Enthalpic and entropic contributions to metal ion binding in a metalloprotein (Austin)

Submitted by Rachel Narehood Austin / Barnard College, Columbia University on Mon, 03/04/2024 - 08:01
Description

This LO is part of the 2024 series for national ACS award winners.  This particular LO focuses on a collaborative paper from the winner of the 2024 ACS Award for Research at an Undergraduate Institution, sponsored by Research Corporation (Rachel Narehood Austin). The award was given "for contributions to our understanding of the bioinorganic chemistry of alkane oxidation and metal binding to neurologically important metallothionein and for the development of heterogeneous catalysts." This literature discus

SLiThEr #58: Embracing the maker culture in chemistry research and instruction

Submitted by Chip Nataro / Lafayette College on Fri, 03/01/2024 - 09:43
Description

BoB LeSuer (Associate Professor at SUNY - Brockport and President of IBiB) discusses using a maker space for teaching chemistry. Topics include: digital fabrication of pedagogical materials (models and periodic tables); instrumentation (potentiostat and liquid dispenser); and upcycling plastics into functional materials. Of special interest to this group will be work BoB has done on making the ICE solid state model kits available to anyone!

Visible Light-Absorbing Ruthenium Complexes: Choosing a Final Project in Inorganic Chemistry Laboratory from Two Real-World Applications

Submitted by Dr. Robert Perkins / Saint Louis University on Tue, 02/27/2024 - 11:13
Description

Laboratory Project Summary:

Students in an upper level Inorganic Chemistry lab course are given a choice between two final lab projects.  Both projects involve the synthesis of visible light-absorbing ruthenium complexes, however the subsequent application of these complexes correspond to different subfields within inorganic chemistry.  This feature allows them to pursue a project that continues to develop their synthetic, data-analysis, and writing skills while pursuing one that most closely aligns with their interests.

Lewis Base Stabilized Dichlorosilylene (Roesky)

Submitted by Shirley Lin / United States Naval Academy on Wed, 02/21/2024 - 15:08
Description

This literature discussion LO was created for the ACS National Award Winners 2024 collection. Dr. Herbert Roesky was the recipient of the 2024 Frederic Stanley Kipping Award in Silicon Chemistry. This LO is based on the article "Lewis Base Stabilized Dichlorosilylene" published in Angewandte Chemie 2009, 121, 5793-5796.

SLiThEr #57: What to do when your published results are questioned?
Description

This was the 57th SLiThEr, presented by Dr. George Stanley, retired professor from LSU. It was a very interesting story and would be a valuable lesson to students about proper characterization and working with challenging and paramagnetic systems. 

Kyle Grice / DePaul University Tue, 02/13/2024 - 15:19
Iridium dihydroxybipyridine complexes for hydrodeoxygenation
Description

I regularly give an oral exam instead of a written exam in my junior and senior level organometallics seminar course. The course focuses on the primary literature, discussion of advanced topics, and asking questions. A written exam would not evaluate the students' abilities on the important skill development they learned in the class. Besides, I am better able to gauge when a student has no idea about a certain topic, or just needs a little nudge in order for them to demonstrate that they actually understand 95% of it.

Adam Johnson / Harvey Mudd College Thu, 01/04/2024 - 17:50

Synthesis of Ti complexes supported by an ortho-terphenoxide

Submitted by Adam Johnson / Harvey Mudd College on Thu, 01/04/2024 - 16:21
Description

The Tonks group has helped to revitalize interest in early metal, especially titanium, organometallic chemistry in recent years. Often his group uses Ti complexes for multi-component coupling, increasingly with masked low-valent Ti(II) as an important intermediate. This paper is more fundamental, exploring a ligand based on ortho-terphenoxide since the meta- and para- derivatives were already known. Along the way, they report some interesting NMR and structural information, and finish with some hydroamination catalysis. 

Geometric Control of C-C RE from a Pt(IV) Pincer Complex

Submitted by Adam Johnson / Harvey Mudd College on Thu, 01/04/2024 - 15:10
Description

When I saw this paper come out, I thought it would make a great teaching paper. It has synthesis, characterization, reaction mechanisms, computational chemistry and it directly impacts catalysis by a thorough examination of the reductive elimination reaction. What are the factors governing the rate of C-C RE? Can geometry (sterics) control reactivity or is it only based on the hybridization (sp2/sp3) of the carbon atom in question (electronics)?