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Reflections on Challenges and Rewards in Teaching Chemistry
Get PDFThe author gives his personal and subjective view of the manifold challenges in teaching chemistry and argues that, in most cases, the challenges lie in the difficulty of balancing two opposing concerns and thus can be formulated as dilemmas. He discusses, among others, the role of general education, language skills, finding the correct level of simplification, and specific problems of teaching the language of chemistry. Furthermore, he points out possibilities to overcome the pitfalls inherent in teaching chemistry and describes examples of the challenges and their solutions. Awareness of individual challenges is the prerequisite to finding solutions and improving one’s teaching
Molecules Are Not Enough! Overcoming Students’ Overgeneralization Tendencies by Comparing and Contrasting
Get PDFMany students assume a molecular structure for all substances, even after being instructed on the topic. But why do students struggle to understand key concepts like chemical bonding? One of the reasons is students’ tendency to overgeneralize: Students wrongfully transfer characteristics from familiar (e.g., molecular substances) to lesser-known concepts (e.g., ionic compounds). In this article, possible reasons behind this commonly observed tendency are discussed and a possible didactical solution is proposed. Comparing and contrasting approaches increased students’ ability to distinguish between similar concepts in mathematics.[1] The method of comparing and contrasting is therefore applied by simultaneously introducing the three types of chemical bonding to effectively tackle students’ overgeneralization tendencies
The Environmental Feasibility of Decentralised Solar Ammonia
Get PDFIntense efforts have been devoted to developing green and blue centralised Haber-Bosch processes (gHB and bHB, respectively), but the feasibility of a decentralised and sustainable scheme has yet to be assessed. Here we reveal the conditions under which small-scale systems based on the electrocatalytic reduction of nitrogen (eN2R) powered by photovoltaic energy (NH3-leaf) could become a competitive technology in terms of environmental criteria. To this end, we calculated energy efficiency targets based on solar irradiation atlases to guide research in the incipient eN2R field. Even under this germinal state, the NH3-leaf technology would compete favourably in sunny locations relative to the business-as-usual production scenario. The disclosed sustainability potential of NH3-leaf makes it a strong ally of gHB toward a non-fossil ammonia production
Details Matter in Structure-based Drug Design: SCS Senior Industrial Science Award 2022
No full textSuccessful structure-based drug design (SBDD) requires the optimization of interactions with the target protein and the minimization of ligand strain. Both factors are often modulated by small changes in the chemical structure which can lead to profound changes in the preferred conformation and interaction preferences of the ligand. We draw from examples of a Roche project targeting phosphodiesterase 10 to highlight that details matter in SBDD. Data mining in crystal structure databases can help to identify these sometimes subtle effects, but it is also a great resource to learn about molecular recognition in general and can be used as part of molecular design tools. We illustrate the use of the Cambridge Structural Database for identifying preferred structural motifs for intramolecular hydrogen bonding and of the Protein Data Bank for deriving propensities for protein-ligand interactions
Anion Exchange Membranes for Hydrogen Technologies: Challenges and Progress: Green & Sustainable Chemistry Award 2022
No full textAnion exchange membrane fuel cells (AEMFCs) are considered one of the most promising and efficient hydrogen conversion technologies due to their ability to use cost-effective materials. However, AEMFCs are still in the early stage of development and the lack of suitable anion exchange membranes (AEMs) is one major obstacle. In this review, we highlight three major challenges in AEMs development and discuss recent scientific advancements that address these challenges. We identify current trends and provide a perspective on future development of AEMs
