Hints
1. If you want to narrow down the shapes search,
search
by shape and then go back to the periodic table to deselect any atoms
you do
not want to have included in your search or if you have particular
molecules in
mind for them to look at do a text search for the name or formula of
the
compound.
2. to have the rotatable
structure display a particular bond angle double click on an outer atom
then
click once on the center atom and then double click on the other outer
atom.
(for instance to see an HOH angle in water, double click on hydrogen,
click
once on oxygen and then double click again on the other hydrogen)
3. there's a
neat website that will help students learn sigma and lewis
structures by helping them count the electrons. It also calculates
formal
charges on the atoms which further aid the transition from sigma to lewis structures.
http://www.stolaf.edu/depts/chemistry/courses/toolkits/121/js/lewis/
4. it might be useful to explore the database and
then
suggest some very simple molecules for the students to start with so
they don't
get bogged down trying to predict the entire shape of a large molecule
when the
central atom and those directly bonded to it are the only ones that
matter.