Computational Organometallic Chemistry
Description
Lecture given at NSF-CENTC 2008 workshop on modeling in organometallic chemistry.
In-Class Review of Symmetry Operations and Point Groups
Description
This in-class activity was used on the first day of Advanced Inorganic Chemistry in lieu of lecture to review symmetry operations and point groups in small molecules. The learning object was adapted to a small group discussion format from a fundamental quiz posted by Barbara Reisner (James Madison University) and a problem set question posted by Adam Johnson (Harvey Mudd College).
IUCr Teaching Resources
Description
In the past, I've always found the IUCr crystallographic pamphlets to be useful when teaching diffraction. They've reorganized their website to make their educational resources easier to find. On this link, you can find the IUCr teaching pamphlets, a short description of how to grow crystals, and other crystallography web resources.
Teaching Pamphlet Topics
Theo Gray's Mad Science: Experiments You Can Do at Home--But Probably Shouldn't
Description
Theo Gray has compiled some of his Popular Science columns into a beautiful book of sometimes dangerous experiments, many of them with particular relevance to inorganic chemistry! With chapter names like "Experimental Cuisine", "Doomsday DIY", and "Twisted Shop Class", you know you in for a wild ride. Some particularly intriguing experiments include electroplating a copper design on your iPod, making glass and elemental silicon out of sand, making a burning Mg/dry ice sculpture, anodizing Ti for cool color effects, and creating a "hill billy hot tub" using 600 lbs of quicklime.
Introduction to High Resolution Spectroscopy
Description
http://assign3.chem.usyd.edu.au/spectroscopy/index.php
A series of Java tools for learning about the relationship between molecular parameters (size, mass etc) and the form of the spectral trace. These cover rotational, vibrational, ro-vibrational and electronic spectroscopy.
Molecular Orbital Diagrams
Description
http://firstyear.chem.usyd.edu.au/calculators/mo_diagrams.shtml
Flash based tools to help with the construction of MO diagrams:
- "energy levels" shows how the form of the bonding and antibonding orbitals, the bond order and atomic charges vary in a diatomic molecule with the electronegativity of the two atoms involved
- "Molecular orbital diagram maker" shows how a complex MO diagram can be made by a drag and drop approach using symmetry adapted components
Energy Nuggets: Engineering Viruses to Build a Better Battery
Description
This literature discussion activity is one of a series of “Energy Nuggets,” small curricular units designed to illustrate: The Role of Inorganic Chemistry in the Global Challenge for Clean Energy Production, Storage, and Use.
The Elements: Theo Gray's periodic table website
Description
While this site is also a commercial site (selling Theo's periodic tables and book, etc.) it is a wonderful resource of pictures of elements and their compounds, and "real life" uses of elements (such as a gamma ray imaging of the skeleton for Tc, a hard drive for B, and sushi for Hg!). It is also a source of movies of reactions of the elements, including some pretty impressive ones for the alkali metals and the thermite reaction. It also provides easy access to his chemistry column for Popular Science magazine.
Periodic Table Formulations
Description
This website provides access to many formulations of the periodic table over time. I think that looking at the various representations of the table would provide an excellent way to discuss periodic trends.
This list was compiled by Mark R. Leach and is part of his free resource, The Chemogenesis web book.
Crystallography (in English) & Evaluating Crystal Structures
Description
The University of Oklahoma has put together a nice website on Crystallography which includes a standard introduction to crystallography & crystal symmetry. I also like some of the features that you don't normally come across including evaluating crystal structures and twinning.