Annotated Bibliography

Stoichiometry

Ryan Graziani & Tamika Madison

Introduction

Stoichiometry is the area of chemistry that deals with the quantitative analysis of reactants and products in a chemical reaction.  Balanced chemical reactions are the backbone of stoichiometric calculations since they show the molar relationship between the products and reactants.  Therefore the mass of a substance is converted into moles using the molar mass of the substance.  Stoichiometry is a very important concept in chemistry and it is the concept that students most struggle with because of the heavy usage of mathematical calculations.  The following resources can be used by high school teachers in order to aid students in mastering the concept of stoichiometry.  

Resources

Title: “Stoichiometry”: Science Education Resource Page

Author: Queen’s University Faculty of Education

URL: http://educ.queensu.ca/~science/main/concept/chem/c11/c11main.htm

This page is part of a website that contains resources for science teachers.  This website was organized by the education faculty at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario.  The Stoichiometry page contains a variety of tools to help teachers develop the concept of stoichiometry in chemistry.  These tools include conceptual development examples for teachers to use with the students, demonstrations, a variety of teaching tips, and some lab activities.  Many of these tools are not based on technology.  This website is very useful for teachers because it contains a variety of ideas of how to guide students through difficult problems in learning stoichiometry as well as many different ways to present stoichiometry to students by using everyday examples, connections to other areas of science, fun games, and analogies.  The only thing that caused some concern was that the resources were last updated in 2003.  However this resource still seems to be quite legitimate and valuable. 

Title: Chemical Calculations with Clarity

Author: Emporia State University Department of Chemistry

URL: http://www.emporia.edu/chemist/davies/total.htm

This page contains a discussion of many of the misconceptions that are associated with doing calculations in chemistry, specifically demnsional analysis and stoichiometric calculations.  Some of the topics that are presented include making chemical calculations more “algebraically sound”, and the use of language when describing chemical quanities.  This document contains many different examples as well.   This resource is aimed toward educators.  This website is useful for chemistry teachers because it discusses many ways to avoid “feeding” student misconceptions by misusing language.  It also helps to clarify many misconceptions that teachers themselves may have.  This resource does not make use of technology. 

Title: Lecture Help Pages with Solutions

Author: Professor George Wiger, California State University, Dominguez Hill

URL: http://science.widener.edu/svb/tutorial/index.html

This page contains web based problems for various topics in chemistry, including stoichiometry.  These problems can be completed and the answer is then checked for correctness.  The student is given three chances to correctly answer the question before showing a detailed solution.  The types of problems that are given in the stoichiometry section include balancing equations, limiting reagents, mass and molar relationships in chemical equations, percent yields, and combustion analysis.  Teachers can use this program to sharpen their own skills or use it to provide students with additional practice in doing stoichiometric calculations.  This website is geared toward college students and it does not have any flashy animations.  However the problems that are presented seem to be appropriate for secondary chemistry students. 

Title: The IrYdium Project: Stoichiometry Applet

Author: Carnegie Mellon University

URL: http://ir.chem.cmu.edu/irproject/applets/stoich/

This applet gives a visual representation of the usage and formation of reactants and projects in a chemical equation using bar graphs. The bar graphs monitor the reaction in terms of grams and moles.   This page also gives some ways that this applet may be used in a classroom while discussing limiting reagents.  This tool is technologically dependent (i.e.- a computer with a  internet connection is required to run this applet and it cannot be downloaded). 

Title: Stoichiometry by the Recipe Method: SBR

Author: John Brodemus

URL: http://staff.chsd218.org/HLR/brodemuschem/index.htm

The contents of this website offer an alternative to the traditional presentation of stoichiometry by using recipes.  This website contains a student tutorial as well as a teacher’s page that discusses the theory behind this method.  This resource is  technologically dependent, however it is possible to print the pages out for students to use.  Since many students have difficulty with the traditional “factor label” method, this may be an alternative way to introduce stoichiometric calculations since it uses a concept that many students are already familiar with.  This page also introduces the factor label calculations. 

Title: Experiment: Stoichiometry II

Author: Dr. Roger Nutt Davidson College

URL: http://www.chm.davidson.edu/ronutt/che115/Stoich/Stoich2.htm

This page contains an applet that allows students to investigate the stochiometry of a chemical reaction on a microscopic level.  This applet is also complete with questions for students to answer.  In chemistry, it is very important to understand what goes on at the microscopic level that explains macroscopic phenomena.  Teachers can direct their students to this website as an assignment.  It also allows for technology to be integrated into a stoichiometry unit. 

