An interactive simulation that shows how a chemical reaction rebalances itself when you change the temperature, pressure or concentration. TCU professors use it to teach General Chemistry.
- Context
- TCU Chemistry
- Status
- In classroom use
- Technical summary
- A chemical kinetics simulation with GUI to demonstrate Le Chatelier's Principle, used as a teaching tool by TCU professors.
- Topics
What it is
Le Chatelier’s Principle says that when you disturb a reaction at equilibrium, it shifts to counteract the change. It’s a core idea in chemistry, but hard to picture from a textbook. This simulation lets students change the conditions themselves and watch the reaction respond.
What I did
I built the simulation and its interface. TCU Chemistry professors now use it as a supplementary teaching tool in General Chemistry, so students can experiment without needing a physical lab.
How it works
- Controls: adjust temperature, pressure and concentration while the simulation runs
- Particles: animated particles show what the molecules are doing
- Graphs: concentrations plotted live over time
- Presets: ready-made experiments that demonstrate classic equilibrium shifts
- Built with: Python and Tkinter for the interface, scipy to integrate the rate equations, and Matplotlib for the graphs
Status
In use in TCU General Chemistry courses.