Why do compounds act the way they do? Why do chemical reagents fit together in just the right way for reactions to occur? These are important questions, and these tutorials should help you to understand them.
Note: If you’re not very good at Lewis structures, hit the “back” button and find the tutorials on how to do them. You can’t explore polarity or IM forces without it. (Updated 2-3-16)
- All about polarity: What makes a molecule polar, and what effect does this have on the molecule’s behavior. If you want to understand chemistry, you really need to learn this stuff.
- Intermolecular forces: Think of this as the second part of the polarity tutorial, because it explains the specific ways in which polarity causes compounds to interact with each other.
- States of matter, phase changes, and IM forces: This covers it all! From a textbook I never finished.
Related: YouTube videos that help to explain polarity and IM forces. I didn’t produce them, but think they’re really good:
- The hunt for the highest melting point: A discussion of why strong attractions between particles causes high melting points (and why weak forces cause low ones).
- The Leidenfrost effect: Brought to you by phase changes.
- Why can we see our breath in the cold? How phase changes and gas laws make it possible to see your breath on a chilly day.
- Amazing gecko-man getup: How do Geckos climb up glass? Van der Waals forces!
- How to supercool water: An interesting discussion of metastable supercooled water.
- Why does ice float? And you thought intermolecular forces had no practical use!
The Cavalcade o' Chemistry 