Title: Stoichiometry Gizmo

Author: Explore Learning

URL:http://www.explorelearning.com/index.cfm?method=cResource.dspDetail&ResourceID=515

This page contains another applet that allows students to solve stoichiometry problems.  This “gizmo” helps students to solve problems by providing them with tiles that contain stoichiometric conversions.  Students are able to choose align these tiles and “flip them” if needed in order to come up with an answer.  Teachers can try the gizmo free for five minutes and then order a 30 day free trial for their students and themselves (enough time to do a few lessons).  This tool is useful for students who are having difficulty with the factor label method and is very easy to use. 

Title: Cross Proportions: A Conceptual Method for Developing Quanitative Problem Solving Skills

Full Citation (Journal Article): Cook, Elizabeth Robert L. Cook.  “A Conceptual Method for Developing Quanttitative Problem Solving Skills.”  Journal of Chemical Education, 82 Vol 8 (August 2005): 1187  (Accessed Via Journal of Chemical Education Online)

URL: http://www.jce.divched.org/

Abstract (from Journal of Chemical Education Online)

This paper focuses attention on the cross-proportion (C-P) method of mathematical problem solving, which was once widely used in chemical calculations. We propose that this method regain currency as an alternative to the dimensional analysis (DA) method, particularly in lower-level chemistry courses. In recent years, the DA method has emerged as the only problem solving mechanism offered to high-school and general chemistry students in contemporary textbooks, replacing more conceptual methods, C-P included. The C-P method emphasizes basic scientific principles through application during the process of solving numerical problems, which in turn promotes student understanding of these principles by constantly reinforcing basic concepts. We believe that appropriate teaching of chemistry needs to model its conceptual character as well as address students' different learning styles. Examples of C-P applications to molar mass and stoichiometry are given.

This is a very good article for teachers to read before teaching stoichiometry.  It provides a very detailed explanation as to why the cross proportions method of solving problems helps students to understand the chemical concepts behind the math.   It also provides very good example problems as well as supplementary material on the JCE website.  This is not a technology based resource, however this article can be accessed for free online. 

Title:  MOLS, PERCENTS, and STOICHIOMETRY

Author:  ChemTutor

Link:  http://www.chemtutor.com/mols.htm

Summery: Basic chemistry help is available here for high school or college students. Chemtutor begins with the fundamentals and gives expert help with the most difficult phases of understanding your first course in chemistry.  Chemtutor is not necessarily a complete text for your course or a complete outline, but we are proud to offer some insightful help in the parts of primary chemistry that have been, from our experience, the hardest for students to grasp.

Characterization:  This is a very valuable sight that is a tool to both teachers and students.  This site gives a very detailed introduction to the mole and stoichiometry.   It first gives an overview of basic stoichiometry with an example of how to solve the problem.  The site then goes into the different ways you can solve stoichiometry problems given different values such as density, molarity, volume, pressure, and temperature. The site gives an overview of all the different ways to solve problems with a road map chart that shows students all the different steps to solve problems.  The site also provides a large amount of problems and answers.  Teachers can use this site to help explain these concepts better as well as use the problems to give the students.  Students could also use this site as something to go through and learn on their own as well. 

Title:  Stoichiometry Table of Contents

Author:  The Chem Team

Link:  http://dbhs.wvusd.k12.ca.us/webdocs/Stoichiometry/Stoichiometry.html

Summery: The ChemTeam provides study resources in all standard topics for students in high school and Advanced Placement chemistry.

Characterization:  This is a site that gives several tutorials on the mole and stoichiometry.  The site also has stoichiometry labs and work sheets as well as links to other stoichiometry tutorials. The site can be used by both the teacher and the students.  Teachers can use the worksheets and labs that are on the site and the students can use the tutorials that are provided to help them learn about stoichiometry.

Title:  Stoichiometry Made Easy

Author: Pete LaMonaca

Link:  http://chsweb.lr.k12.nj.us/plamonaca/upenn/stoichiometrymadeeasy.htm

Summery:  Here is an alternative to the factor label method of doing stoichiometry. It is called the Vertical Agreement of Units method.  It works for any situation i.e. mass to mass, mole to mole, mole to liters, or any combination of quantities.

