JOURNRL OF
Chemical Education: Software Coordination Compounds
Abstracts for Volume 5C, Number 1
James P. Birk John Foster Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287-1604
AnswerSheets Richard Cornelius Lebanon Val ey Co lege Annv~lle.PA 17003-0501 The series of software modules called AnswerSheets is a collection of files for the spreadsheet program Microsoft Excel. The user interface is through dialog boxes, buttons, and pull-down menus; no knowledge of spreadsheets is necessarv in order to run the software. The primam focus of AnswerSheets is to provide answers and explanations to problems that students provide. Modules are available to handle topics as varied as unit conversion, inorganic nomenclature, stoichiometry, and VSEPR structures. The problems that a student provides can come from a textbook, homework, an exam, or any other source. Resources available to help a student include a calculator that understands chemical formulas, a glossary, and a periodic table for access to data about the elements. If a student wants practice problems, AnswerSheets can serve as a nearly limitless source, and it provides answers and explanations to the problems it generates. An additional feature is that each module provides a capsule summary of the topic. The ease of copying questions and answers from AnswerSheets into a word processor also makes the software helpful in the preparation of quizzes, complete with an answer key The modules included in this issue are
Coordination Compounds is a set of Hypercard stacks that allows users to explore the structures of fourcoordinate (square planar and tetrahedral) and six-coordinate (octahedral) compounds and ions. The compounds included in the program illustrate the possible types of structural isomerism found with these coordination numbers. Additional compounds can be added to the set. The user can select the compound from a list or allow random selection by the program. During operation of the program, the user is presented with two views of the structure of a compound. One view is fixed and the other can be rotated around the X, Y, and Z axes. The user is asked to decide whether the two views represent the same compound or different isomers. By rotating the movable structure, the user can obtain identical orientations-if they are possible. Upon deciding that the two structures are identical or isomers, the user can attempt to name the compound, or select a new compound to examine. 0(~")2C12
Target:
Active:
Significant Figures Unit Conversion Stoichiometry VSEPR Structures
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Clock- countsrvtas clock"00
Square Pyramidal Molecular Geomcby
Screen from Coordination Compounds Hidc Lone Pair
About This Issue
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John W. Moore Jon L. Holmes ~"ivenityof WisconsiwMadison Madison, WI 53706-1396
Screen from Answer Sheets.
460
Journal of Chemical Education
AnswerSheets by Richard Cornelius is a series of spreadsheet macros that allow general chemistry students to enter their own questions and ohtain answers:~nexample of its use is that individualized homework could be assigned and students could later obtain answers to their specific assignment from the computer. AnswerSheets
makes effective use of the Macintosh environment and Microsoft Excel. Programming in a super-high level language (the spreadsheet) means that IBM and Macintosh versions may be developed simultaneously ( I ) and many difficulties that might result from software and hardware updates will be alleviated. Coordination Compounds by James Birk and John Foster uses the graphical nature of the Macintosh and the high-level authoring capabilities of Hypercard to explore four-coordinate and six-coordinate geometries. Using the structures of real compounds as the basis of the exploration gives relevence to this exercise. Hardware and Software Requirements Software in Series C of JCE: Software requires an Apple Macintosh computer with a t least 1MB of memory (Macintosh Plus, SE or SEl30, Classic or Classic 11, any Macintosh 11, Quadra, or PowerBook). System Software version 6.0.3 or later is also required. The programs in this issue also require a hard disk drive. In addition to the hardware and software recommended above, AnswerSheets requires Microsoft Excel version 3.0
or greater a n d Coordination Compounds requires Hypercard version 1.2.2 or later. Installation of all the Answer Sheet modules requires about 2.5 MB of hard disk 'space; installation of all of the Coordination Compounds stacks requires about 3 MB. AnswerSheets and Coordination Compounds are compatible with System 7. Using Coordination Compounds with System 7 requires Hypercard version 2.1 or later. Citation 1. Comeliua, D."AnawerSheeta". J. C k m . Edue.:Soffwam, 1883,5D(11
To Order This Issue
II
Journal of Chemical Education: Software (often called JCE: Software)is a publication ofthe Journal ofChernicalEducation. There is an Order Form card inserted in this issue. If this card is not available. contact JCE: Software. De~arlmentof Chemistry, Lnivers t y of Wiscons n-~aaison' 1101 Unfversity Avne~e.Mao son, Wi 53706: 608 262-5153 (voce):608 2620381 (FAX).
Volume 70 Number 6 June 1993
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