This activity review the rules for creating Lewis structures according to the NASL method.
In this activity, students complete a bracket similar to the one used for basketball March Madness tournaments. In the first round, they add the charge for each listed ion; in the second round they combine the ions to form a neutral compound and write out the formula. Only one of the two compounds in each bracket from the second round will dissolve in water—move this compound on to the semifinals. When the two semifinal compounds in each bracket are both dissolved in water, two new compounds are possible; one is soluble and one will precipitate. The compound that is soluble moves on to the finals. The winner of the Chemistry Ion Tournament is the insoluble product obtained when the two finalists are dissolved in water.