Reactions as Processes: Exploring Mechanisms in Project Genesis

In graduate school I interviewed students asking:

“What is the mass of the products before the reaction begins?”

All but one responded:

“equal to the mass of the reactants”

The one who accurately responded:

“if the reaction hasn’t begun, the mass of the products should be zero”

That student could see a reaction as something that happens in time. What was different?

This student informed me that they were taught high school chemistry in another country. In that country, the focus in science classes was far more on processes than equations.

I wrote a ChemEdX piece on teaching reactions as processes, including a Genesis lesson you can run this week:

Reactions as Processes: Exploring Mechanisms in Project Genesis

What if your students could step inside a chemical reaction and watch the chemistry unfold? Project Genesis turns reactions into explorable 3D processes, inviting students to predict, play, investigate, and revise their thinking as molecules, bonds, and electrons come to life.

Chemical Education XchangeVanessa Rosa

On Tuesday, September 8, 6:00–7:00 p.m. CT (7:00–8:00 p.m. ET), I’m giving a ChemEd X Talk, Making Chemistry Visible: The Power of Scientific Visualization. Click the image below and join me for a discussion on this topic:

A special thank you to Colleen Kelley, Ph.D. for inviting me to engage with the Editor-HE ChemEdX community.

It's a beautiful day to practice impactful science,

Vanessa Rosa, Ph.D.