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A Cyclist's Guide to Ionic Concentration

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Arthur M. Last

Department of Chemistry, University College of the Fraser Valley, Abbotsford, BC, Canada V2S 7M9

J. Chem. Educ., 1998, 75 (11), p 1433

DOI: 10.1021/ed075p1433

Publication Date (Web): November 1, 1998

Section:

History, Education, and Documentation

Abstract

A simple analogy to help students understand ionic concentration is presented. A common problem among beginning chemistry students is the failure to recognize that in a solution containing 0.1 mol L^-1 sodium chloride, the concentration of chloride ion is 0.1 mol L^-1, not 0.05 mol L^-1. Similarly, many students do not understand that in a solution containing 0.1 mol L^-1 magnesium chloride, the concentration of chloride ion is 0.2 mol L^-1. To help students overcome such problems, an analogy has been developed in which a salt such as sodium chloride is compared to a unicycle, consisting of a frame and a wheel; magnesium chloride is compared to a bicycle, consisting of a frame and two wheels; and so on. Complete (i.e., 100%) dissociation is assumed throughout the discussion.

Keywords (Audience):

High School / Introductory Chemistry

Keywords (Feature):

Applications and Analogies

Keywords (Pedagogy):

Analogies / Transfer

Keywords (Subject):

Solutions / Solvents

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This article has been cited by 1 ACS Journal articles (1 most recent appear below).

“Gone” into Solution: Assessing the Effect of Hands-On Activity on Students’ Comprehension of Solubility
Laura B. Bruck and Aaron D. Bruck, Amy J. Phelps
Journal of Chemical Education2010 87 (1), 107-112
- “Gone” into Solution: Assessing the Effect of Hands-On Activity on Students’ Comprehension of Solubility
  Laura B. Bruck and Aaron D. Bruck, Amy J. Phelps
  Journal of Chemical Education2010 87 (1), 107-112
  Solubility is challenging for many general chemistry students, and the interactions of aqueous species are difficult to conceptualize. Derived from the pedagogies of Johnstone, Bloom, and Piaget, our primary research questions probe whether students’ ...
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