The "KembloX effect" submitted to the IUPAC 2019 Congress

The KembloX™ educational system (https://kemblox.org) is used to illustrate chemical terms and concepts such as: ionic charge and formation of ionic compounds, Stock notation, nomenclature of ionic compounds, dissociation in solution, metathesis reactions with precipitate formation, full ionic equation, net ionic equation, spectator ions, limiting reactant, and excess reactant. From a didactic perspective, KembloX™ addresses two of the main learning styles: visual and kinesthetic (tactile), by using complementary blocks and color coded interrelated objects. The system comprises three parts: a set of color-coded, complementary blocks that can be assembled according to chemical principles, a chart of most common monatomic and polyatomic ions, and a four-sided spinning top used for educational purposes; the same color code is used for all items.

In this communication we present preliminary results on the “KembloX effect”. We calculated the grade improvement for a quiz related to the ionic compounds’ formula unit. Based on a paired t-test, the results indicate that, with 95% confidence, the improvement in grades is in the interval 6 – 15 points (on a 0-100 scale).