Teaching Chemistry with Electron Density Models

Welcome to our Web site! (under construction)

This site is meant for chemistry teachers and students who would like to learn more about:

• chemistry,
• the electronic structure of molecules, and
• electron density models.

Electrons are responsible for most of the phenomena that chemists study and students are introduced to various "theories" of electron behavior at an early stage. The problem for students (and teachers too!) is that the only accurate electron theory, quantum mechanics, is highly mathematical and difficult to master.

Although a thorough understanding of chemistry requires an appreciation of quantum mechanics, beginning students need not learn a lot of math and physics in order to understand how electrons affect chemical phenomena. An especially easy and effective way to learn about the "electron - chemistry" connection is to use "electron density models" of atoms and molecules.

Electron density models are computer-generated pictures that show how electrons are distributed in an atom or molecule. The models are consistent with quantum mechanics, i.e., the pictures are produced by using quantum mechanical calculations, and are widely used in chemical research.

Students find electron density models easy to use as well. The models allow them to avoid most of the difficulties of quantum mechanics, and focus instead on the main question: how do electrons affect chemistry?

This Web site will eventually do several things:

• It will describe some of the "languages" that chemists use to talk about electrons
• It will define several useful types of electron density models
• It will show you how these models can be applied to various problems in chemistry
• And, it will show you how to translate the information in these models into more traditional chemical languages, and vice versa

The expected completion date for this Web site is Fall, 1997. New materials will get posted throughout the next few months, so check back periodically. In the meantime, you can choose from the following:

• visit the Web site of our Journal of Chemical Education article, G.P. Shusterman and A.J. Shusterman, "Teaching Chemistry with Electron Density Models", J.Chem.Ed., 74(7), 771-775 (1997)
• Look at FULL-SIZE versions of the figures in the above article with supplementary text.

If you have questions about anything you see here, or if you have suggestions for more (or better) material, please contact either one of us. Thanks for visiting.

Alan Shusterman, Department of Chemistry, Reed College

Gwen Shusterman, Department of Chemistry, Portland State University

(last updated 6/26/97)