Einstein was here: Introducing relativistic chemistry in a basic chemistry course

Abstract

The presented work reports a study performed to introduce relativistic chemistry in basic (introductory) college chemistry classrooms. The study involved fifty students. It was verified that exploring the previous (high school) knowledge on special relativity, and introducing a simple equation, it is possible to explain the unexpected variations in covalent radius observed for groups 11, 12 and 18 heaviest elements.