An interactive introduction to point groups

Abstract

Symmetry elements and point groups are important aspects in chemistry education and many upper class content depends on students being able to assign these to given molecules or tertiary structures. Yet students struggle with this. Hence a new approach for teaching this topic was developed at Southampton.

This new modus separates symmetry elements initially from point groups and disconnects it also from chemistry. Following a lecture on the topic, a workshop environment is used to practise symmetry elements with real life objects. This handson manner is then repeated in another workshop focussing on assigning point groups to these real world objects. Finally, in a laboratory class, different items are presented to the cohort to play with before determining symmetry elements and assigning point groups, and, at last, suggest molecules that share the same three dimensional features.

Teaching chemistry always includes practical skills and the application of theory knowledge and concepts to the laboratory class. With this relaxed method, students practised in a playful fashion and learned to “see” different symmetries in the real, every day world. This enabled them to better understand and apply point group assignments ultimately also in the chemistry context. The outcomes of student feedback and summative assessments involving symmetry will be discussed.

In summary, an interactive introduction to symmetry elements and point groups led to an improved learning experience and retention of the skill. Quantitative and qualitative results underpin the success of this approach.

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Identifiers

ORCID for Thomas Logothetis: orcid.org/0000-0002-3437-5287

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