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The table below lists some of the major series of video materials on General Chemistry available on YouTube or other video sites. Most of the tutorials are done by high school teachers and aimed at that level, but many will be helpful to college students. There are also first-year college-level lectures from some major universities.
The content below is based on my observation of a few examples from each source. Column 1: name and link to the "home" or "index" page - click on these links to access the videos; Column 2: the approximate number of Chemistry videos in the collection; Column 3: does the video begin with an advertisement? Column 4: is the speaker visible most of the time? Column 5: a general indication of the visual nature of the presentation. "Board" means writing on a background, "worksheet" refers to the use of a printed sheet or outline, onto which annotations may be added. Column 6: my overall (and highly subjective) rating.
Sample videos: when you click on "view sample video", YouTube videos usually appear iin a special "embedded" window with the other parts of this page dimmed, without sidebars. To exit a sample video, just click anywhere outside its window, or on the "X" at upper right. Most other links appear in small popup windows that can be re-sized as needed and are dismissed in the usual way provided by your browser.
| name/link | # | ad? | visible | graphics | rating | comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
BackStage Science |
~30 | no | yes | video | ***** | Short, professionally-done videos by actual UK scientists on a variety of research area in the physical sciences. [2013.01] |
| Bergmann&Sams $$
|
145 | no | yes | multimedia | ***** | These personable Woodland Park (CO) HS teachers offer an extensive collection of excellently-done clips with demos, visuals, and a refreshing informality. [2013.01] These videos can be previewed for free; individual videos are mostly around $2. |
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20 | yes | yes | multimedia | ***** | Paul Andersen teaches science at Bozeman High School in Bozeman, MT. He was the 2011 Montana Teacher of the Year. Very good, clearly-spoken informal style. [2013.04] |
Brightstorm |
many | yes | yes | board | **** | The Brightstorm site contains over 1000 videos on many subjects and by different speakers. The young female narrator in many of the Chemistry clips is informal and interesting; students seem to generally like her, but have remarked on her rapid pace. Her tendency to run words together could be problematic for non-native English speakers. [2013.01] View sample video (Note: this site blocks embedded viewing.) |
CarringtonChemCast |
123 | no | varies | varies | **** | Informal style, mostly clear diction, well-organized presentations. [2013.04] |
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124 | yes | no | sheets + annotation | ***** | This Toronto chemistry teacher Nathan Oldridge speaks fairly clearly (after all, he's Canadian!) and the visuals are clearly drawn and annotated. [2013.02] |
Chemistry Matters (Nobel prize official site) |
4 | no | yes | video | ***** | This small series produced by the Nobel Foundation features professionally-done snippets of various chemical scientists discussing various aspects of Chemistry. Highly recommended for stimulating interest. [2013.01] |
 ChemSurvival |
lots | yes | no | video | ***** | These are mostly rather short videos of almost professional quality, spoken in a very clear, conservational style by a Georgetown U. chemistry prof. This series will be of particular interest to students of organic chemistry. |
Clark College  |
63 | no | yes | board | *** | Two members of the tutoring staff discuss each topic in front of a whiteboard with occasional inserts from other source. The whiteboard material is often difficult to read. [2013.01] |
Flinn Scientific |
126 | no | yes | video | ***** | Excellent, professionally done videos by a large variety of experienced HS teachers. These are intended mainly for teachers who wish to learn how to carry out similar demonstrations in their courses. Their use requires registration, which is free. [2013.02] [no sample videos] |
Franklychemistry |
435 | yes | no | board, video | *** | This experienced UK chemistry teacher offers a large number of flash videos of actual laboratory procedures, including many of organic chemistry. The board presentations are clearly drawn. The narration is a bit fast, and might be problemetic for non-native English speakers. [2013.02] |
IsaacsTEACH ** |
127 | yes | varies | board | ***** | Clear speaking, good use of color on board; some demonstrations. Generally very good. [2013.01] |
JAFChemTeacher  |
57 | no | no | worksheet, diagrams | *** | Very clear and competent narration, writes annotations and calculations on a white outline sheet that can be rather difficult to read at times. [2013.01] |
Khan Academy ** Chemistry topics index |
104 | no | no | board | ***** | The Khan Academy offers a huge selection of video tutorials in the sciences, all done to a very high standard and narrated in a friendly,clearly-spoken professional manner. See this video of Salman Khan describing the project. For non-English speakers, many titles are avaiable dubbed or sub-titled in other languages. [2013.01] Note: these videos can be viewed either from the Khan Academy site, or via YouTube. View sample video (YouTube) |
LearnChemE  |
many | no | no | board | These videos from U. Colorado are oriented toward chemical engineering. Some of the ones on thermodynamics and materials science may have application in general chemistry courses. [2013.01] |
|
lindasusanhanson |
400+ | no | no | worksheet+ | **** | Clear narration, attention to problem details; sounds like an experienced and skilled teacher. [2013.01] |
MarkRosengarten
|
340 | yes | yes | board | **** | An experienced high school teacher with lots of personality and sense of humor; gets good user reviews. There are two series, with some overlap: Regents' and Honors Chemistry, and Accelerated/Enriched Chemistry tutorials. Some PDF Chemistry Packets are also avilable for download. [2013.01] |
misterchung ** |
28 | no | no | multimedia | ***** | Very clear presentations in conversational manner that are easy to follow. Good graphics in varied formats. Good narration of animated graphics. [2013.04] |
MIT Principles of Chemistry 
lecture index |
36 | no | yes | classroom lecture | ***** | Part of the MIT Open Courseware series. These videos have subtitles that may aid non-native English speakers. [2013.01] View sample video (MIT site) View sample video (YouTube) |
