3D-ection: Molecular Shape Recognition

In this activity (page 12), learners explore how molecules self-assemble and how molecules must fit together, like a lock and key, in order to identify each other and initiate a new function as a combined unit. Learners use play-dough and keys to design their own molecular models that demonstrate how shapes of molecules are important to self-assembly. Note: The write-up for this activity starts on the bottom of page 12. [Activity is publicly available through a web crawler capture on Archive.org.]