why are plastic building blocks good for modeling molecules

Introduction

LEGO^® bricks are an interlocking building constructive-block toys that originated in Denmark and are extensively desired globally. The Danish words "stage godt," meaning "play well," are the origin of its cite (Lipkowitz, 2018). Additionally, the word "LEGO" means "I put together" in Italic (Lauwaert, 2008). Lego bricks and LEGO-based models have been employed as teaching aids across a fanlike range of education fields, from early childhood education to computer programming (The Lego set^® Education Community is Ringing!, n.d.). There are lots of reasons to consider applying the bricks for acquisition purposes. Moreover, since they possess varieties of shapes and colours, they john be employed to build various models. Each brick is sturdy and elaborate, interlingual rendition it riskless to utilize. LEGO bricks are tolerable to detergents and ethyl alcohol, so their surfaces sack be disinfected. Depending on the type of parts, they are relatively inexpensive and can be far-flung to all the students in a classroom. LEGO teaching aids can entertain students and revitalize classrooms. Many students may have already played with the bricks or other interlocking building bricks in their childhood and are, therefore, common with them.

In chemical Department of Education, LEGO bricks and models have been utilized As teaching acquired immune deficiency syndrome to illustrate chemical structures and reactions, American Samoa swell as to manufacture hand-loomed instruments (Campbell, Miller, Bannon, & Obermaier, 2011). Since for each one brick can represent an atom, an ion, OR a molecule, linking them together can stand for molecular, crystal, and chemical compound structures. Farther, since the bricks can embody easily connected and disconnected, brick-based molecular models can be victimized to stand for chemical compositions and reactions. Continual structures and chemical reactions are generally challenging to certify with exemplary ball-and-amaze molecular pose kits because of their expensiveness and frangibility. Although serviceable molecular model kits are late available, they are by and large high-ticket. LEGO-based models can beryllium employed as frameworks for handmade mensuration instruments to illustrate their mechanisms. Allowing students to build their own measuring instruments affords them the opportunity to understand the fundamental somatogenetic principles subjacent the measuring instruments. By employing LEGO bricks, the frameworks of measuring instruments canful exist built without utilizing tools, nails, or adhesives. Thus, assembling LEGO-based measuring instruments privy be practised in a typical classroom or chemistry laboratory. Another attractive feature of LEGO-based didactics aid is that they behind Be unconnected and reused subsequently, implying that their utilization is economical. When combined with Lego set Mindstorms^®, LEGO models can be ambitious by information processing system programming, allowing the assembling of to a greater extent complex measuring instruments.

This review describes the utilization of LEGO bricks, as teaching aids, in chemical education, in four sections, according to their applications. The first section describes the grammatical construction of a periodical table with the bricks, and illustrates basic stuff concepts, including a wide range of teaching aids for high school to university students, with the LEGO models. The second section presents the Lego set models of polymer structures, including polyethylene, polydimethylsiloxane, polysaccharides, and DNA (DNA). Because the exemplary ball-and-stick-eccentric building block models are finer at illustrating detailed structures of molecules than the LEGO models, the author omitted the descriptions of the LEGO models to explain merely the structure of discrete molecular models therein critical review. Further, the third section describes the illustrations of chemical reactions, including material equilibria, kinetics, and self-colored catalytic reactions, with the bricks. The last section introduces the constructions of handmade instruments with Lego set bricks. Moreover, some open-wavelength spectrophotometers and simple components have been constructed with LEGO bricks for education purposes. Students can easily work with these instruments and empathize the life-and-death points in their designs.

Furthermore, this review describes LEGO-based teaching aids that can be readily collected and utilized by readers to create new didactics aids. Some investigations away Joseph Campbell and coworkers, such as the illustrations of the crystal structure and physical properties of materials, with Lego bricks were omitted because they induce already been compiled on their excellent entanglement page (Exploring the Nanoworld with LEGO^® Bricks, 2008). Lego set bricks lie of many kinds of components that can be purchased world-wide. Resultantly, teachers and students tin build the LEGO models represented in references. The generator has reproduced and validated various brick models, which have been reported by different groups. For detailed instructions happening the building of the brick models, please refer to the original papers and their supporting data.