Characterization: This site provides a power point presentation that a teacher can use to help the students solve stoichiometry problems.  The power point shows an alternative way to solve stoichiometry problems using proportions instead of factor label.  This method could be helpful to some students who have trouble solving stoichiometry using the factor label method. 

Title: High- School students’ problems learning the concept of mole: A study to eventually get it right?

Author:  Nancy Brousseau

Link:  http://nobel.scas.bcit.ca/chemed2005/tradingPost/TUPM-S2-6-08_Presentationmole.pdf

Summery:  This link is to a presentation that discusses the obstacles to learning about the mole concepts and what causes that problem.  The article describes the situation in most classes as well as gives instructional suggestions to improving teaching on the mole concept. 

Characterization:  I think this is a good resource for teachers to read before teaching about the mole and stoichiometry.  Teachers should be aware with the right methods to teach stoichiometry and the mole.  This presentation can present the teachers with current problems and give those teacher suggestions on how to improve their practice. 

Title: Introduction to chemical arithmetic: mass and solution stoichiometry

Author:  Steve Mardsen

Link:  http://www.chemtopics.com/unit03/unit3f.htm

Summery:  This site provides a vast array of links to sites pertaining to stoichiometry.  The site has links to tutorials, lectures, calculations, worksheets, problem solving strategies, practice problems, tests, quizzes, and experiments.  The site also comes with its own tools.  The site has a periodic table, calculator, graph pad, solubility rules, activity series, list of common ions, and standard reduction potentials. 

Characterization:  I think this site can be very valuable for teacher and students when working with stoichiometry.  This site provides many different tools to teach and to learn stoichiometry.  The site provides teacher with many tools such as worksheets, quizzes, tests and labs which can save a teacher time instead of making up problems or labs.  The site can also be useful to students.  The site provides tutorials and example problems.  The students actually have everything they need to do the problems too.  The site gives the students a calculator, periodic table, list of ions, and so on.

Title: CHM 1025C Learning Tools

Author:  Karen Sanchez

Link: http://web.fccj.edu/~ksanchez/1025/25Learn.htm

Summery:  This site provides many links in many areas of chemistry.  It provides links to tutorials on mole calculations, stoichiometry problems, gas phase stoichiometry problems, and limiting reagent problems.  It also has a link to a lab activity to introduce the subject of stoichiometry. 

Characterization:  I think the links on this site has very good tutorials on mole calculations and stoichiometry problems.  The tutorials go through problems and concepts and then have the students try problems on their own and then give the students the answer so the students can see if they did the problems right or wrong.  The site also provides a very good lab activity that could be used by the teacher to introduce stoichiometry and go into chemical reactions.  The site also provides a concept check for the teacher to assess the students and for the students to assess themselves. 

When first starting our search to find good sites or articles online, we used both http://www.goggle.comand http://www.excitecom.  We found both search engines to be useful to find sites that would help both teachers and students when doing stoichiometry.  Our searches provided multiples ways of teaching stoichiometry, a vast array of problems that the teacher could give the students, tutorials for the students to go through, as well as sites that provided many links to sites that could be useful in stoichiometry. 

When doing the searches we collected a large variety of sites that we thought we could use.  We then went through the sites to try and cut out overlap and use the ones that provided the most resources that would be beneficial to both the teacher and the students.  We decided to use tutorials on stoichiometry, articles on teaching stoichiometry, applets on stoichiometry, lessons on stoichiometry, and power point on stoichiometry.  We thought that these resources would give teachers a large variety of resources to use when teaching stoichiometry. 

Since textbooks that are available in class might be limited something like an annotated bibliography could be very useful for a teacher to use.  An annotated bibliography can give a teacher a lot of options when teaching a topic like stoichiometry.  Since different students might have different learning styles or abilities, a teacher needs to be prepared with multiple modes of instruction to meet each student’s learning needs. 

Our annotated bibliography includes many resources that give the teacher many different options when teaching stoichiometry.  It provides the teacher will analogies to stoichiometry problems such as recipes, applets that provides visuals of what is going on in a stoichiometry problem, charts to help set a problem up, or labs that provide that help introduce the subject.

In conclusion, this annotated bibliography has provided us with a new tool to use when teaching.  When we do teach stoichiometry we will have the resources to use multiples modes of instruction to make stoichiometry something easy to learn then something abstract and difficult to learn.  We also hope that these links will also be a valuable tool to other teachers when they teach stoichiometry.  Hopefully that in the end stoichiometry will mean something more to students than a funny name and something that is hard to do.