MIT Lecture Demos  |
no | yes | classroom lecture | **** | [2013.01] |
|
mrB ** |
92 | no | yes | Powerpoint, board | ***** | HS Chemistry teacher Mr. Braswell speaks very slowly and clearly in a low-key, conversational manner, making him easy to follow. Many of the graphics are very clear, with no messy scribling! The long (up to 1 min) musical lead-ins seem rather excessive. [2013.02] |
| mrcausey
|
81 | yes | no | Powerpoint slides, board, worksheet |
*** | Personable narration over clear graphics. Non-native English speakers may have some difficulty following the narration. [2013.01] |
osuchemistry |
85 | no | yes | chalk on blackboard | **** | Mostly short (< 10 min) college-level videos of a personable and clear-speaking instructor in a classroom setting. Recommended for those who prefer traditional blackboard lectures! [2013.03] |
Papapodcast |
>50 | yes | no | worksheet with annotations | ** | Done by an anonymous HS teacher. As of Dec 2012, only two Chemistry topics were available, each broken into many videos. [2013.01] |
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>500 | yes | yes | multimedia | ****** | This is not just another periodic table, but a huge resource that has expanded to include more than 500 videos, mostly quite short. At its simplest, you just click on an element, and watch a two-minute video that describes the element and its uses. There is also a larger series of "Molecular Videos" that describes different chemical substances and their uses — all designed to convey the fascination of Chemistry. Most of these videos star the picturesque Sir Martyn Poliakoff, a professor of Chemistry at the University of Nottingham in the U.K., where this project is based. View sample video (YouTube) [2015.11] |
ProfessorDaveExplains |
>40 | no | yes | multimedia | ***** | Well organized with clear graphics from which viewers can easily take notes. Occasional pauses to present problems, followed by display of solution. The presenter conveys real enthusiam for the topics, and speaks very clearly in a pleasant, conversational manner, although at times a bit rapidly. He also has videos on many other subjects. |
Sandra Etheridge ** |
29 | yes | no | board | ***** | Moderately paced, very clear speaking, often with display of spoken text. Should be excellent for those whose first language is not English. Annotations on board are neatly printed. [2013.02] |
sciencepost |
109 | yes | no | Poweproint, board | *** | This collection covers both physics and chemistry. The speaker has an informal, conversational style, but his poor enunciation makes this problematic for non-native English speakers. [2013.02] |
Socratica  |
21 | no | no | multimedia | ****** | Excellent presentation with good graphics and clearly understandable speaking. The classical music background may put off some of the teeners, but for an old nerd like me, it's heaven! [2016.08] |
superchemlady  |
73 | no | varies | prepared sheets | **** | This anonymous HS teacher speaks clearly and obviously knows her stuff. [2013.01] |
TED-Ed **Topics index |
7 | no | varies | graphics | ***** | Short videos, professionally-produced with clear narration, and high-quality graphic and professional animations, often with cartoons. Not much depth, but good for stimulating interest in a topic. [2013.01] |
ThatChemGuy  |
161 | yes | yes | board | ***** | Clear, enthusiastic presentation from an obiously experienced teacher, but perhaps a bit "in-your face" at times. Many videos are on sub-topics that are not commonly covered in most series.. [2013.02] |
TheChemistrySolution |
61 | yes | no | Powerpoint-like worksheet | **** | Done by Melissa Kofoed, an experienced college-level instructor. The graphics are neatly printed and nicely coordinated with the spoken text. Narration is very clear. The site also offers free worksheets and paid ad-free memberships; see here. [2013.02] |
Tyler DeWitt |
124 | no | yes | Pre-drawn sheets + annotation | ***** | Clear narration in easily followed conversational style by an experienced HS teacher. The video text is clearly displayed, sometimes overlaid with smaller sheets to add details. The pair of disembodied hands dancing around on the text may take some getting used to, but the overall presentation is usually quite effective. [2013.02] |
UC Berkeley Chemistry 1A
|
40 | no | yes | classroom lecture | ***** | This is the introductory general chemistry course. Most of the lectures include interesting demonstrations. Unfortunately, the videos are arranged by lecture number, rather than by topic. Two series are available, recorded in different semesters. The two excellent lecturers are Professors Angelica Stacey and the late Heino Nitshche. [2014.11] These videos are unfortunately no longer available to the public. Shame on my alma mater for removing these excellent materials! |
UC Berkeley eChem1a **
Topics Index
|
>400 | no | yes | lecture + graphics + demos | ****** | Outstanding high-quality, professionally produced video tutorials – perhaps the best college-level general chemistry tutorials available. The speaker, Dr. Mark Kubinec, conducts research in the field of NMR spectroscopy, and is a former director of UC-B's Digital Chemistry Project. He has received numerous awards for excellence and innovation in the classroom and online. [2013.01] |
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58 | no | varies | multimedia,board |
**** | This series from the University of Texas at Austin features several different speakers.An unusual feature in several of the videos is the use of animated images superimposed on the view of the speaker. Most of the videos are quite short. [2013.04] |
| 56 | no | no | worksheet with annotation | *** | Topics on both chemistry and physics. Conversational and enthusiastic narration but a bit rapid and may not be suitable for non-native English speakers. Somewhat more depth than many others. [2013.01] |
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| Yale Freshman Organic Chemistry
|
126 | no | yes | classroom lecture | **** | An excellent series of classroom lectures by Prof. McBride of Yale U. This is the first-year course which includes organic chemistry. But many of the lectures cover the basics of general chemistry. His descriptions of the historical development of important concepts is unusually good, and adds to their understanding. Although some of the projected slides are hard to read, a complete set of notes can be downloaded as a zip file. [2013.01] |
YouChem tutorials 
|
13 | no | no | board | ***** | Well-done, clearly spoken, but covering only a limited number of topics. [2013.01] |