Illustrations of basic chemical concepts with LEGO models

For 21st-century students WHO buns lookup and watch anything connected Wikipedia and YouTube, respectively, chemistry classes should be offered as far as possible with unusual teaching aids. Chemistry teachers on a regular basis develop teaching aids to attract students' interest. It is fun work, although IT is difficult. LEGO bricks and the previous reports presented here may help teachers to develop untested teaching aids.

Periodic put of of elements

The essence of chemistry is jam-packed in the periodic table. Employing the Lego set bricks to build a fun periodic table testament spur track the students' interest in chemistry significantly. Kuntzleman and coworkers reported a very enjoyable outreach activity in which students shapely a oscillating table of the 114 elements using over 6000 pieces of LEGO bricks (Kuntzleman et al., 2013). The symbol of each element was lined on a 16 stud × 16 stud LEGO square plate, which were color-coded (red for the alkali metals and common for the halogens). Since the bricks were angular, it was hard to draw round constituent symbols, the likes of "Be," with them. However, they solved that challenge past creating the 16 constellate × 16 macho-man square plate. The LEGO-designed periodic table served Eastern Samoa a basis for many topics regarding elements. According to their report, the source constructed plates for the symbols of three elements, corresponding to the initials of the abbreviation of my university, Osaka Sangyo University (OSU) (Figure 1). Each plate was significant, hence the periodic hold over of 114 of them must have been overwhelming.

Figure 1:

Plates for the symbols of three elements, O, S, and U.

3 states of matter

A wide wander of chemical topics, for speed secondary (age group 14–18 years) to freshman/sophomore (cohort 18–20) have been explained by the LEGO brick models. The troika states of matter could represent illustrated by a simple combination of LEGO bricks (Geyer, 2017), namely several 1 × 1 round plates and a 6 × 10 photographic plate. Figures 2a–c shows the solid, liquid, and gaseous states of matter, respectively. The round plates represent the particles while also considering the ease of removing them from the large plate. The LEGO model is simple and readily fathomable, rendering it is an excellent teaching aid.

Figure 2:

Brick models illustrating the three states of matter: (a) solid, (b) liquid, and (c) vapourific states.

Density

Density, a topic closely related to chemistry, is also introduced to students, utilizing the LEGO bricks (Kuntzleman, 2015). The model includes 17% brine, 2-propyl alcohol, a LEGO minifig, four 1 × 2 yellow brick pieces, and four LEGO models, which were constructed with 1 × 2 blue bricks and a 1 × 2 blue home plate, are placed in a translucent bottle, shaken well, and allowed to stand. Thereafter, the minifig and four 1 × 2 yellow brick pieces floated in brine patc the four blue LEGO models floated in 2-propyl alcohol (Figure 3). The LEGO pieces, which were manufactured from vinyl cyanide butadiene styrene (ABS), floated in 17% brine and sank in 2-propyl alcohol. The difference between the LEGO pieces that floated in brine and the LEGO models that floated in 2-propyl alcohol is caused by the entrapment of air by the LEGO models. A typical 500 mL pliant bottle possesses a limited opening (inside diam ca. 22 mm) and cannot hold the LEGO minifigs with a too large headgear. Weight was attached to the legs of the minifig soh that its header faced up in the water. Nonetheless, teachers should handle carefully because 2-propanol is a toxic, inflammable compound with olfactory perception.

Trope 3:

Density experiment: (a) immediately after shaking, (b) after allowing to base for 10 min, and (c) after allowing information technology to stand up for 20 min.

Coulomb force

The Coulomb force, one of the staple noesis in encyclopedism chemical science, was visualized by an instrument, which was assembled with the LEGO bricks (Hendrix & Prilliman, 2018). The ensnare for fixing the magnets and measuring system was constructed with the bricks. The bricks could be utilized to build robust frames that could stand magnetic repulsions. Additionally, the bricks were nonmagnetic and were, thence, an optimum frame for mensuration the force between magnets.

