One of the units in my Bio12 course is biochemistry. I have found a couple of sites that work well to show 3D molecules to help students visualize important biomolecules. Molecular modelling kits work well as manipulatives for small molecules, but not for complex polymers like DNA, cellulose or proteins. These sites work with the jmol platform, using Java. They are intuitive to work with, have a large selection of molecules, and allow students to manipulate not only the molecules but also certain methods of viewing (for example hydrogen bonds, or polarity). These concepts are often very hard for students to grasp if they are unable to visualize them.
These sites are completely free.
· http://biotopics.co.uk/jsmol/jscontents.html
Dave