Using the Origin of Chemical Ideas to Enhance an Understanding of the Chemistry of Air: Issues and Challenges for Including Mathematics in the Teaching and Learning of Chemistry

Abstract

This paper describes some of the mathematical components of a narrative constructed for first-year tertiary chemistry students to celebrate the International Year of Chemistry in 2011. The narrative is entitled, "Making Good Use of the Air Around Us", and deals with the origin of our understanding of the physical and chemical properties of air largely through the work of Robert Boyle and Antoine Lavoisier. The paper argues for the importance of mathematics not only as a skill but as a language for the teaching and learning of chemistry and indicates that our efforts to have mathematicians and chemists work together on curriculum issues need to be re-energized if we are to enhance our understanding of such a progressive discipline as chemistry.