PhET Simulations for Chemistry

PhET Simulations for Chemistry

The Physics Education Technology (PhET) project is an ongoing effort to provide an extensive suite of simulations for teaching and learning subjects like physics, chemistry, biology, mathematics and earth science. These simulations help students to comprehend concepts through the use of graphics and interactive animations. Teachers can use PhET simulations to create worksheets for re-enforcement of the concepts. PhET simulations are written in Java and HTML5. This helps to run these simulations online or to download them to their local computer. To encourage quantitative exploration these simulations have measurement instruments including rulers, stopwatches, voltmeters, and thermometers PhET simulations and resources are freely available at the PhET website (https://phet.colorado.edu/) from the University of Colorado at Boulder.

The Spoken Tutorial Effort for PhET has been contributed by Dr. Snehalatha Kaliappan, Madhuri Ganapathi, Meenal Ghoderao, Vidhi Thakur and Radika Yadav.

Basic Level

1. Introduction to PhET Simulations

• Open the PhET website in a web browser.
• About PhET simulations.
• Register and sign in on the PhET website.
• Access the PhET simulations online.
• Browse the simulations.
• Filter simulations based on subject and grade level.
• Arrange the simulations in alphabetical order.
• Browse activities based on level and subject.
• Download the simulations for offline use on various OS.
• Open and run the downloaded simulation.

2. pH Scale

• Define pH.
• About pH Scale simulation interface.
• Determine the pH of a solution.
• Determine the acidity and basicity of a solution.
• Arrange acids and bases according to their strength.
• Effect of dilution on pH of a solution.
• Determine the concentration of hydroxide ion, hydronium ion and water at a given pH.
• Logarithmic and Linear scale.

3. Concentration and Molarity

• Open the simulation in HTML format.
• About the simulation interface.
• Add solute as a solid and as a concentrated solution.
• Measure the concentration of the solution using the concentration tool.
• Note the change in the colour of the solution as concentration changes.
• Note the change in the concentration of the solution as the volume and amount of solute change.
• Evaporate water to increase the concentration of solution.
• Find the saturation point of the solutions.
• Calculate the number of moles of the solute.
• Show the appearance of crystals on decreasing the volume of the solution.

4. The Greenhouse Effect

• About Greenhouse Effect and greenhouses gases.
• About Greenhouse Effect simulation interface.
• Change in composition of greenhouse gases between ice age and Today.
• Effect of greenhouse gases on atmospheric temperature.
• Explore and compare the atmosphere of the Ice age and Today.
• Effect of glass panes and clouds on temperature.
• Interaction of photons with atmospheric gases.
• Contribution of atmospheric gases to the Greenhouse Effect.

5. States of Matter

• How to use the States of Matter, an interactive PhET simulation.
• Predict how the change in temperature changes the behaviour of particles.
• Predict how the change in pressure changes the behaviour of particles.
• Compare the particles in three different phases.
• Study the phase diagram for different atoms.
• Add atoms to the container using the pushing pump.
• Compare interactions between particles in solids, liquids and gases.
• Study the relation between temperature and Kinetic Energy of molecules.

6. Build an Atom

• About Build an Atom simulation interface.
• About an atom and its composition.
• Build an atom using protons, neutrons and electrons.
• Identify an element and its position on the periodic table.
• Determine whether an atom is neutral or an ion.
• Predict the charge.
• Determine the mass of an atom or ion.
• Determine the stability of atom/ion created.
• Explain element symbol, charge, atomic number, mass number and isotope.
• Relate the number of protons, neutrons and electrons to the atomic symbol.

7. Build a molecule

• Open the simulation in HTML format.
• About the simulation interface.
• Differentiate between an atom and a molecule.
• Build molecules using a chemical formula.
• Build molecules using various atoms.
• Show the molecule in spacefill and ball and stick formats.
• Separate the molecules into individual atoms.
• Navigate in the atoms box to access all the atoms.
• Collect molecules in the table.
• Build the same molecule multiple times.

8. Conductivity

• Open the simulation interface using Java.
• About the simulation interface.
• About valence band and conduction band.
• Show that change in voltage moves the electrons in the circuit.
• Show that Increase in the voltage increases the potential difference between the terminals.
• Differentiate between conductors, semiconductors and non-conductors.
• Check if shining light makes a non-conductor a conductor.
• Check if shining light on a photoconductor makes it to conducts electricity.
• Show that on shining light some electrons in a photoconductor excite to higher energy bands.
• Explanation about the difference in band gap in metals, plastic and photo-conductor.

Intermediate Level

9. Rutherford Scattering

• Features of Plum Pudding model.
• Behaviour of alpha particles.
• About Plum Pudding simulation interface.
• Deflection of alpha particles in the atom.
• Limitations of plum pudding atomic model.
• About Rutherford Scattering simulation interface.
• Deflection of alpha particles in atomic and nuclear view in Rutherford scattering.
• About alpha particles scattering.
• Identify the factors that change the deflection of alpha particles.
• Effect of n/p ratio on alpha particles deflection.

10. Photoelectric Effect

• About Photoelectric effect.
• About Photoelectric effect simulation interface.
• Study Photoelectric effect.
• Change the wavelength and intensity of light.
• About threshold frequency of metals.
• Calculate the threshold frequency of sodium.
• Calculate the Work function of different metals.
• Find the stopping potential of metals.
• Study the factors affecting the current and energy of electrons.

11. Models of Hydrogen Atom

• About models of the hydrogen atom simulation interface.
• Visualize different models of the hydrogen atom.
• Relation between the physical picture of the orbits and energy level diagram of an electron.
• About different atomic models and their limitations.
• Check how the prediction of a model matches the experimental results.
• Visualize the spectral lines.
• Use of quantum numbers n, l, m.
• Determine the orbital shape and orientation using n, l and m values.

12. Sugar and Salt Solutions

• Open and explain about Sugar and Salt PhET simulation interface.
• Record changes in concentration on addition of a solute and a solvent.
• Record changes in concentration on changing the evaporation of the solution.
• Show the conductivity of salt and its dependency on concentration of the solution.
• Calculate the molarity and amount of solute.
• Explanation on why sugar solution does not show conductivity.
• Identify if a compound is a salt or sugar by macro and microscopic structures.
• Identify ionic and covalent bonds by using macro and microscopic structures.
• View the 3D model of sugar in Space fill and Ball and stick formats.
• Orientation of water’s partial charges around sodium and chloride ions to show the dissociation at the molecular level.

13. Salts and solubility

• About the PhET interface.
• Solubility of different Salts.
• Create a neutral compound from anions and cations.
• Equilibrium expression for dissolution of salt in water.
• Establish equilibrium between bound and free ions.
• Calculate the molarity of solutions.
• Calculate Solubility Product of salts.
• Application of Le-Chaterlier’s principle to the dissolution of salts.
• Design a salt with various combinations of charges and Solubility Products.
• Use Solubility Product values to predict solubility.

Contributors and Content Editors

Madhurig