Today the students learned how to model some of the chemical aspects of their world. The students first received a brief introduction to the computational program MacSpartan where they calculated the different vibrations found within a water molecule. Then Hugh explained another area of chemistry: acids and bases. Students learned that acids are compounds that can loose a hydrogen ion and bases are compounds that can take in a hydrogen ion. They learned about the pH scale as well. Then the students got to test the pH of eight different household chemicals using pH paper. Back in class Hugh explained why some of the compounds were acidic and some were basic in terms of their structure.

After the break students used MacSpartan® to model several different carboxylic acids given on a handout. They did an electrostatic potential map that showed which areas of the molecule were positive and which areas were negative. Students then found the maximum positive area of the molecule and reported it along with a pH that was given in the handout. Students graphed the data in Curvefit and found the relationship between electrostatic potential and pH. They then modeled a molecule for which the pH was unknown and found the pH by calculating the electrostatic potential and using the relationship that was found earlier. The students got very good data, everyone's pH was close to the accepted value.