Here are some additional benefits I’m discovering as I go along:
I am interested and able to memorize long lists of things that I might formerly have glanced at for two seconds, such as a table of common ligands.
Also, the several hours of visual practice I’ve put in so far is allowing me to visualize complex 3D molecules, such as Co(en)3^3+. Even now, my first impulsive response is to turn away from it, as the visual details seem too complex for me to make sense of. But instead, my visualization system is going so strong that I make the effort to picture it in my mind. I am able to not only replicate the 2D image of the molecule, but translate it into a 3D representation that I can inspect from different angles.
It’s not the same as having a 3D graph of it on my computer that I can rotate and inspect with perfect fidelity. But the advantage is that I can pick out salient details of the 3D structure while holding their larger context in mind. For example, I can see the relative angles of the three ethylenediamene ligands and how they are rotated relative to each other, so that each molecule makes room for the others around the central metal ion.
After picturing the molecule in my mind, when I look at the molecule on the page, it looks different. Instead of a jumbled mass of colors and shapes, I can see the three-D structure, and it feels ordered and sensible.
Here are some additional benefits I’m discovering as I go along:
I am interested and able to memorize long lists of things that I might formerly have glanced at for two seconds, such as a table of common ligands.
Also, the several hours of visual practice I’ve put in so far is allowing me to visualize complex 3D molecules, such as Co(en)3^3+. Even now, my first impulsive response is to turn away from it, as the visual details seem too complex for me to make sense of. But instead, my visualization system is going so strong that I make the effort to picture it in my mind. I am able to not only replicate the 2D image of the molecule, but translate it into a 3D representation that I can inspect from different angles.
It’s not the same as having a 3D graph of it on my computer that I can rotate and inspect with perfect fidelity. But the advantage is that I can pick out salient details of the 3D structure while holding their larger context in mind. For example, I can see the relative angles of the three ethylenediamene ligands and how they are rotated relative to each other, so that each molecule makes room for the others around the central metal ion.
After picturing the molecule in my mind, when I look at the molecule on the page, it looks different. Instead of a jumbled mass of colors and shapes, I can see the three-D structure, and it feels ordered and sensible.