The traditional survey without the mind-numbing boredom

CHED 114

Barry L. Westcott, westcottb@ccsu.edu, Department of Chemistry, Central Connecticut State University, New Britain, CT 06050
There are myriad approaches to the descriptive course. A common, traditional approach is to survey the elements in the periodic table, focusing on abundance, periodic trends, and common reactions. This approach is possibly the best way for students to understand the chemistry of the elements; however, it can be (and often is) sinfully boring. While it is important for students to understand these trends and reactivity, there is very little time for students to learn the current areas of study for the elements. In this talk the author presents an approach for structuring a descriptive inorganic course for junior- and senior-level students that covers the traditional materials while also expecting students to navigate the current literature.