Hydrocarbons

Abstract

This activity is for the second semester of a GOB course designed to cover basic organic chemistry and focus on introductory biochemistry.  The activity introduces students to the three types of hydrocarbons: alkanes, alkenes, and alkynes and teaches them how to draw and interpret structural representations of hydrocarbons.  Teams are first guided through identifying types of hydrocarbons using expanded structures with which they are already familiar.  They are then presented with a model allowing them to examine representations using condensed structures and line formulas.  Students analyze the models to develop rules for drawing the new types of representations, then apply their knowledge by drawing different representations of molecules.

Level: Undergraduate
Setting: Classroom
Activity Type: Learning Cycle
Discipline: Chemistry
Course: General, Organic, and Biochemistry (GOB)
Keywords: hydrocarbon, alkane, alkene, alkyne, Lewis structure, condensed structures, line, skeletal, drawing