Computing in stereochemistry - 2D or 3D representations?

This paper reports part of a preliminary phase of a study examining students' responses to a computer-based (CB) stereochemistry task and to different representations of organic molecules. Six themes in the way students used the CB tutorial have been identified: manipulation of models, multiple representations, use of colour, simplicity, familiarity and types of isomerism. It has been found that 3D animations and the colourful molecular images encouraged students to practise the use of different representations. Students' preferences for either two-dimensional (2D) skeletal formulae or three-dimensional (3D) ball and stick representations depended on the focus of the exercise and also the type of isomerism they were investigating. The study has demonstrated that a suitably-designed, computer based task encourages students to make use of the molecular representation that, for them, best suits the problem.