stems from two major issues: (a) the apparent overwhelming volume of material that needs to be digested and learned in a relatively short period of time 2 (typically a three-month course session); and (b) the material is presented in a visual manner that is not always “easy” or evident to understand what is going in any given chemical reaction that is presented to them. The inevitable outcome is increased frustration and ultimately a dislike for the subject for the majority of students, particularly those that take organic chemistry as a standard mandatory requirement for other disciplines such as pre-medical studies and life sciences.