Assessing augmented reality in helping undergraduate students to integrate 2D and 3D representations of stereochemistry

Abstract

Organic chemistry students exhibit great
difficulty grasping stereochemistry and chemical
bond hybridization concepts. The 2D
representations of molecules presented to them
in lectures and exams serve as tools for
communication between professional chemists.
However, these students’ ability to link the
molecular formulas, 2D pictures, geometric
structures, and molecular characteristics has
repeatedly been found challenging. 2D
depictions, physical model sets, and 3D
computer models are currently used in
classrooms and courses in an attempt to tackle
the problem of tying the 2D representations to
the 3D stereochemistry properties but each
tool falls short in one aspect or another. In the
present study, we examine how an augmented
reality (AR) mobile app combining 2D and 3D
representations may be used to support
understanding of these concepts.