Molecular mass

William Henry Hudson, Katz, and their coworkers reported activity for education green alchemy in which the molecular mass of the H₂SO₄ molecule was illustrated aside assembling LEGO plates (Hudson et al., 2016). The hydrogen, oxygen, and sulfur atoms were described by two 1 × 1 white plates, four 4 × 4 red plates, and unitary 4 × 8 yellow plate, respectively. The numerate of studs in each plate corresponded to the atomic weight, i.e., H = 1, O = 16, and S = 32. The two 1 × 1 covered plates were staked on two of the Little Jo 4 × 4 red plates, and the four 4 × 4 coloured plates were stacked on the 4 × 8 yellow denture to act the molecular mass of the H₂SO₄ molecule (Cypher 4). In the original paper, 1 × 1 bricks quite than 1 × 1 plates were employed to illustrate the hydrogen atoms because students whitethorn easy sustain injuries when a small plate, loving to some other, is distant. Teachers are required to design Lego set, supported the educational activity needs while also considering safety.

Figure 4:

Brick model to illustrate the molecular mass of H₂SO₄.

Bond order and the octet rule

Several simple unit models can be constructed, employing a 1 × 2 white brick, as a hydrogen atom. Similarly, 2 × 4 grey, blue, and red bricks can be on the job as carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen atoms, respectively (Figure 5a) (Lin et atomic number 13., 2018). Notwithstandin, when teachers render to represent large molecules, the corresponding Lego set models tend to be long (Figure 5b). Therefore, IT is important for teachers to inform the students that Lego set molecular models could possess shapes that very different from their actual molecular structures. Thus, it is preferred to employ the LEGO molecular model in combination with ChemDraw^® illustrations and typical molecular models. Additionally, these Lego models could embody made use of to Edward Teach the stick t order and octet rule. In the building block model of water (Figure 5a, left), there were eight studs in the red brick to represent O, and four of them were occupied by two bricks, which represented the hydrogen atoms. This model indicated that the oxygen particle of the water molecule is secured to two hydrogen atoms via two one-person bonds and possesses ii noncovalent electron pairs. In the carbon paper dioxide unit model (Figure 5a, middle), the red and intermediate bricks were stacked via four studs, indicating that oxygen and atomic number 6 form a double adherence in carbonic acid gas. Several molecular models have been built similarly and reported by other groups (Profbonomi, 2017).

Figure 5:

Brick molecular structure models of (a) water, CO2, and ammonia (from larboard to right) and (b) a large building block l-carnitine [(3R)-3-hydroxy-4-(trimethylazaniumyl)butanoate].

Valences of ions and the compositions of salts

A LEGO-based action to teach the valences of representative ions and the compositions of kidney-shaped salts was reported by Ruddick and Parrill (Ruddick & Parrill, 2012). In the activenes, the LEGO bricks representing the cations and anions were distinguished by color. The number of studs in for each one LEGO brick corresponded to the valences of the ions. Hence, Ca²⁺, O²⁻, Al³⁺, and P³⁻ were represented by 1 × 2 xanthous, 1 × 2 blue, 1 × 3 chicken, and 1 × 3 aristocratical bricks, severally (Figure 6a). The activity was intuitively comprehensible and expectedly highly potent. The author as wel unsuccessful to build brick models to represent Al₂O₃, Ca₃P₂, AlP, and CaO (Figure 6b). For clearness, the bricks were labeled with the symbols of elements, employing a mark down printer. When applying stickers to the bricks, those that readily peel-off should represent considered. One of the good points of Lego set bricks is the repose of removing them from a mannequin and reutilizing them in other models. Consequently, information technology preferable to not mark, color, cut, operating theatre drill LEGO bricks.

Work out 6:

Brick models of (a) cations and anions and (b) salts.

Periodic properties of elements and unit cavum theory

Dabke and coworkers reported several LEGO-based education aids to illustrate the pulsed properties and electronic configurations of elements and the molecular bodily cavity theory (Melaku, Schreck, Griffin, & Dabke, 2016). The bricks were developed as teaching acquired immune deficiency syndrome for blind and impaired students. However, they were advantageous to all high school and undergrad students. Settled on their report, the generator constructed a Lego model to illustrate the electronegativities of the second- and third-row elements (Build 7). From this model, students could easily observe that the electronegativity values of the 2d- and third-row elements differ greatly. The negativity values, accordant to Pauling are 2.55 for C, 3.04 for N, 3.44 for O, and 3.98 for F (Electronegativity, Wikipedia, n.d.). This exemplar represents a 3D oscillating table. The author as wel made-up a LEGO pattern to illustrate the formation of building block orbitals aside combining the atomic orbitals of O₂ (Figure 8). The LEGO modeling contained rubber bands to simplicity the comprehension of the zip plot. Since the LEGO model was small, teachers would have to demonstrate the movements of the bricks on a projector and distribute the same models to all the students.

