| The Language of Chemistry
Chemical representations are the "language" of chemistry. Chemists use representations of molecules and atoms to communicate with their colleagues and to carry out their investigations. The software application, eChem, helps students build and manipulate three-dimensional models of molecules for their investigations, as well. eChem is a simplified version of professional visualizing tools. It allows students to compare predicted properties of a molecule with properties they observe in the laboratory. eChem makes constructing, visualizing, analyzing, and manipulating organic molecules easy. Students can view molecules from all possible angles and make visual connections between three-dimensional and two-dimensional models. They can also simultaneously compare different representations, such as ball-and-stick, wire-frame and space-fill, to see how each model conveys information about atoms, atom size, and bond orders. |  | Students work with molecule models either by choosing one from a file of molecule representations or by building one themselves. |  | Students can choose which representation they want to view, ball-and-stick,as at left, wire frame, or space-fill. | Go to the eChem Project Site to run a tutorial, download PDF files of learning sets, or download the program. eChem is available for WINDOWS 95, WINDOWS 98, MAC OS 7.6.1, 8.0, 8.1, 8.5, and UNIX. |
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