Educational aspects of sonochemistry: The role of sonochemistry at high school level

The applications of sonochemistry have attracted a great deal of attention. However, conventional chemistry textbooks used in universities and high schools cover traditional chemistry plus thermo,- photo- and electrochemistry. The effect of sound on chemical systems has completely been ignored. Although the mechanisms of many sonochemical reactions remain unresolved, the rapid expansion of knowledge in sonochemistry has already justified its inclusion in present chemistry curricula. Moreover, the interesting and unusual phenomena encountered under sonication conditions can be used for motivation purposes. Furthermore, exploring and equipping students with a new tool for investigating chemistry is also important based on educational principles. This paper examines some chemical systems (in a high school chemistry syllabus) which are affected by sound energy. It is hoped that these sonochemical applications will facilitate the learning of chemistry in terms of cognitive, psychomotor and affective domains.