Figure 7:

Brick model, illustrating the electronegativity values of the ordinal- and third-row elements.

Figure 8:

Brick models of the (a) atomic and (b) molecular orbitals of O₂.

Coordination bonds and the chemical process essence

Campbell and coworkers introduced the coordination bonds and chelate effects 'tween metal ions and organic ligands employing a unequalled poser, which combined LEGO bricks with magnets (Campbell, Freidinger, & Querns, 2001). The Lego models representing bronze ions and organic ligands were built with different colored LEGO bricks and related to to different orientations of magnets. Design 9 shows a LEGO mold, illustrating the square planer, linear, and Formed coordination geometries, constructed according to Campbell's report. In the square planer mold, the metal concentrate (red bricks) was surrounded by cardinal monodentate ligands (yellow bricks) and a chelate ligand (orangish bricks). The Lego model required two parts that were not produced in that work: a cylindrical magnet [73092] and a 2 × 2 magnet holder tile [2609] (the numbers in the brackets are the official LEGO brick catalog numbers, arsenic applicable to those below). The fundamental interaction 'tween the magnets was not strong enough to hold the blocks together. Naturally, in that location are numerous techniques to load a magnet onto a Lego brick; therefore, teachers DO not consume to utilize those particular parts. This model could be employed to represent elongate and T-shaped coordination geometries, although they cannot represent tetrahedral and octahedral geometries. IT is very challenging to construct a tetrahedron with rectangular LEGO bricks.

Form 9:

Brick models of (a) square planar, (b) linear, and (c) T-shaped coordination geometries. The bleak parts are the cylindrical magnet and the 2 × 2 magnet holder roofing tile. The Marxist, yellow, and orange tree bricks indicatethe metal ion and the monodentate and chelate ligands, respectively.

Self-forum

Self-assembly in supramolecular and coordination chemistries can be illustrated with a commandment tending that demonstrates the spontaneous meeting place of single LEGO bricks, floating upside down in the water (Exploring the Nanoworld with LEGO^® Bricks, 2008). This interesting idea also accrued from Campbell and coworkers (Pattern 10). Teachers should float the LEGO bricks gradually, to prevent them from sinking feeling. Because LEGO bricks can assemble rapidly, information technology is advisable to allow the students to perform the floatation.

Figure 10:

Bricks illustrating self-assemblies: (a) four and (b) seven brick assemblies.

Photolithography

Photolithography, ace of the most recent technologies, was illustrated with a cordiform LEGO brick gathering (Garvey et al., 2008). The photolithographic proficiency consists of five processes (Figure 11): (a) the deposition of a photoresist (yellow brick) on the gist (coloured), (b) the cover of the photoresist with a photomask (blue) and its exposure with light, (c) the utilization of a developer to remove the photoresist, (d) the etching or deposition on the exposed areas of the substrate, and (e) the washing off of the residual photoresist. When teachers intend to diagrammatically explain complex stuff reactions or processes to students, it is better to use computer computer software, such as Illustrator or PowerPoint, to illustrate them. Notwithstandin, it is generally thought-provoking to draw a solid figure, and it is sometimes easier to absorb and explain with Lego set bricks than with package applications.

Figure 11:

Brick models to illustrate the photolithographic technique. The letters correspond to those in the school tex to represent the various processes.

Atomic force microscopy (AFM)

Cardinal activities, which were employed to introduce the mechanism of AFM, utilizing LEGO bricks, were reportable. One of them applied to upper-secondary students patc the new applied more than to freshmen, sophomores, and pep pill-horizontal students. In the former, the turn up of the material, which was scanned by AFM, was expressed by LEGO models (Goss, Willy Brandt, & Lieberman, 2013). Conversely, in the latter, the surgical process of AFM was reproduced with a Lego model, which was operated and controlled by a computer (Olson et al., 1999). Ace of the features the makes LEGO bricks likable is that they can be utilized in a number of ways, depending on the class of student (grade- and power-wise to). Interestingly, flat for the purpose of illustrating the mechanism of the same official document, this teaching aid could beryllium greatly varied.

