ERIC Number: EJ1442635
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2023-Jan
Pages: 6
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0021-9584
EISSN: EISSN-1938-1328
High-Performance Computational Chemistry in Undergraduate Physical Chemistry: Exercises in Homonuclear Diatomic Molecules
Journal of Chemical Education, v100 n1 p389-394 2023
This article presents computational chemistry exercises that are designed to be incorporated into an undergraduate physical chemistry course. This activity teaches computational chemistry as it is performed in higher-level research (in a command-line environment and executed on a high-performance computing cluster) to provide students with a foundation of computational chemistry skills for more advanced computational chemistry research. The activity is also a practical application of topics taught in physical chemistry courses, using the linear combination of atomic orbitals molecular orbital (LCAO-MO) theory description of homonuclear diatomic molecules as a basis to introduce students to computational chemistry techniques, density functional theory calculations of physical observables, and the analysis of computational results. Results from a survey assessing students' learning gains demonstrate that these exercises produce significant gains in students' computational skills, highlighting the efficacy of this activity in achieving its primary goals.
Descriptors: Undergraduate Study, Chemistry, Computation, College Science, Science Education, Scientific Concepts, Skill Development, Molecular Structure, Quantum Mechanics
Division of Chemical Education, Inc. and ACS Publications Division of the American Chemical Society. 1155 Sixteenth Street NW, Washington, DC 20036. Tel: 800-227-5558; Tel: 202-872-4600; e-mail: eic@jce.acs.org; Web site: http://pubs.acs.org/jchemeduc
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A