Thoughts on Visualizing Chemistry: Multiple representations to assist understanding

Organic chemistry is a fundamental course for any student who wants to pursue a future in medicine or the science field. How do we comprehend a topic so abstract yet so critical? How can different methods of visualizing the same chemical reactions be a system to assist understanding?;Chemistry cannot be seen. We can see evidence of it taking place, but the actual reactions occurring on the atomic scale are invisible to our eye. There exists a broken visual circuit between the flat two-dimensional line drawings of molecules and the three-dimensional dynamic molecules that they represent. This thesis is an exploration of visual notation methods used to illustrate chemical reactions, the translation of the reactions into choreographed dance pieces, and how understanding is facilitated through parallel representations.;We coexist on many micro --- and macro --- scales simultaneously. The same principles apply to the world of chemistry. There exist unique tensions and balances that are currently lost in the visual methods used to depict these delicate structures. Translating the atomic-scale reactions of chemistry into multiple representations can allow students to chose their own methods of learning, and thus perpetuate understanding of the subject as a whole.