High school students find reaction
stoichiometry and the concept
of the mole hard to comprehend. Teachers are well aware of the importance
of teaching the mole concept and also the difficulty associated with
it. In an attempt to improve the understanding of the mole concept
with reduced difficulty, an atomic model kit that provides a hands-on
learning experience has been developed and implemented in a class
of 40 students. Each model atom consists of spherical neodymium magnets
(acting as nucleons) of appropriate number (1 for hydrogen, 12 for
carbon, 14 for nitrogen, and 16 for oxygen) enclosed in a hollow spherical
Styrofoam casing (acting as an atom) that can be opened when required.
These model atoms can be easily weighed using a laboratory balance,
to obtain mass ratios of 1:12:14:16. This model kit provides an opportunity
to have a hands-on learning experience of abstract concepts such as
mass conservation in a balanced chemical reaction, excess and limiting
reagents, and the mole and its relation to gram atomic/molecular mass.
Herein, we provide a detailed description of the design criteria and
the construction of the model atoms. We also provide the activity
sheets with the necessary instructions to carry out the hands-on activities
and the assessment sheets used for evaluation.
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