Abstract:
The difficulties of the Chemistry students from Kumasi Metropolis in
writing structural formulae of organic compounds were studied using crosssectional
survey design. The quantitative survey used percentages and graphs to
analyse the quantitative data obtained from an achievement test and interview and
the qualitative survey was used to analyse the explanations given by students on
the structural formulae provided for the organic compounds. Students had
difficulties in writing structural formulae of alkanes, alkenes, alkanols, alkanoic
acids, and alkyl alkanoates. The difficulties of students in writing structural
formulae of organic compounds from the IUPAC names could be attributed to
students’ inability to identify from the IUPAC names the correct number of
carbon atoms in the parent chain, the chemical symbol or formula of any
substituent or functional group, the correct position of and number of multiple
bonds, functional, or substituent group. These students’ difficulties in writing the
structural formulae of organic compounds having been identified, Chemistry
teachers are therefore encouraged to hold class discussion with students after each
class exercise on IUPAC nomenclature to enable them identify these weaknesses
and work on them.
