The Chemistry Department has been consistent over the past 2 decades in anticipating and addressing the needs of its chemistry students. However, the department currently lacks sufficient molecular modeling capabilities to engage the students throughout the curriculum. The predictive and visualization potential of this methodology is becoming increasing important for both learning about and working in chemistry. This project concerns the purchase of five CAChe Worksystems running on Power Macintosh 7500 computers, which greatly increase the hands-on access to molecular modeling for students in the chemistry program. Students may become proficient with a wide variety of computational methods through a series of experiments in courses at all levels of the curriculum, including introductory chemistry, organic chemistry, advanced inorganic chemistry, physical chemistry, advanced organic chemistry, biochemistry, and research. In these experiments, students learn to visualize molecules in three dimensions, determine optimum geometries of various molecules, determine rotational energy barriers, correlate computed and observed properties, predict thermodynamic properties of molecules and reactions, and study reaction mechanisms by modeling intermediates, transition states, and activation energies. These experiments start with basic skills and build progressively to more sophisticated experiments through which the students gain an appreciation for both the power and limitations of molecular modeling.
