Breaking up is hard, especially with a third part involved! Watch as molecules of hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen try to keep it together as a neutral third atom bombards them. Users control the reactive molecules and the velocity of the third atom in the interactive. They then observe changes in the kinetic and potential energies within the system.

Concepts

chemical bonds, kinetic energy, potential energy, velocity, molecules, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, covalent bonds

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Additional Tags

science

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Instructional Ideas

• Use the resource to show the relative strengths of single, double, and triple bonds
• Ask learners to compare the energy of the system before and after the bond is broken

Classroom Considerations

• Enable the slow motion feature so pupils can more closely observe the changes in kinetic and potential energies
• Make sure to turn on the graph legend so students can identify the energies of each component

Pros

• The energy graph is very responsive to changes in the chemical system
• Velocity of the third atom is easy to adjust with a simple slide bar tool

Cons

• None