Deciphering Mechanisms of Organometallic Reactions

Submitted by Nicole Crowder / University of Mary Washington on Thu, 07/19/2012 - 09:42
Description

A detailed in-class analysis of the paper Mechanism for the Activation of Carbon Monoxide via Oxorhenium Complexes” by Smeltz, Boyle, and Ison; J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2011, 133, 13288-13291.  Students will apply their knowledge of organometallic chemistry concepts to the mechanistic scheme in the paper.

ChemTube3D

Submitted by Anthony L. Fernandez / Merrimack College on Thu, 07/19/2012 - 08:51
Description

ChemTube3D is a website maintained by the University of Liverpool that has interactive 3D animations ans structures.  The content is broken up into several areas:

  • A Level;
  • Organic Reactions;
  • Structure and Bonding;
  • Polymers;
  • Solid State.

There is a lot of information on the site, and the information could be used in many courses.  The areas that I find most useful in my sophomore-level inorganic chemistry course.

C(sp3)-F Activation through an Initial C(sp3)-H Activation Mechanism

Submitted by John Lee / University of Tennessee Chattanooga on Wed, 07/18/2012 - 16:35
Description

This paper is from a Science article from Alan Goldman’s group at Rutgers University. It was one of the literature articles that was assigned during the IONiC VIPEr Workshop in July 2012.  In conjunction with reading the article, workshop participants attended a seminar presented by Alan Goldman on this work.

Oxidative Suzuki-Type C-H Functionalization (Learning to Read a Detailed Organic Paper)

Submitted by Matt Whited / Carleton College on Tue, 07/17/2012 - 21:09
Description

This is a literature excercise I used in my upper-level organometallic course to guide students through some of the important points of a detailed organic/organometallic paper.  I have found that the first hurdles in some of these papers involve getting students to the point where they can understand (a) what specific reaction is being performed, and (b) what the role of each reagent is.  This set of questions includes a mix of material, including some things that are specifically stated in the article and some that are implied or referenced elsewhere.  I found that excercises like this one

Writing assignment series related to topics discussed in organometallic chemistry - Assignment 2 Literature Highlights

Submitted by Abby O'Connor / The College of New Jersey on Mon, 07/16/2012 - 15:15
Description

Searching and reading the literature is an important tool in teaching organometallic chemistry. This overall project focuses on the improving students' writing skills and to begin to think critically about articles in the literature through a series of different writing assignments. This project is used in a semester long course on organometallics and reaction mechanisms. The first assignment (this LO) is a summary, the second is related to the NSF highlight, and the third is a literature critique.

Distinguishing Between Metal Catalysts for Inner- and Outer-Sphere C-H Bond Functionalization

Submitted by David R. Weinberg / Colorado Mesa University on Mon, 07/16/2012 - 14:13
Description

This activity is meant to teach students about the types of homogeneous transition metal C-H bond functionalization catalysts. Before class, the students will read a short discussion of inner- and outer-sphere C-H bond functionalization catalysts. Then they will use their knowledge of transition metal oxidation states and ligands in order to assess whether a variety of catalysts react via inner- or outer-sphere pathways.

Palladium-Catalyzed Biaryl Coupling Using PEPPSI Under Aqueous Microwave Conditions

Submitted by Gerard Rowe / University of South Carolina Aiken on Mon, 07/16/2012 - 11:53
Description

This is a lab that gives students a chance to use a catalyst to perform "green" chemistry.  Specifically, they will make one of the new generation of palladium cross-coupling catalysts called PEPPSI, which is a highly active, water soluble catalyst and use it in a Suzuki coupling reaction.  Student groups of 2 or 3 will synthesize an NHC ligand, incorporate it into a metal compound, and then perform catalysis in an aqueous microwave reaction using a variety of different reaction conditions in order to determine the optimal catalytic system.

Application of Organometallic Chemistry – Breaking the Inert C-H Bond

Submitted by John Lee / University of Tennessee Chattanooga on Mon, 07/16/2012 - 11:39
Description

This learning object is a literature discussion based on a paper published in Nature (Labinger, J. A.; Bercaw, J. E. Nature 2002, 417, 507-514; doi:10.1038/446391a) discussing the mechanisms of C-H activation by transition metal complexes. This is a topic that could be covered at the end of a section on organometallic chemistry that shows a “newer” application.

Writing assignment series related to topics discussed in organometallic chemistry - Assignment 1 Literature Summary

Submitted by Abby O'Connor / The College of New Jersey on Mon, 07/16/2012 - 10:58
Description

Searching and reading the literature is an important tool in teaching organometallic chemistry. This overall project focuses on the improving students' writing skills and to begin to think critically about articles in the literature through a series of different writing assignments. This project is used in a semester long course on organometallics and reaction mechanisms. The first assignment (this LO) is a summary, the second is related to the NSF highlight, and the third is a literature critique.