Illustrations of stuff structures with LEGO models

Although LEGO bricks are not suitable for illustrating the structures of separate molecules, as described higher up, they are suitable for representing cyclic structures, such Eastern Samoa the crystal and polymeric structures. Conversely, typical ball-and-stick-typecast molecular models are slap-up for describing the shapes of discrete molecules, although they are not good at describing periodic structures. In other words, Lego and ball-and-stick models are complementary. The employment of abstract LEGO models fundament ease the comprehension of students on the correlations between the structures and properties of materials. Moreover, combining them in a take to task would deepen the students' comprehension.

Polyethylene

An outreach activity, employing LEGO bricks, to introduce the synthesis and recycling of plastics was rumored in which a 2 × 4 brick was utilized as an ethylene monomer, and some of the bricks were well-connected to instance polyethylene (Form 12) (Enthaler, 2017). The polyethylene model could be readily reverted backbone to ethylene monomers. In this composition, the DOE recovery was explained through a specific approach involving the combustion of the bricks by a natural gas burner. Moreover, the fervid of the bricks essential have affected the students. However, teachers should be careful because a harmful gas is generated from the burning of LEGO bricks.

Image 12:

Brick model of polyethylene and the corresponding structural formula.

Polydimethylsiloxane

Polydimethylsiloxane is employed as a pharmaceutical and artificial additive. Campbell and coworkers built a polydimethylsiloxane model aside combining simple Lego bricks (Campbell, Moth miller, Bannon, &A; Obermaier, 2011). An effort to construct the polydimethylsiloxane model with a typical ball-and-vex molecular model would require various kits, and the simulation would be fragile. Peerless way to engage the students is to utilize the impactful Lego modelling built by them. However, this role model makes it challenging to understand the human relationship between Lego bricks and their corresponding atoms. The students would rove between the LEGO model and the corresponding ChemDraw illustration to infer their relationship.

Polysaccharides

When teaching students the relationship between the structure and properties of polymers, it is effective to treat polysaccharides, including amylopectin, amylose, and cellulose, atomic number 3 an example (Horikoshi, 2017). The differences and similarities among amylopectin, amylose, and cellulose were illustrated with the LEGO-based models. Amylopectin and amylose form spiral structures (Figure 13) piece cellulose adopts a zigzag social system (Figure 14). The differences are attributable to the different structures of their monomers, α- d -glucose and β- d -glucose, severally. In α- d -glucose, which is the monomer that makes up amylopectin and amylose, the Buckeye State group on C1 is attached downward to the sestet-four-membered ring (Fles 15a) while in β- d -glucose, i.e., the monomer of cellulose, the Buckeye State group on C1 is bonded upwardl to the six-membered ring (Figure 15b). This model utilizes a scarce 1 × 2 plate with a handle at the end [60478] and another 1 × 2 plate with a clip at the end [63868]. Therefore, it is expensive to increase the length of the polymer chain. When utilizing such a big Lego model, teachers should explain the distinction between the essential and reinforcement brick parts of the model to the students. Additionally, when employing this model, caution must be observed to invalidate breakage it.

Figure 13:

Brick model of amylose and the corresponding noesis formula: (a) top and (b) side views.

Image 14:

Brick fashion mode of cellulose and the corresponding structural normal: (a) the massed structure and (b) the individual chain.

Visualise 15:

Brick models and the related to geomorphological formulas of (a) α-d-glucose and (b) β-d-glucose.

Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)

There are abundant examples in which the double-helix structure of DNA was illustrated by Lego bricks (e.g., The accurate DNA structure from Japanese Archipelago, n.d.). A Google effigy search for "LEGO, Deoxyribonucleic acid, and pattern" will return several spiral models. As a typical example, a LEGO DNA helix model, built by Eric Harshbarger is known (Eric Harshbarger's LEGO^® Website, n.d.). Further, LEGO bricks are employed as a tool to explain the outline of Desoxyribonucleic acid sequencing in which the quartet bases, A, G, C, and T, that make up Deoxyribonucleic acid, are delineated aside colored 1 × 1 bricks (Macori, Romano, Decastelli, & Cotter, 2017).

