Ionic compounds: Reactions and presentation

Abstract

For clear understanding of substances and chemical reactions especially in low- learning student groups, teachers should consider all three levels of reflection in their instruction: macro-, sub-micro- and symbolic level (see Fig. 1). Many misconceptions have been developed by learners due to wrong models which have been offered during class instruction. For example, many chemistry books do not describe ionic compounds by ions – but by molecules which are not the existing particles. This paper tries to explain how ionic compounds are composed of ions: ionic lattices in solid salt crystals and separated ions in salt solutions.