Hybridization in Organic Chemistry

Rubayat Ahmed | Jayesh Pillai

Background

In organic chemistry, orbitals are three-dimensional regions around the nucleus where electrons are most likely to be found. The primary atomic orbitals: s, p, d, and f; combine through a process known as hybridisation, forming new hybrid orbitals with distinct shapes, orientations, and energy levels. Students often struggle to visualize these abstract 3D structures using traditional teaching methods such as textbook diagrams or chalkboard drawings. This difficulty leads to persistent misconceptions related to orbital orientation, phase, nodes, and spatial arrangement, which are critical to understanding molecular geometry and bonding.

Augmented Reality in Chemistry Education

Augmented Reality (AR) is a technology that overlays computer-generated digital content onto the real-world environment using mobile or wearable devices. AR has strong potential in education, especially for subjects that demand high spatial visualization ability, such as chemistry.

QR Code, Markers and AR Overlay of 3D interactable Orbital models

With the widespread availability of Android smartphones in India, AR presents an accessible and affordable learning medium. This project uses marker-based AR, where physical markers are tracked by a mobile camera to display interactive 3D orbital models in real space.

Design Approach

The design process focused on addressing specific student misconceptions related to orbital hybridisation. Key design decisions included:

• Narrowing topics based on known learning difficulties
• Designing a guided booklet with AR instructions
• Using a combination of plane and cube markers
• Introducing magnets for haptic feedback
• Reducing the number of physical markers by switching AR scenes based on sub-topics
• Replacing QR-code markers with virtual information markers that describe the displayed orbital
• Providing minimal but effective on-screen textual guidance

These interventions aimed to make interaction intuitive while maintaining conceptual clarity.

Objective

The objective of this project was to develop a working AR-based learning prototype that enables students to understand the concept of orbital hybridisation more intuitively through novel interaction techniques, while exploring the effectiveness of marker-based AR in science education.

Evaluation and Findings

The prototype was evaluated with students who already had prior knowledge of organic chemistry. Despite their familiarity with the subject, many students held misconceptions regarding:

• Orbital phase
• Node formation
• P-orbital orientation

After engaging with the AR activities, these misconceptions were significantly reduced. Students reported:

• Improved conceptual clarity
• High engagement due to 3D markers and continuous tracking
• Positive learning impact from haptic feedback using magnets
• Increased interest through interactive DIY-style activities

The evaluation demonstrated that AR can be an effective and usable medium for teaching complex scientific concepts in school education

Conclusion

This project highlights the potential of Augmented Reality as a powerful educational tool for visualizing abstract scientific concepts. By combining spatial interaction, haptic feedback, and guided learning, the AR system successfully enhances understanding of orbital hybridisation. The outcomes validate the use of AR in chemistry education and suggest that similar design approaches can be extended to other domains that require strong spatial reasoning skills.