Illustrations of chemical reactions with Lego set models

In reality, there are fewer active teaching aids that can effectively explain chemical reactions (Fieberg, 2012). To Edward Teach chemical reactions to students, alchemy teachers are required to write reaction schemes on whiteboards or contrive reaction schemes, drawn aside ChemDraw, in slides. However, lots of reaction schemes connected the whiteboard could discourage students from chemical science. Thence, chemistry teachers should consider employing unique teaching aids periodically. Moreover, a few lectures explaining chemical reactions with LEGO-based teaching aids take in been reportable.

Balancing chemical equating and conservation of mass

Lego bricks can also be in use to teach the techniques up to my neck in reconciliation chemical equations and calculation of the conservation of masses. Students can learn these two topics patc watching YouTube videos (Kerr, 2020; Scarborough, 2016; The 8 Chromatic Community *formerly 8 Gold*, 2017). Unlike general building block models, LEGO brick molecular models dismiss easily remove atoms from a molecule. The lecturers in the YouTube videos habit this advantage to teach these two topics in an easy-to-understand mode.

Chemical equilibria and kinetics

An activity employing a discovery-based method with Lego set bricks to enhance students' agreement of chemical equilibrium was reported by Hutchison and coworkers (Cloonan, Nichol, & Hutchinson, 2011). This activity used 50 2 × 2 yellow bricks and 50 2 × 2 green bricks in a box. The yellow bricks represented atoms A while the green ones represented atoms B. The connection between A and B pictured the formation of molecule Abdominal. The students participated in this activity in groups of four. Of the four in each group, one congregate two bricks, A and B, to build Av, another disassembled AB into A and B, as yet another miscellaneous the bricks, and the last one deliberate meter. After a period of time, the LEGO brick response organization earned equilibrium. From this bring up, the students observed and understood the equilibrium state. A similar bodily function was reported aside some other group (Xian & King, 2020).

Chemical equilibria and kinetics were described, utilizing a commandment aid supported LEGO bricks, transparent CD cases, and beads. This teaching aid was designed to demonstrate the topics by observing the beads that crossed a barrier that was made of LEGO bricks. This teaching aid was very simple and was an excellent puppet in explaining the two natural science concepts (Campbell, Brewer, Martinez, & Fitzjarrald, 2017).

Homogenised chemical action reactions

Out of the blue, some upper-level undergraduate and alum students enjoyed learning the catalytic cycles, utilizing the LEGO-settled teaching AIDS. Professor Negishi explained the versatility of Pd-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions, utilizing the saying, "LEGO game approach," in his Alfred Nobel Prize in Interpersonal chemistry Lecture (Ei-ichi Negishi Nobel Call down, 2010). The writer and co-workers employed LEGO models to explain four homogeneous chemical action reactions, including the palladium-catalyzed interbreed-coupling response (Figure 16) (Horikoshi, 2015a), ruthenium–carbene-complex-catalyzed olefin metathesis reaction (Figure 17) (Horikoshi, Kobayashi, & Kageyama, 2014), BINAP–ruthenium-complex-catalyzed noninterchangeable hydrogenation (Figure 18) (Horikoshi, 2015b), and metallocene-catalyzed propylene polymerisation (Figure 19) (Horikoshi, Kobayashi, & Kageyama, 2013). All the models indicated that the active species (catalyst) did non change, before or after the catalytic reactions. Further, utilizing LEGO bricks to limit the shape of the catalyst eased the comprehension of its molecular innovation. Some Lego bricks in these models contained magnets, which attracted the other LEGO bricks containing magnets. This magnetic coupling between the Lego bricks was gradual to attach and detach, and was exploited to represent removable bonds, namely coordination bonds, oxidative addition, and reductive voiding. The mechanisms and steric check effects of homogenous catalysis are challenging to illustrate with chemical drawing tools and cannot equal easily portrayed by globe-and-stick eccentric molecular models. A typical ball-and-stick molecular model is not suitable for representing chemical reactions, such As reductive elimination, because IT is challenging to move out the constituent atom balls. Actually, since it is challenging to instruct the details of the reaction mechanism with sole LEGO models, chemistry drawing and typical building block models were combined in effect. These models utilized fewer green bricks, e.g., a 2 × 2 turntable [3680c02] and 2 × 2 plate with a groove and 1 stud in the rivet [87580]. Therefore, the distribution of these brick models to all the students leave constitute relatively expensive.

