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A2: Element or Compound?

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Marilyne Stains and Vicente Talanquer

Department of Chemistry, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721

J. Chem. Educ., 2007, 84 (5), p 880

DOI: 10.1021/ed084p880

Publication Date (Web): May 1, 2007

Section:

History, Education, and Documentation

Abstract

We use particulate questions to investigate the mental association between the concepts of molecule and compound in chemistry students with different levels of academic preparation. We focus our analysis on the answers that undergraduate and graduate students provided when asked to classify a substance such as A₂ (represented in particulate form) as element, compound, or mixture. Our results indicate that a significant proportion of students misclassified molecular elements as chemical compounds. Surprisingly, the mental association between the concepts of molecule and compound was stronger in students with higher levels of preparation. Advanced students seemed to differentiate between elements and compounds using an alternative classification system based on molecular structure rather than on chemical composition. Even some chemistry faculty had working definitions of element and compound that did not match the definitions conventionally included in chemistry textbooks.

Keywords (Audience):

High School / Introductory Chemistry

Keywords (Domain):

Chemical Education Research

Keywords (Feature):

Chemical Education Research

Keywords (Pedagogy):

Misconceptions / Discrepant Events

Keywords (Subject):

Molecular Properties / Structure

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

Assessing Secondary and College Students’ Implicit Assumptions about the Particulate Nature of Matter: Development and Validation of the Structure and Motion of Matter Survey
Marilyne Stains, Marta Escriu-Sune, Myrna Lisseth Molina Alvarez de Santizo, and Hannah Sevian
Journal of Chemical Education2011 88 (10), 1359-1365
- Assessing Secondary and College Students’ Implicit Assumptions about the Particulate Nature of Matter: Development and Validation of the Structure and Motion of Matter Survey
  Marilyne Stains, Marta Escriu-Sune, Myrna Lisseth Molina Alvarez de Santizo, and Hannah Sevian
  Journal of Chemical Education2011 88 (10), 1359-1365
  Development of learning progressions has been at the forefront of science education for several years. While understanding students’ conceptual development toward “big ideas” in science is extremely valuable for researchers, science teachers can also ...
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