This manuscript (i) presents the Chemical Concepts Inventory (CCI), an inventory that faculty can use to judge for themselves the extent of several common alternate conceptions among their students; (ii) demonstrates that students come to general chemistry with a variety of the alternate conceptions described in the chemical and science education research literature; and (iii) shows that a traditional general chemistry course results in only modest improvements in understanding of basic concepts. The incorrect concepts include inappropriate ideas about atoms and molecules, microscopic behavior, heat and temperature, chemical formulas, gases, and other qualitative concepts—concepts that form the foundation of several topics of first-semester college chemistry.The inventory is a multiple choice instrument composed of one- and two-tiered nonmathematical questions based on alternate conceptions reported in the science education literature. Administration of the inventory before the first semester of a two-semester general chemistry course for science and engineering majors confirmed that students hold many alternate conceptions in diverse areas of chemistry prior to the course. An administration of the inventory at the beginning of the second semester indicated that these students retained many of their alternate conceptions through a semester of instruction.

This article describes the process of designing a new four-year curriculum at Emory University. Acknowledging the limitations of traditional curricula and pedagogy, the major goals of this reform effort include an emphasis on core ideas and scientific practices rather than content and historical course boundaries in order to convey the excitement, relevance, and interdisciplinary nature of 21st century chemistry to undergraduate students.

The liquid nitrogen cloud demonstration is an effective, dramatic, large-scale demonstration to illustrate gas laws and cloud/fog (aerosol) formations for classes and large-scale outreach events. When performed at full scale, it is common to produce a cloud 20−30 feet in height. Its effect can be further enhanced by adding brightly colored ping-pong balls. Though there are examples on the internet of this demonstration being performed, there is a need for a detailed description of how to perform the demonstration safely at various sizes and of the science behind the phenomenon. This article includes instructions on how to perform the liquid nitrogen cloud demonstration both indoors and a discussion of important safety features. Novel quantitative and spectral data are presented to explore the background science, and a student guided activity is included for use in the classroom.

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