Visualization of chemistry is considered an important aspect of education at an introductory level. Molecular interactions to facilitate a deeper understanding of the mechanisms in which chemistry takes place have been introduced in novel ways by computer animated models. As successful such approach may be, it does little to provide a ‘real' visualization of the various controls and mechanisms. Any attempts on observing real chemical systems is further complicated by the fact that most of the ongoing chemical activity is at non-ambient conditions. In this presentation, the author will introduce techniques and examples of direct visualization of ‘chemistry at extremes' that are currently under testing in classroom and are aimed towards development of web-based lectures. It is hoped that this direct observation approach will be helpful in providing a direct perspective to a wide range of students (from elementary to college) by visualization of generally unobserved chemical processes ranging from super-critical fluid behavior to biological interactions at non-ambient conditions.
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Back to Chemical Education Session I
Back to The 33rd Northeast Regional Meeting (July 14-17, 2005)