Exponential Growth and Decay Models for Organic Chemistry

Exponential Growth and Decay Models for Organic ChemistryIn one of the chapters of the book 'The Organic Chemistry Handbook', I wrote that 'exponential growth and decay models of the organic chemistry professor provide an in-depth look at what happens during the lecture, which is quite often an overwhelming experience for many students.' The Organic Chemistry Handbook by David Kohn is an excellent reference book and I must say I have enjoyed every chapter. However, my lecture material has changed dramatically as my teaching has changed dramatically.Now I rely heavily on 'exponential growth and decay models' for my lectures, as the chapters I use in my classroom each have their own unique dynamics. Unfortunately, these models are not suited to my use.'Exponential Growth and Decay Models' describe a model of chemical reactions in which the rate of reactions that occur is determined by the process of time. These models depict the rate of change of a chemical reaction by assuming that ev ery change takes place over a finite time period. The model also models the spread of change between two rates of change. In other words, there is a range of changes for a given reaction rate, and these are referred to as diffusion rates.By using the exponential growth and decay models to describe the chemical reaction process in organic chemistry, the term 'rate of change' becomes very familiar. The word rate literally means the rate of change or number of units that is added or subtracted from one given value. In the case of a chemical reaction, the rate of change can be shown as the difference between the reaction rate and the next rate of change. Using the exponential growth and decay models, it is quite easy to calculate the rate of change of an actual reaction.I think that this model has been very useful to the organic chemistry tutor as an analytical model for teaching because the equations can be solved immediately. This is a critical benefit for a teacher as his/her primary task is to provide solutions to the students questions. Therefore, when it comes to problems that require answering quickly, the solution of a chemical equation becomes less important than demonstrating the use of a formula to show how to use the equation to answer the student's question.However, as I have changed my teaching style, I also need to adjust my book to incorporate these same concepts and models into my lecture material. So, I need to choose a different approach. In my Organic Chemistry Handbook, the exponential growth and decay models have always been very useful in explaining how a chemical reaction works. The problem is that they are very difficult to adapt to the current format of my organic chemistry curriculum.The answer to my dilemma lies in another chapter of my organic chemistry text, 'Spanning Chemistry', where I describe the use of Kohn's 'exponential growth and decay models'. By using this model to describe my lectures, I am able to incorporate some of the p rinciples of exponential growth and decay in my material while still providing an in-depth analysis of the chemical reaction process. The result is a textbook that are both concise and rich with the concepts of organic chemistry, and students are more comfortable learning through the course materials.