Exploring Spectrochemical Series Experimentally through Collaborative Learning Approach

In this section of Resonance, we invite readers to pose questions likely to be raised in a classroom situation. We may suggest strategies for dealing with them, or invite responses, or both. “Classroom” is equally a forum for raising broader issues and sharing personal experiences and viewpoints on matters related to teaching and learning science.

This article presents an experimental module that provides rich observations for deriving a spectrochemical series of ligands, one of the key topics in coordination chemistry. The experiment involves the reaction of Co(II) aqueous solution with different ligand solutions. The module includes guiding and reflective questions as part of prelab and postlab sections. These questions are aimed at enhancing the learning of concepts associated with the experiment. The implementation of the module is structured as a jigsaw puzzle, providing an opportunity for collaborative group interactions to arrive at the spectrochemical series. The technical requirements of the module are minimal, making it suitable for adoption in any undergraduate (UG) chemistry lab.