Publishers of general-purpose CAI materials

The materials listed in this section are mostly intended to support the greater part of an entire course. See the sections that follow for more specialized listings.

Betwixt AtomSmith Classroom of Molecular Exploration - "... allows students to see the shapes and behaviors of atoms and molecules and interact with them, shedding light on such topics as atomic structure, chemical bonding, gas laws, and phases of matter." Windows only. Student worksheets and teacher guides are available as pdf files.

ChemSense Project - This NSF-supported project is developing software and activities to help students investigate chemical phenomena and express their understanding in a variety of chemistry representations. The software enables students to generate drawings, animations, text, and graphs. Specialized tools within the environment make it easy to create images of nanoscopic entities and processes.

Benjamin/Cummings ActivChemistry integrates simulation, animation, text, pictures, interactive experiments, and a full-function chemistry package including lessons. The package includes real-world examples, interactive visualizations, and animated expositions. ActivChemistry can be used as an open-ended exploratory tool or to provide guided instruction, and unlike most instructional software, it can be customized and extended by the teacher. The High School Version includes 17 guided lessons with separate assessment worksheets. The principal author is Jimmy Reeves of U. North Carolina at Wilmington. Macintosh and Windows. Note added late 2006: This item has apparently been withdrawn; copies are available on E-Bay.

ChemAxon has a number of free software materials and applets for displaying structures, etc.

Chem1Ware's Chem1 Concept Builder offers guided, interactive, and in-depth instruction in most topics of General Chemistry at the college and advanced-HS levels. Most of the lesson sets were originally developed to support the courses given by the author, S.K. Lower of Simon Fraser University. The software runs in MS-Windows 3.2 through XP and is now free.

C-MoR ("Chemistry Modules of Richmond") - A group of modules and Web-based tutorials intended to illustrate core concepts in the curriculum. See C&EN, Sept 14 1998, pp 37-38.

Crocodile Chemistry features both lab simulation and instructional software aimed at the age 14-16 level.

Electronic Homework Systems publishes the ChemSkill Builder, a suite of PC-based lessons for general-, prep- and organic chemistry designed to be used as electronic homework. Scores earned through the use of CSB are stored on a student disk for later addition to a course file.

Knowledge by Design markets the Atomic Orbitals CD by Yue-Ling Wong and a periodic table game.

>Journal of Chemical Education: Software publishes a wide range of materials having instructional applications. Many of their older DOS-based programs are now available for free downloading.

MCH Multimedia - Chemistry Tutorials at the introductory college level by Bryan Sanctuary of McGill University. These interactive tutorials cover a wide variety of topics. Also available are tutorial sets on organic chemistry, physical chemistry, and physics. The tutorials can be accessed directly through MCH's Web site and they can also be obtained in CD-ROM format for Windows and Macintosh.

Odyssey "is a unique teaching program for introductory and general chemistry classes in high schools, colleges, and universities. Utilizing scientifically-based molecular simulations, ODYSSEY provides an interactive environment for learning and exploration."

Polychem is a comprehensive multimedia tutorial and simulation tool based on a "Chemistry Building" metaphor. Mac and Windows.

Quantum Tutor Chemistry Tutorials is a set of tutorials covering different aspects of beginning chemistry. It offers a variety of problem quizzes organized in a framework that allows students to explore and ask questions about specific compounds or topics. Students can retain records of their interactions with the program, and additional problems relevant to a specific curriculum can be added. The materials can be accessed on-line by annual subscription. An impressive on-line demo is available at this site.

Ries Software "A survey of chemistry" is a multimedia course on a CD, aimed at the introductory level. Each chapter includes interactive practice and problem. Windows only.

Sapling Learning - Produces digital media and instructional materials for the textbook publishing industry.

ScienceMedia develops interactive simulations and visualization software for Chemistry and Biology. Their offerings include a lesson set on spectrophotometry containing an interactive demonstsration of a spectrophotometer. Mac and Windows.

Element quiz and periodic table games (Sheppard Software) - free for teachers, schools (including home schools).

SolEq: The How, why and what of solution equilibria - A collection of software packages and tutorials by Kip Powell of Canterbury University, NZ. Covers acid-base, redox, solubility, and metal-ligand equilibria with applications to speciation modeling, environmental- and biological chemistry.

>Thinkwell's Chemistry consists of a CD containing a series of multimedia tutorials covering the full range of General Chemistry which are arranged in the order corresponding to the instructor's syllabus. An accompanying customized Web site incorporates an online testing system and a means of facilitating instructor-student and student-student communication.

Trinity Software offers numerous titles in General and Organic Chemistry for both the IBM-PC and Macintosh platforms. Student discounts are available.

Software by independent authors or groups

> An Introduction to Chemistry is a tutorial set by Mark Bishop, intended to support his textbook of the same name published by Benjamin/Cummings. Versions for both prep and regular courses are offered. Presently for Windows only, but Web-based Shockwave versions are expected.

ChemSense is a NSF-funded project to study students' understanding of chemistry and develop software and curriculum to help students investigate chemical systems and express their ideas through animation. The project also develops software for exploring ideas in chemistry and for presenting scientific data.

CurTiPot acid-base software - All-in-one freeware for pH and acid-base equilibrium calculations and for simulation and analysis of Potentiometric Titration Curves.

> ChemWare Chemistry tutorial software (Windows) Software and shareware for Chemistry education. primarily for high school students and teachers. By Bruce Levet of Napier Boys' High School, New Zealand.

IrYdium Project - Carnegie-Mellon University. Applets and Concept Tests, simulators for spectroscopy, statistical mechanics, etc.

