This Literature Discussion considers the synthesis of the first carbene-bismuthinidene complex by Gilliard and coworkers in 2019. This molecule serves as an illustration of different bonding models, as it can be described by multiple resonance structures invoking fully covalent, zwitterionic, and coordinate/dative bonding forms. Students analyze these resonance structures and their geometrical implications, then compare to the experimental structural evidence to come to a conclusion about which bonding model(s) best describe this molecule!

This activity is a post-exam reflection that is adapted from the Exam Wrappers created by Marsha Lovett at Carnegie Mellon University. The activity has the students build metacognition skills by analyzing their exam preparation and performance. Then, students work to identify how each of their study strategies had a positive or negative impact to their performance. Finally, they outline a plan for how they will prepare for future exams. If the student would like, these reflections and plans are then discussed with the instructor in 1-on-1 meetings. 

The MoleCVUE website contains several items that should be of interest to the VIPEr community, especially the activities.  Each activity is designed to be ready to deploy in lecture, laboratory, or as homework.  There are activities covering all of the major subdisciplines of chemistry (some more than others).  Some activities that might be of particular interest to VIPEr are "Group Theory", "VSEPR", and "Electron Configurations of Atoms and Ions".  All of the activities are written to use WebMO, but could be adapted for other systems.  Most activities are doable with the free or demo versi

Marilyn Mackiewicz (Oregon State University) is the 2020 awardee of the Stanley C. Israel Regional Award for Advancing Diversity in the Chemical Sciences from the ACS. Her unique story and experiences are presented, along with how faculty can make their spaces and themselves more welcoming.