Abstract
The importance of research on misconceptions about chemical equilibrium is well recognized by educators, but in the past, researchers’ interest has centered on student misconceptions and has neglected teacher misconceptions. Focusing on the effects of adding more reactants or products on chemical equilibrium, this article discusses the various misconceptions held by high school teachers. A misconception test was administered to two samples of chemistry teachers in Nanjing, China. Of the 109 teachers who participated in the test, only one understood that adding more CS2 gas to the equilibrium system CS2(g) + 4H2(g) ⇌ CH4(g) + 2H2S(g) at constant pressure and temperature can shift the equilibrium to the reactant or product side, depending upon the amount of CS2 in the initial equilibrium system. Most of the teachers relied on Le Châtelier’s principle and thus made erroneous predictions. The misconception test also revealed that those teachers who managed to compute equilibrium constants had a limited conceptual understanding of chemical equilibrium. Implications of these findings for teacher education and chemistry curriculum development are discussed.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
Abell, S. K. (2007). Research on science teacher knowledge. In S. K. Abell, & N. G. Lederman (Eds.), Handbook of research on science education (pp. 1105–1149). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Allsop, R. T., & George, N. H. (1984). Le Châtelier – a redundant principle? Education in Chemistry, 21, 54–56.
Ash, M., & Hill, M. (2008). Queensland Chemistry: Context to concept. New York: Wiley.
Banerjee, A. C. (1991). Misconceptions of students and teachers in chemical equilibrium. International Journal of Science Education, 13(4), 487–494.
Berger, T. G., & Mellon, E. K. (1996). A mutlistep equilibria-redox-complexation demonstration to illustrate Le Châtelier’s principle. Journal of Chemical Education, 73(8), 783.
Bergquist, W., & Heikkinen, H. (1990). Student ideas regarding chemical equilibrium: What written test answers do not reveal. Journal of Chemical Education, 67(12), 1000–1003.
Board of Studies. (2002). Chemistry: Stage 6 syllabus. Sydney, Australia: Board of Studies.
Bridgart, G. J., & Kemp, H. R. (1985). A limitation on the use of Le Châtelier’s principle. The Australian Science Teachers Journal, 31, 60–62.
Brown, T. L., LeMay, H. E., Bursten, B. E., & Murphy, C. J. (2006). Chemistry: The central science (10th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education.
Bucat, R. (2004). Pedagogical content knowledge as a way forward: Applied research in chemistry education. Chemistry Education Research and Practice, 5(3), 215–228.
Canagaratna, S. G. (2003). Approaches to the treatment of equilibrium perturbations. Journal of Chemical Education, 80(10), 1211–1219.
Cheung, D. (2004). The scientific inadequacy of Le Châtelier’s principle. Hong Kong Science Teachers’ Journal, 22(1), 35–43.
Cheung, D. (2008). Improving the teaching and learning of chemical equilibrium in high schools. Paper presented at the annual conference of the Australasian Science Education Research Association, Brisbane, Australia.
De Heer, J. (1957). The principle of Le Châtelier and Braun. Journal of Chemical Education, 34(8), 375–380.
De Heer, J. (1958). Le Châtelier, scientific principle, or “sacred cow”. Journal of Chemical Education, 35(3), 133–136.
De Jong, O., Veal, W. R., & Van Driel, J. H. (2002). Exploring chemistry teachers’ knowledge base. In J. K. Gilber, O. De Jong, R. Justi, D. F. Treagust, & J. H. Van Driel (Eds.), Chemical education: Towards research-based practice (pp. 369–390). Dordrecht: Kluwer.
Ehrenfest, P. (1911). Das prinzip von Le Châtelier-Braun und die reziprozitatssatze der thermodynamic. Zeitschrift für physikalische Chemie, 77, 227–244 (in German).
Epstein, P. S. (1937). Textbook of thermodynamics. New York: Wiley.
Ganaras, K., Dumon, A., & Larcher, C. (2008). Conceptual integration of chemical equilibrium by prospective physical sciences teachers. Chemistry Education Research and Practice, 9, 240–249.
Gess-Newsome, J. (1999). Secondary teachers’ knowledge and beliefs about subject matter and their impact on instruction. In J. Gess-Newsome, & N. G. Lederman (Eds.), Examining pedagogical content knowledge (pp. 51–94). Dordrecht: Kluwer.
Gess-Newsome, J., & Lederman, N. G. (Eds.) (1999). Examining pedagogical content knowledge. Dordrecht: Kluwer.
Gold, J., & Gold, V. (1984). Neither Le Châtelier’s nor a principle? Chemistry in Britain, 20, 802–803 & 806.
Gold, J., & Gold, V. (1985). Le Châtelier’s principle and the laws of van’t Hoff. Education in Chemistry, 22, 82–85.
Grant, A. W. (1984). Cobalt complexes and Le Châtelier. Journal of Chemical Education, 61(5), 466.
Hackling, M. W., & Garnett, P. J. (1985). Misconceptions of chemical equilibrium. European Journal of Science Education, 7(2), 205–214.
Hewson, P. W. (2007). Teacher professional development in science. In S. K. Abell, & N. G. Lederman (Eds.), Handbook of research on science education (pp. 1179–1203). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Irwin, D., Farrelly, R., Vitlin, D., & Garnett, P. (2006). Chemistry contexts. Melbourne: Pearson Education Australia.
