Student Understanding of Acid-Base Chemistry Principles in Elimination Reactions

Acid-base chemistry is an essential component of the undergraduate chemistry curriculum, introduced in general chemistry and expanded on in organic chemistry. Previous research has linked student understanding of acid-base chemistry to success in organic chemistry. However, there remains a paucity of information regarding how students apply acid-base chemistry concepts in the context of organic reaction mechanisms. The purpose of this study was to describe second-semester organic chemistry students’ understanding of acid-base chemistry principles in the E2, E1, and E1cB elimination reactions. Student understanding was probed using a mixed-methods approach comprising survey assessments and think-aloud interviews, and the data were analyzed both quantitatively and qualitatively following a validated set of scoring criteria. In general, the results from this study support existing findings that acid-base recognition and identification of surface-level structural features are the concepts that are first constructed by students. However, this study also suggests that the construction of these concepts may function as a double-edged sword; acid-base chemistry can be used to explain reaction mechanisms, but it may also hinder the development of a deeper understanding of organic reactivity. Implications for teaching and future research are discussed.