A cuprous azide complex: The effect of structure on the stability of the azide ion

Submitted by Jim Jeitler / Marietta College on Thu, 07/17/2014 - 17:50
Description

This is a problem set based on the article "Energetic Cuprous Azide Complex: Synthesis, Crystal Structure and Effection on the Thermal Decomposition of HMX" in the Journal of Chemical Crystallography.  It has been used in a Chemistry Capstone course for both Chemistry and Biochemistry majors during the first semester senior year.  Biochemistry majors are not required to take Inorganic Chemistry and Chemistry majors may be currently taking Inorganic chemistry.

Modeling post-translational modification in cobalt nitrile hydratase with a metallopeptide from Anne Jones

Submitted by Kari Young / Centre College on Thu, 07/17/2014 - 16:23
Description

In this literature discussion, students read a paper about a cobalt metallopeptide that imitates the active site of the enzyme nitrile hydratase.  Specifically, the model complex is oxidized by air to produce a coordination sphere with both cysteine thiolate and sulfinic acid ligands, much like the post-translationally oxidized cysteine ligands in the biological system.

The Structure and Color of Alums

Submitted by EGunn / Simmons College on Mon, 07/14/2014 - 13:09
Description

This is an in-class assignment designed to help students integrate their understanding of periodic trends and materials properties. Using the color of alum crystals as an example of octahedral coordination chemistry, students use their knowledge of electronic structure and periodic trends to predict which of the isomorphous alum crystals will be colored, and to qualtitatively rank the degree of crystal field splitting in a family of alum crystals.

Viewing Jmol Images and Animations (currently blocked) that call a Jmol Applet

Submitted by Marion Cass / Carleton College on Thu, 03/13/2014 - 22:31
Description

 

    Every day when I teach Inorganic Chemistry (and in most of my problem sets and take home exams) I create Web pages to show 3D images of selected molecules to my students.  I am a visual learner and I find the structures beautiful and informative.

    In the past few months, you likely have found that web sites scripted with Jmol scripts calling a Jmol applet (which is a Java applet) are blocked. 

Symmetry Lectures

Submitted by Sabrina Sobel / Hofstra University on Sat, 03/08/2014 - 16:00
Description

Two excellent video presentations on symmetry. The Ted Talk by Marcus du Sautoy is an excellent introduction to the concept of symmetry and systematically describing it. In "Impossible Crystals" Nobel Laureate and physicist Paul Steinhardt discusses the creation of "Impossible crystals": quasi-crystals with five-fold symmetry previously believed impossible.

Student choice literature-based take home exam question

Submitted by Hilary Eppley / DePauw University on Fri, 01/24/2014 - 15:27
Description

During my junior/senior level inorganic course, we did several guided literature discussions over the course of the semester where the students read papers and answered a series of questions based on them (some from this site!).  As part of my take home final exam, I gave the students an open choice literature analysis question where they had the chance to integrate topics from the semester into their interpretation of a recent paper of their own choice from Inorganic Chemistry, this time with limited guidance.

Solar-Powered Oxidation of Water

Submitted by Anne Bentley / Lewis & Clark College on Tue, 01/07/2014 - 18:14
Description

Students in a half-credit nanomaterials chemistry course read an article describing the electrochemical deposition of BiVO4 (Kyoung-Shin Choi and Jason A. Seabold, “Efficient and Stable Photo-Oxidation of Water by a Bismuth Vanadate Photoanode Coupled with an Iron Oxyhydroxide Oxygen Evolution Catalyst” J. Am. Chem. Soc.

IC Top 10 first day activity

Submitted by Sheila Smith / University of Michigan- Dearborn on Thu, 09/05/2013 - 09:32
Description

I modified the Barb Reisner/Joanne Stewart/Maggie Geselbracht First Day TOC activity (https://www.ionicviper.org/class-activity/introducing-inorganic-chemist…) to take advantage of the quarterly list of Top 10 Most Read articles that IC sends out.  This is delivered to me as an email from ACS pubs and I am sure that it is available to anyone who wished to subscribe to the updates.  I have attached a pdf copy of the August 2013 update as an example.

Five Slides About a Simple powder XRD Analysis

Submitted by Rebecca / The Ohio State University on Sat, 06/29/2013 - 21:28
Description

These slides walk students through a solid state synthesis with a simple powder XRD analysis. This presentation was made to answer the question “How do I know what came out of the furnace?” for a general chemistry audience, assuming very little XRD knowledge. Specifically this shows using XRD with database searching to determine phase purity through pattern matching.

(This does not cover the fundamentals of XRD, please see related links for that.)

 

Five Slides about X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS)

Submitted by Sophia E. Hayes / Washington University on Fri, 06/28/2013 - 09:35
Description

This is a short presentation giving an overview of x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), meant to be an introduction for those who are unfamiliar with the technique.