The Day 3 materials offered a small taste of where we are headed next: the 3-D world of molecules. Carbon is tetrahedral.
Does this wedge-dashed diagram make sense? Can you rotate it in your head (rotate around any bond or any axis, rotate by any amount 90, 180, 240 degrees)? Can you the rotated figure? Can you reflect it through a plane of symmetry? Can you rotate and reflect and draw? One carbon is just the beginning, my friends!
Model kits are really valuable learning and thinking aids. What is more, I permit you to use models on quizzes and the final exam! (see Exams policies) If you would like to purchase a molecular model kit, I highly recommend the kit shown on the left. You can buy it at the Chemistry stockroom. $20. Cash. Or buy a (slightly, gently used and well-kept) kit from a former o chem student.