Alkanes, Alkenes & Alkynes - Snatoms

Three common types organic molecules, alkanes involve carbon chains that are all single-bonded. Alkenes have at least one double bond, and alkynes have at least one triple bond.

[joeblack]

I hate myself for discovering you this late. Thank you ❤

[seanscott]

Thanks for making Snatoms!

I wish these were available when I was in chemistry...I also wish my teachers had attempted to build or show basic molecules like these, but none of them ever did...

I must have forgotten (or never learned) that double bonds prevented rotation, because it really amazed me that that one change was all it took.

When molecules are presented on paper, they're just combinations of letters and numbers you have to memorize... The letters are in the same order, they don't really change (just more of each on both sides to balance an equation), but it's not really learning, and it doesn't spark any questions...

But with Snatoms, just playing around with them you start wondering and asking questions, like... Double bonds prevent rotation? How much can they rotate? How can I show what different temperatures look like? How can I show what the three phases of water look like? What would liquid oxygen/methane look like (like for SpaceX fuel)... Methalox is the name of the fuel SpaceX's going to be using, right? Either way, what's that look like? Are the longer molecules more dense or less dense comparitively because they have more room to flail about (more personal space... I can't phrase the question right...) Does throwing Snatom molecules at a wall simulate what's going on in a collider (I guess not a particle collider... what can you learn from colliding molecules at high speeds)? Oh, and catalysts! Seeing what some of those might look like comparitively, and why they change the reaction speed... And also, it took time to undo each of those hydrogen atoms from the molecules by hand... How long does it really take to perform a reaction, and how is it actually done (serial, parralel, in a certain order, mostly random)? When molecules are built in real life, do some of the components get built ahead of the others?

I guess a lot of questions, all because Snatoms let you play with them in your hands... This video should really be higher up. I think there's still potential for a lot more videos based on those questions...

I think it's okay if the models aren't perfect, and that it's more important that people get to build the molecules themselves...

And the biggest question of all... "Behold! I have made ____!" ... or I guess "What have I made?!"... I think it would help if there were a companion or a flow chart or an app or something where you can help figure out what you just created with Snatoms... Students may be able to learn more if they create something (one of those looked like a puppy to me) and then be able to look up exactly what it is, because it was something they've built... Would creating a companion like that be possible, or is there a site/app for that?

[relseswat]

This seriously is an under rated channel

[romanieo]

Superb work as always Derek! You've fast forwarded the understanding of chemistry for hundreds, hopefully, soon to be thousands. TEACHING TOOL OF THE YEAR. We'll be taking Snatoms to CERN with us.

[GBA]

‘one is methane’
‘Two is ethane’
My smartass brain: three is thane
hane
ane
ne
e

[ravindranathhospital]

This is amazing. I am surprised I never knew about Snatoms. I will definitely ask my father to get me snatoms. Really, really nice. This is definitely going to help me in chemistry.

[nidhisingh]

This looks so real wow 😲 love the way you teach!

[praveennups]

Omg... I hate chemistry in my school days, but after seeing this videos I started loving chemistry...

[PeteSmithPhD]

My issue, pedagogically, with the alkyne is that the three horizontal attachments is a poor representation of the electronic structure of a triple bond. This implies that all three bonds are equivalent. However, in a triple bond, there is electron density directly between the atoms (sigma bond or bonding orbital) and two orthogonal regions of electron density above and below the bonding axis (pi bonds or bonding orbitals).

All of the carbons in Snatoms are tetrahedral carbons. But the carbon atoms in alkenes and alkynes are not tetrahedral. This is confusing for college-level organic chemistry. Have you considered producing expansion packs with sp2 and sp hybridized carbon atoms?

[ducopieterse]

Very nice explained
Greetings from Amsterdam. Visited Nemo science museum ! Only the sound on the backgrond is terrible

[teresazhang]

nothing to do with the actual video, but I like how the snatoms look when bonded.

[mjschriver]

You were careful in your handling of the model you made of cyclohexane. My experience with the Snatoms kit that I have is that if you try any manipulation of the model to show chair-ring conformational change it results in wholesale decomposition of the model. The weakness of the magnets limits the models use in bond rotation demonstrations. I have been able to overcome that weakness by going to the hobby store and purchasing a set of disk shaped neodymium magnets (about 8 mm diameter and 2 mm thickness). If you use the disk magnets as spacers in the model then the bonds in the structure will hold together much better and the bonds rotate smoothly without breaking (but the model as a whole becomes a bit more "floppy"). Still glad I was backer # 452 for the project.

[AD-ymne]

Superb work. Easy understand. No sleep

[anirbanroychowdhury]

Im not sure, but I read that carbon monoxide is c(triple bond)o. Not sure if that is a plain covalent bond, but how is that possible?

[chemistrycrush]

From where I can buy these models in Pakistan ??

[usefulfunnyvideos]

This video is super but one problem to discuss condition in some mening

[msolec]

If you want to make butene should you go C-C=C-C or C=C-C-C ?

[hindiurmilamaam]

Can I buy these balls they are amazing for imagination

[kerribell]

pls pls pls make molecules with phosphorus video!

[maribomba]

can you make one video for kids (8-10 years) like air and water... some fun basics