If you encounter any technical difficulties when using HMChem, you can reach Technical support at (800) 732-3223. or email us at support@hmco.com with a detailed description of the problem.

HMChem can be considered as collection of assets designed to learn and teach introductory chemistry using the World Wide Web. The assets are grouped into five areas: the classroom, the library, the laboratory, the real world, and the test center.

Classroom

The classroom is designed to mimic learning chemistry in a classroom setting. The classroom contains a list of topics about a particular subject (roughly corresponding to sections in a book chapter). Within a topic are collected the assets associated with the topic, including video, animation, simulation, drill problems, and assessment. The classroom is a place to "do" things, such as run simulations, view molecules, and take exams.

Library

The library contains all of assets of HMChem. These assets include hundreds of molecular structures viewable in 3-D, video and animation files, interactive simulations, and algorithmically generated drill problems. The library also includes all of the images and text from the sixth edition of Ebbing and Gammon, General Chemistry.

Lab

The lab contains video and interactive simulations of chemical experiments typically found in the introductory chemistry curriculum, as well as simulations of experiments that are no longer performed because of safety considerations. A virtual laboratory experience could be used, for example, as a prelab for a real laboratory experience.

Real World

The real world part of HMChem facilitates learning chemistry by presenting chemistry in the context of biology, medicine, ecology, geology, industry, and engineering. For example, acid-base chemistry can be explored in the medicinal context of the pH of human blood as well as in the more traditional ways found in the classroom or library parts of HMChem.

Test Center

The test center is a collection of all of the assessment parts of HMChem. The assessment parts include

Drill problems

Drill problems emphasize fundamental problem solving skills. Drill problems are algorithmically generated. A user can work the problem, check his or her answer, follow links for help in doing the problem, or generate a similar question with a different set of numbers.

Topic quizzes

Topic quizzes are a fixed set of questions about a particular topic. Typically, the topic quiz would be taken by a student in the classroom to assess how well he or she understands the material

Self tests

Self-tests are practice quizzes that students can take to prepare for assigned quizzes and exams. The student can specify questions on particular topics. Questions are retrieved randomly from a database and presented to the student. On submission, the quizzes are computer graded and the results sent back to the student immediately.

Assignments

Assignments are online quizzes and exams that are generated by an instructor to be used in assessing a student's progress. Assignments are computer graded and stored in a database, and are accessible and can be commented on by the instructor.

Instructor resources

The instructor resource consists of a set of tools that enable instructors to generate assessment quizzes and exams. An instructor can use either his or her own questions, or take questions from the HMChem database. Options for the assessment include timing the quiz, multiple chances to take the quiz, and displaying help links.

These five areas of HMChem can provide a structured path to explore chemistry. You may prefer, however, to approach your study of chemistry in a nonhierarchical way by creating your own path through HMChem. In this case, HMChem can be thought of as an introductory chemistry web, in which chemical topics are linked through a series of jumps. For example, the ideal gas law can be explored in the Ideal Gas Law topic in the Classroom, in Stratospheric Ozone topic of the ecology section in the Real World, and the NO topic of the medicine section in the Real World. All topics are linked together, forming an introductory chemistry web.

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Navigation in HMChem is primarily through clickable banners along the borders of a page, and through links within the content of a page.

Most pages have a banner across the top containing tabs labelled Home, Library, Classroom, Lab, Test Center, and Real World. The banner is similar to the one shown below:

Clicking on one of these links goes to the top page of HMChem (Home), or to the top page of one of the five areas of HMChem. Within one area, there may be additional tabs that go to a particular subarea of the primary area.

Most pages also have a banner along the bottom of a page containing links to Chat, Help, Search, and Site Map:
Clicking on chat allows real-time electronic communication with other students or instructors that have logged onto HMChem. Clicking on Help gives this page. Clicking on Search allows a keyword search of the entire contents of HMChem. Clicking on Site Map gives a hierarchical map of HMChem.

The textbook area of the library and the classroom contain the and images. Clicking on these images will go to the previous or next page in a predetermined sequence of pages designed to present a particular topic. You can use the Back and Forward buttons on your browser to retrace the path you have followed through HMChem. Note that using these buttons will not necessarily go through the predetermined sequence of pages built into HMChem.

Many secondary windows have a Close Window image in the upper right of the page. Clicking on this image will close the secondary window. You can also close windows by clicking on the close window of the browser.

The classroom area contains additional navigational aids not found in the other areas:

Clicking on these images in the classroom will bring up lists of assets available for the topic being discussed in that classroom.

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Hardware: PC

Pentium, 32 MB, sound card, 800x600 video with 256 colors

Software: PC:

Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows NT 4.0

Netscape Navigator 4.08 (http://www.netscape.com/download/) or Microsoft IE 4 (http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/download/windows.htm)

Chime 2.0.2 plugin (http://www.mdli.com/download/chimedown2.html)

Quicktime 3.0 plugin (http://www.apple.com/quicktime/)

Hardware: Apple Macintosh

PPC, 32 MB RAM or better, 800x600 video with 256 colors

Software: Apple Macintosh

MacOS 8.1

MRJ 2.1 (http://www.apple.com/java/)

Netscape Navigator 4.08 (http://www.netscape.com/download/)

Netscape Navigator 4.08 (http://www.netscape.com/download/)

Chime 2.0a plugin (http://www.mdli.com/download/chimedown2.html)

QuickTime 3.0 (http://www.apple.com/quicktime/)

Browser Configuration Notes

Browsers must be set to accept cookies for connection to the HMChem Internet site.

For Apple Macintosh Computers, Netscape Navigator must be configured for Java to work with HMChem on the CDROM. See the section Configuring Navigator for Apple Macintosh.

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Netscape Navigator on the Apple Macintosh does not yet (7/99) support the necessary version of Java for HMChem. If you are using the CDROM version of HMChem, perform the following steps to configure Navigator to work with HMChem Java:

1. Start Netscape Navigator (version 4.08 or higher).
2. Click on "Edit" in the menu, then click on "Preferences".
3. Click on the category "Navigator"
4. Click on "Applications".
5. Click on the "New" button.
6. In the "Description" field type in "HMCHEM Java applet" (without the quotation marks).
7. In the "MIME type" field type "hmchem/x-applet".
8. In the "suffixes" field type ".hmca"
9. In the "Handled by" area click on the "application" radio button.
10. Click on the "Choose" button.
11. Navigate to the HMChem CDROM, then select the macdownload folder, then select the Apple Applet Runner folder.
12. Select Apple Applet Runner, then click on Open.
13. Click on OK.
14. Click on OK again.

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If you are using the CDROM version of HMChem, much of the site is contained on the CDROM. However, there are some features that require access to the HMChem Internet Site. By default, HMChem on the CDROM searches for the Internet site located at Binghamton University, in upstate New York, USA. You can change the Internet HMChem site to Cubic Science, located in Southern California, USA, by using going to the Set HMChem Internet Site page. You may want to do this if, for example, your computer is located in California and the Internet connection to New York is slow. Note that this procedure only changes the HMChem Internet site of the browser. If you install the HMChem CDROM on another computer, the browser on the other computer may or may not have the same HMChem Internet site.

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