Avoiding bonding misconceptions

By David Read2018-09-19T11:40:00

Conceptual illustration of atoms bonded in a molecule

Source: Egorov Artem / Shutterstock.com

The octet rule still dominates

Bonding is one of the most challenging topics for chemistry students. The so-called ‘octet rule’ is known to cause problems when used as an explanatory principle rather than a rule-of-thumb. Based on new evidence from studies of a student cohort’s progress in understanding bonding through secondary school, David Read shares tips for teaching bonding.

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