Reactor Lab is a free software program by Richard Herz (UC-San Diego) that provides simulations of a variety of chemical reactors. Students can actively learn about chemical reactions and reactors by performing experiments and analyzing data - quickly, safely, and inexpensively. "Those who have used the Lab range from high school chemistry students to chemical engineering university and graduate students, to professionals.

ChemBuddy pH Calculator calculates the pH of any mixture of strong/weak/polyprotic acids and bases, with or without ionic strength or ativity corrections, and can draw titration curves. It also contains an extensive database of acid/base data.

Laboratory simulation and interfacing software

Virtlab is a "virtual laboratory where students deduce scientific principles by performing laboratory experiments." It employs Flash- and JavaScript-enhanced Web technologies, as well as spreadsheet files. In addition to various simulatins, they claim to offer considerable flexibility in model-building for more curious students to explore.

Virtual ChemLab for General Chemistry is an inexpensive lab simulation program developed at Brigham Young U. and distributed by Prentice-Hall.

Bridging to the Lab is a set of 11 lab simulation exercises by Loretta Jones and Ray Tasker, published by Freeman and available via the Web. "The modules are interactive lab activities based on solving real-world problems by using critical thinking and decision making with an emphasis on experimental design, interpretation of data..."

IrYdium Virtual Lab - (IrYdium Project, Carnegie-Mellon University) is a networked laboratory simulation being developed to provide an environment in which students can select from hundreds of standard chemical reagants and combine them in any way they see fit. Instructors may use this environment in a variety of settings including student homework, group projects, computer lab activities and pre- and post-lab exercises to support varied approaches to chemical education.

Late Nite Labs Ltd develops software for simulating laboratory experiments and exploration in chemistry and physics. Their Virtual Labs simulate real-world behavior in a drag-and-drop graphic environment; a suite of about 20 experiments for General Chemistry is presently available. A Lab Builder allows instructors to create their own lab exercises and give students guided-inquiry tasks that allow them to learn by exploring and asking "what if". The software is installed on a local Web server and can work with both Macintosh and Windows systems.

Model Science Software - Model ChemLab is an interactive simulation of a chemistry lab for the Windows and the Mac OS platform. Model ChemLab includes loadable lab simulations and a Lab Wizard tool for easy user defined lab creation. Free evaluation versions are available from their web site.

Vernier Software specializes in hardware and software for laboratory experiment interfacing with computers.

See also the Benjamin/Cummings ActivChemistry product described in the preceding section.

 

More specialized instructional software

Wavefunction, Inc's Spartan molecular modeling software offers a student edition for colleges and high schools.

Analytical Instrumentation topics including gas chromatography, HPLC, atomic absorption, mass spectrometry, inductively coupled plasma spectroscopy are available in the , Interactive Training sets from Scientific Software.

Monte Carlo Gas Simulator for Chemistry Education [DSB Scientific] this free program for General and Physical Chemistry courses demonstrates phase change statistics and modeling. As a simple demo, MCGas may also be used in a High School Chemistry course.

EQS4WIN: Thermochemical equilibrium A Windows-based thermoche 12.01.2011 uilibrium problems using a unified approach, which is suitable for use in the context of many different chemistry/chemical engineering courses (thermodynamics, analytical chemistry, biochemistry, environmental chemistry, physical chemistry). A free Lite Version of the software, containing extensive help facilities and suitable for student use, is available from this site.

SAVANT Laboratory Training - these programs cover atomic and IR-UV spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, chromatography, capillary electrophoresis, laboratory safety, and similar topics. (Windows only)

Atomic orbitals CD-ROM This product of Knowledge by Design provides information on atomic orbitals and extensive visualizations of their shapes.

Scientific Creations's Formula Master provides drill-and-practice training in learning about elements, ions, and formulas. Windows only.

The Chemical Thesaurus is a huge (200 Mb) collection of information about chemical reactions, phase changes and radiochemistry organized into a relational database. It is free for personal use and available in both Windows and Macintosh versions.

CHEM-IT is a program for beginning Chemistry students that provides access to a unit converter, communly used constants, an interactive periodic table, and a simple text editor for writing up laboratory experiments. A $5 shareware program by Bob Gibbons.

ChemTeach (Stephan's Technical Thermochemistry home page) DOS-based materials (with workbook) for applying thermochemistry to a variety of practical problems. Itegrates with ChemSage, a major application for solving problems related to thermodynamics and phase equilibria. (GTT-Technologies, Germany)

Newbyte Educational Software has PC-only modules on Acid-base titration, gas-phase equilibria, and enzyme function.

Periodic table quizzes - six quiz types, extensively customizable. Mac OS X only.

Prode calculator for Chemical Engineering Demo version of a programmable process calculator with a graphical interface, a database of more than 1000 chemicals and a powerful programming language with many functions for thermodynamic calculations. For Windows, OS/2, or Unix.

Model ChemLab is a real-time 2-D simulation of a chemistry lab in which the user interacts with animated lab equipment in a large number of experiment modules (see list.) An inexpensive version is available for about $25. Macintosh and Windows; Free demo available by download.

Stark Design's Atomic Microscope package allows you to model large collections of molecules as they collide and bounce off one another.

WinTorg is an organic analysis simulation program by Adrian Blackman, U of Tasmania. It shows students how to use any combination of spectroscopy (NMR, IR) and chemical tests to identify unknown organic compounds. A free demo is available.

 

Drills and games

A large collection of Chemistry drills, some in the form of arcade games, can be found at the {DigitalGraphics site}. These are Windows-only, and many are shareware. (Last archive 2/2006)

Here is another collection of Chemistry-related games and tutorials.

 

 

12-01-2011