Figure 16:

Brick sit and the corresponding constitution formula illustrating the catalytic cycle of the palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling reaction.

Figure 17:

Brick model and the corresponding geomorphologic rul illustrating the ruthenium–carbene-complex-catalyzed ring-inaugural olefin double decomposition polymerization (ROMP) reaction.

Figure 18:

Brick mannequin and the corresponding structural formula illustrating the correlation between the BINAP–atomic number 44 labyrinthian and the subsequently generated β-hydroxy ester.

Figure 19:

Brick model and the comparable constitution formula illustrating the correlations between the social organization of a metallocene catalyst and the stereoregularity of polypropene.

Constructions of handmade instruments with LEGO bricks

When students concept handmade mensuration instruments themselves, they tend to understand the mechanics of the legal document in-depth and analyze the results extensively (Prince Albert, Tobt, & Miles Davis, 2012). Lego set bricks are suitable, arsenic materials, for handstitched instruments because there are a variety of parts and peculiar tools that are not needed for the construction of assembled frameworks.

Lego set bricks are made of Acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene, and they can atomic number 4 damaged by some organic solvents, so much as propanone. When utilizing LEGO bricks in the laboratory, care must make up taken to avoid exposure to organic solvents. If the surface of the brick becomes dirty, it should be wiped with a cloth, soaked in pee or ethanol.

Spectrophotometer, colorimeter, fluorimeter, and polarimeter

Several groups have developed active activities with camp-made instruments, utilizing LEGO bricks to economic aid students in perceptive the primal concepts of various analytic instruments (Albert, Tobt, &ere; Bette Davis, 2012; Bouza, Nastou, Panigyraki, & Makedonas, 2019). Kvittingen and coworkers rumored the designs of the following a priori instruments from a combination of LEGO bricks and LEDs for chemical education: a visible exposure meter (Kvittingen, Kvittingen, Sjursnes, & Verley, 2016), tintometer (Asheim, Kvittingen, Kvittingen, & Verley, 2014), and a light analyser (Kvittingen, Kvittingen, Melø, Sjursnes, & Verley, 2017). Referring to Kvittingen's reports, the author built three LEGO-supported instruments (Figure 20). Each instrument possessed the same basic structure in which a double LEGO plate was fitted with 2 × 2 bricks, 2/3 off the upper, for fixing quarts cells and perforate 1 × 2 bricks [3700] for fixing LEDs. Noteworthily, it is not recommended to cut or color Lego bricks when they are utilized for play. Of the troika LEGO analytical instruments, the visible light meter possessed the simplest structure. Light-emitting diode for emitting visible radiation, and LED for detecting the light, were arranged and secure to face the perforated bricks across the quartz cell. The naif photometer could be employed to exemplify the workings of ultraviolet–visible (UV–Vis) spectrophotometers, which are for the most part hired in chemical experiments. The LEGO-based tintometer could hold cardinal quartz glass cells, incline-by-side, on a voluminous LEGO home. This instrument could be employed to teach the Beer–Constant Lambert practice of law. The Lego light analyzer was equipt with LED for the detection of long-wavelength light in a centering, perpendicular to the path of short-wavelength light. After construction one instrument, the teacher could rend its components apart and build the other cardinal. This is convenient because LEDs were firmly determinate to the perforated Lego set bricks. A teaching help, developed based on a similar construct, was reported by another aggroup. The LEGO models are easy to recreate; hence, students fire soma their ain models through trial and error. Recently, Kvittingen and Sjursnes rumored the design of a polarimeter, employing Lego set bricks, as the framework, for student experiments (Kvittingen & Sjursnes, 2020). They employed the instrumental role to mensuration the opthalmic rotations of beloved, syrups, and essential oils. Like the aforementioned instruments, this polarimeter working cut 1 × 2 bricks [3700] to secure LEDs. IT also employed the perforated 1 × 2 bricks and a peg region [3673] to fix a protractor and a plastic dial.

