Like Dissolves Like: A Guided Inquiry Experiment for Organic Chemistry

Ingrid Montes , Chunqiu Lai and David Sanabria
Department of Chemistry, University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus, Río Piedras, PR 00931-3346
J. Chem. Educ., 2003, 80 (4), p 447
DOI: 10.1021/ed080p447
Publication Date (Web): April 1, 2003
History, Education, and Documentation

Abstract

This paper describes a demonstration and a straightforward experiment using the guided-inquiry approach for the "like dissolves like" principle that is implemented at the beginning of the academic year. This experiment extends the students' understanding of the concept of solubility of organic molecules and its relationship to chemical structure. It is also a stepping stone to their comprehension of separation techniques for organic compounds. The objective of this experiment is to observe how the solubility of alcohols varies in water, acetone, or hexane. This approach allows students to integrate different concepts of organic chemistry learned throughout the general chemistry course. These concepts include: covalent bond, dipole moment, molecular geometry, intermolecular forces, and solubility.

Keywords (Audience):

High School / Introductory Chemistry

Keywords (Domain):

Organic Chemistry

Keywords (Pedagogy):

Inquiry-Based / Discovery Learning

Keywords (Subject):

Learning Theories
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  • Received: August 03, 2009

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