Catalysis Revisited An Overview of Classical School Experiments and New Approaches for a Better Conceptual Understanding

Abstract

The topics of kinetics and catalysis represent important contents in the chemical education of students and form fixed components of current school curricula and syllabi. Students need to acquire specific content knowledge and an adequate conceptual understanding of kinetics and catalysis in order to understand and evaluate chemical processes from nature and technology, especially in the current contexts of green and sustainable chemistry. To promote such an adequate conceptual understanding, this article presents five school experiments. The experiments allow high school students to acquire the concepts of kinetics and catalysis in a technically correct manner using kinetic measurements. By analyzing the recorded kinetic data using suitable spreadsheet programs, students leave the qualitative observation level and use mathematical models that allow them to draw conclusions about the underlying molecular processes. The use of spreadsheet programs underlines the interdisciplinary nature of this approach. The presented selection of experiments will provide students with an overview of all types of catalyses and their specific properties as well as common, even-numbered reaction orders. The newly acquired knowledge through the experiments enables the students to discuss economic and ecological problem situations and reflect on, and evaluate, courses of action in chemistry. The knowledge also enables students to develop adequate decision-making strategies and to communicate them properly, e.g., in the context of green and sustainable chemistry.