Johnstone, A. H., MacDonald, J. J., & Webb, G. (1977). Chemical equilibrium and its conceptual difficulties. Education in Chemistry, 14(6), 169–171.
Katz, L. (1961). A systematic way to avoid Le Châtelier’s principle in chemical reactions. Journal of Chemical Education, 38(7), 375–377.
Kemp, H. R. (1987). The effect of temperature and pressure on equilibria: A derivation of the van’t Hoff rules. Journal of Chemical Education, 64(6), 482–484.
Lacy, J. E. (2005). Equilibria that shift left upon addition of more reactant. Journal of Chemical Education, 82(8), 1192–1193.
Last, A. M., & Slade, P. W. (1997). A colorful demonstration of Le Châtelier’s principle. Journal of College Science Teaching, 27(2), 143–145.
Levine, I. N. (2002). Physical chemistry. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Miller, A. J. (1954). Le Châtelier’s principle and the equilibrium constant. Journal of Chemical Education, 31, 455.
Özmen, H. (2008). Determination of students’ alternative conceptions about chemical equilibrium: A review of research and the case of Turkey. Chemistry Education Research and Practice, 9, 225–233.
Piquette, J. S., & Heikkinen, H. W. (2005). Strategies reported used by instructors to address student alternate conceptions in chemical equilibrium. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 42(10), 1112–1134.
Posthumus, K. (1933). The application of the van’t Hoff-Le Châtelier-Braun principle to chemical equilibria. II. Recueil des Travaux Chimiques des Pays Bas, 53, 308–311.
Quílez, J. (2004). Changes in concentration and in partial pressure in chemical equilibria: Students’ and teachers’ misunderstandings. Chemistry Education Research and Practice, 5(3), 281–300.
Quílez-Pardo, J., & Solaz-Portolés, J. J. (1995). Students’ and teachers’ misapplication of Le Châtelier’s principle: Implications for the teaching of chemical equilibrium. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 32(9), 939–957.
Raveau, M. C. (1909). Les lois du déplacement de l’équilibre et le principle Le Châtelier. Journal de Physique Théorique et Appliquée, 8(1), 572–579 (in French).
Russell, J. M. (1988). Simple models for teaching equilibrium and Le Châtelier’s principle. Journal of Chemical Education, 65(10), 871–872.
Sandler, S. I. (1999). Chemical and engineering thermodynamics (3rd ed.). New York: Wiley.
Silverstein, T. P. (2005). The reaction quotient (Q) is useful after all. Journal of Chemical Education, 82(8), 1149.
Solaz, J. J., & Quílez, J. (2001). Changes of extent of reaction in open chemical equilibria. Chemistry Education Research and Practice in Europe, 2(3), 303–312.
Solaz-Portolés, J. J., & Quílez-Pardo, J. (1995). Thermodynamics and the Le Châtelier’s principle. Revista Mexicana de Fisica, 41(1), 128–138.
Talanquer, V. (2002). Minimizing misconceptions. Science Teacher, 69(8), 46–49.
Thomas, P. L., & Schwenz, R. W. (1998). College physical chemistry students’ conceptions of equilibrium and fundamental thermodynamics. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 35(10), 1151–1160.
Torres, E. M. (2007). Effect of a perturbation on the chemical equilibrium: Comparison with Le Châtelier’s principle. Journal of Chemical Education, 84(3), 516–519.
Uline, M. J., & Corti, D. S. (2006). The ammonia synthesis reaction: An exception to the Le Châtelier principle and effects of nonideality. Journal of Chemical Education, 83(1), 138–144.
Van Driel, J. H., De Jong, O., & Verloop, N. (2002). The development of preservice chemistry teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge. Science Education, 86, 572–590.
Van Driel, J. H., De Vos, W., Verloop, N., & Dekkers, H. (1998). Developing secondary students’ conceptions of chemical reactions: The introduction of chemical equilibrium. International Journal of Science Education, 20(4), 379–392.
Van Kessel, H., Jenkins, F., Davies, L., Plumb, D., Di Giuseppe, M., Lantz, O., & Tompkins, D. (2003). Nelson chemistry 12. Toronto: Nelson.
Van Someren, M. W., Barnard, Y. F., & Sandberg, J. A. C. (1994). The think aloud method: A practical guide to modeling cognitive processes. London: Academic Press.
Voska, K. W., & Heikkinen, H. W. (2000). Identification and analysis of student conceptions used to solve chemical equilibrium problems. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 37(2), 160–176.
Wong, Y. C., & Wong, C. T. (2005). New way chemistry for Hong Kong A-level. Hong Kong: Manhattan Press.
Wright, P. G. (1969). A Châtelierian infelicity. Education in Chemistry, 6, 9 & 18.
Zumdahl, S. S., & Zumdahl, S. A. (2007). Chemistry (7th ed.). Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Cheung, D., Ma, Hj. & Yang, J. TEACHERS’ MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT THE EFFECTS OF ADDITION OF MORE REACTANTS OR PRODUCTS ON CHEMICAL EQUILIBRIUM. Int J of Sci and Math Educ 7, 1111–1133 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10763-009-9151-5
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10763-009-9151-5