edited by
RODO'CONNOR Texas A&M University
College Station. TX 77843
A Chemical Logic Problem Edward L. Waterman ROC^ Mo~nlmnnrgn Scnool 1300 Wesl Swa law Roao 80526
FOR Collms.CO
The art of logical thinking is essential to mastering the science of chemistry but is difficult for students to acquire. What they lack most of all is practice. Thus, logic problems occasionally make good classroom activities. They serve to break the normal routine, are alternatives to crosswords or word search nuzzles. and. best of all.. are eood exercises in analytical thinking. Here is an example. Durine a chemistw class. five nairs of students are workine on five iifferent experiments a; a row of lab stations numbered consecutively beginning with number one. The students are Bunsen Burns, Molly Cool, Charles Law, Ann Ion, Earl N. Meyer, Phyllis Beaker, Hal Ogen, Tess Tube, Barry Um, and Francie Um.' The experiments are an acid-base titration, an organic svnthesis, an inorganic svnthesis. a colorimetric analysis, and a kinetics experiment. From the information given below can vou tell what each student's experiment is, it which lab stagon he or she is working, and who his or her partner is?
44
Journal of Chemical Education
Clues 1. Each student has a lab partner of the opposite sex. 2. Tess Tube and Bunsen Burns work toeether.
the acid-base titration. 5. Molly Cool and her partner work between station # 3 and the station occupied by Barry Urn. 6. Phyllis Beaker, doing the kinetics experiment is not at #4. 7. Tess Tube does not work next to Molly Coal. 8. Earl N. Mever works at 34. 9. The organiE synthesis is being carried out at # 5 10. Hal Ogen is doing the colorimetric analysis. Answers Station Students 1 Ann Ian and Barry Um 2 Molly Cool and Hal Ogen 3 Phyllis Beaker and Charles Law 4 Francie Urn and Earl N. Meyer 5 Tess Tube and Bunsen Burns
Experiments
Acid-Base titration Colarimetricanalysis Kinetics experiment Inorganic synthesis Organic synthesis
' Most of the names are from: Felty, Wayne L., J. CHEM.EDUC., 55,
245 (1978).
