Chemistry: A Bunch of Symbols?

Abstract

Teaching and learning chemical formulas and structures is challenging. In many cases students understand chemical formulas only at a superficial level and poorly comprehend and retain the underlying chemical processes. Teaching methods still follow historically evolved principles, which are briefly summarized in this article. Difficulties and misconceptions that students encounter are presented and discussed. Didactic principles are proposed to help overcome the main challenge of connecting learned concepts and models to chemical formulas. The macOS and iPadOS application MoleculeSketch for drawing chemical structures is presented.