National ACS Award Winners 2021 LO Collection
This collection of learning objects was created to celebrate the National ACS Award Winners 2021 who are members of the Division of Inorganic Chemistry. The list of award winners is shown below.
The Organometallic Chemistry Behind the Polymer of Squares (Chirik)
Description
The discussion covers a 2021 publication by the Chirik group (Nature Chemistry, 2021, DOI: 10.1038/s41557-020-00614-w) which details the discovery of a new way to polymerize butadiene through iron-catalyzed [2+2] cycloadd
5 slides about nomenclature
Description
I have never enjoyed teaching nomenclature, but it is certainly important for students to know what is meant when they see a name out there in the wild. I use Gary's excellent in-class activity (linked below) and then follow up with these slides to cement the knowledge in the last 10-20 minutes of class. The first content slide is a list of nomenclature rules from IUPAC but I normally fill in a list of class-generated rules on the title slide before moving to the truth... our in-class rules are often quite close to the published rules.
Resolution of Werner complexes -- the COVID edition
Description
This is a classic experiment that has been revised and updated numerous times over the years. The experiment can be found in Girolami, Rauchfuss and Angelici, 3rd edition, but that edition removed some purification steps that were present in the earlier edition which has plagued generations of my students with poor resolution of the enantiomers. Marion Cass published a J. Chem. Educ. article in 2015 that included a pH determination and added back in the recrystallization step. This allowed my students to achieve higher yields and greater resolution in Spring 2020.
Linkage Photoisomerization of SO2 Bound to Osmium
Description
In this literature discussion, students are asked to explore the chemistry behind a eta-1 to eta-2 linkage photoisomer of sulfur dioxide bound to pentammine osmium. There are questions that tie to chemical structure and the nature of the two bonding modes of the ligand as well as an examination of the spectroscopic properties of the complex in the solid state. Two of the questions ask students to draw some conclusions based on their knowledge of periodic trends and the sigma donor ability of ligands.
Peer Review Practicum
Description
This multi-part LO is a hybrid consisting of an in-class activity and a literature discussion. It utilizes the article "How to Review a Paper" by Igor V.
Green Chemistry and Redox Flow Batteries
Description
This paper in Chemical Science written by Ellen Matson and co-workers describes a structure function approach to improving the properties of non-aqueous redox flow batteries based upon polyoxovanadate-alkoxides (POV-alkoxides). Given the importance of battery technology on society and sustainable chemistry, this article allows students to engage with a paper that could have broad implications in society.
SLiThEr #7: Assessment Using Literature Discussions
Description
This is the seventh SLiThEr () in the series. In this presentation/discussion, Dr. Shirley Lin explains how she used a literature discussion with students to assess their learning and knowledge. This was for a upper-division senior seminar course. In particular, she discusses questions at various levels of Bloom's Taxonomy. She also explains how to use concepts from Chemical Education Research to really dig down and assess student knowledge.
SLiThEr #4: Flipping Undergraduate Inorganic Chemistry: Effect on Diversity and Inclusivity
Description
This is the 4th in the series of SLiThErs (Supporting Learning with Interactive Teaching: a Hosted, Engaging Roundtable). This was presented by Dr. Caroline Saouma on how flipping her inorganic chemistry course helped diversity and inclusivity. This ties in very well with SLiThEr #3, which was on flipped classrooms as well (https://www.ionicviper.org/web-resources-and-apps/slither-3-flipping-yo…).
SLiThEr #1: Creating online inorganic chemistry labs
Description
This is the link to the first SLiThEr (Supporting Learning with Interactive Teaching: a Hosted, Engaging Roundtable), presented by Kyle Grice and Hosted by Chip Nataro. The SLiThEr was recorded and posted on YouTube (see the web resources link).