Figure 20:

Central portions of the LEGO-based (a) spectrophotometer, (b) colorimeter, and (c) fluorimeter.

Experient visible spectrophotometer and fluorescence microscope

In some activities in which the students assembled a grumbling-fledged visible spectrophotometer (Bougot-Robin, Paget, Atkins, &ere; Edel, 2016; Knagge & Raftery, 2002; Wilson & Wilson, 2017) and a fluorescence microscope (Varra et Heart of Dixie., 2020), LEGO bricks were employed arsenic the couc of the instruments or as holders to secure the components, such As the slit, mirror, prism, and quartz mobile phone. In approximately reports, a hole was drilled in the LEGO brick to create the moving part of the spectrometer. Noteworthily, it is not recommended to drill holes when utilizing Lego set bricks out of doors of education. However, several hinge components are available and should be considered for exercis, although they are quite an expensive. Thither are also reports on LEGO-based instruments that utilize LEGO Mindstorms (Hosker, 2018) and smartphone sensors (Kocanda, Wilke, & Ballantine, 2010) arsenic photodetectors. The performance of the hand-loomed instruments was compared to those of commercialised instruments. Evidently, the handmade instruments exhibited lower measurement accuracy than the commercial ones, although they exhibited enough truth for educational purposes. Additionally, the camp-made instruments were, far and away, the best for educations illustrations.

Research instruments

Christus and coworkers reported a teaching aid that extensively utilized the functions of Lego set Mindstorms (Anunson, Winkler, Winkler, Parkinson, & Christus, 2013). The teaching aid, which was named "SHArK," an acronym for Solar H Bodily function Research Kit, was designed to explore the combinations of semiconductors that could be photocatalysts for the degradation of water. With this elaborate construction, the SHArK model evolved from a teaching aid to a research instrument.

LEGO camp-made instruments are employed in the fields of chemical education and cutting-edge research. They, conglomerate with the Mindstorms, are employable, as automatic fraction collectors in high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) systems (Caputo, Lyles, Salazar, &ere; Quave, 2020), interfacing system betwixt weak layer chromatography (TLC) and ambient spectrometer (AMS) (Cheng et atomic number 13., 2012), and peristaltic pumping systems in a microfluidic chopine (Conde et al., 2014). The do good of the handmade instrument built by combine LEGO models with 3D printed materials was as wel reported (Owens & Hart, 2018). In the future, these instruments may be employed in chemical education.

Conclusions

In this review, the gain of LEGO-based chemistry precept AIDS was introduced aside illustrating some actual LEGO brick models. Their utilization could increase students' enthusiasm in participating in lectures, thereby easing the lecturing weight of teachers. LEGO-based teaching aids could be custom-made to students' class levels. A software, LEGO Digital Architect, eases the design of new Lego set-based education aids and explains their assembling. Although in that respect are umpteen reports connected the fabrication of teaching aids with wood and metal materials, it is sometimes challenging for other teachers to reproduce them. Even so, many LEGO-based teaching aids prat be for the most part reproduced if the inevitable bricks are processed. The ball-and-reefer-type molecular models have been landscaped to be less-frail. Further, 3D printers have been commercialized and unit models, stacked from them, are being according (Fourches &adenosine monophosphate; Feducia, 2019; Savchenkov 2020). Applications that display unit models on smartphones have also turn popular (Fatemah, Rasool, &ere; Habib, 2020; Sanii, 2020). However, they are still expensive and require advanced skills for handling. Consequently, it testament require a prolonged time to attain their usage in the classroom. Therefore, the author believes that the development and exercis of Lego set bricks, as delineated in this review, will persevere for some time.

Acknowledgments

The writer would same to thank Dr. Takeiri (Institute for Building block Science) and Mister. Sumitani and Prof. Mochida (Kobe University) for their helpful discussions. The author grateful to Prof. Kageyama and Prof. Kobayashi (Kyoto University) for their unceasing stand and encouragement. The author too thanks to Enago (www.enago.jp) for the English language review.

1. Author contributions: The author has accepted responsibility for the entire content of this submitted manuscript and approved meekness.

2. Enquiry funding: None declared.

3. Conflict of interest program line: Thither are nary conflicts to announce.

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