This is a great app that helps students see the symmetry in molecules. It allows you to choose a molecule (by name, structure, or point group) and display a 3D rendition of it. You can then have it display the symmetry elements, and/or apply all the symmetry operations.
It is available for both android and apple phones: (probably easier to just search for it)
apple: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/3d-sym-op/id1067556681?mt=8
For inorganic lab, I have my students write their lab reports in the style of the journal Inorganic Chemistry. The first week of lab, we spend time in small groups looking at several examples of recent articles from Inorganic Chemistry, focusing mainly on the experimental section and the abstract (as these are included in every lab report). We then come back together as a class to have a discussion of each of the sections in the articles. We discuss what was included in each section, what wasn’t included, and the style, tone, tense, and voice of each section.
This in-class activity can be used to teach structural (or constitutional) isomers. This worksheet presumes that students have already had some experience with transition metal complexes such as determining metal oxidation state, recognizing the coordination sphere, and converting between formulas and structures.
I present a format for more effective communiction of errors in lab reports to students that I term Errors Checklists. Grading lab reports are one of the banes of our existence as professors. They are endless, unremitting papers that need to be scrutinized for accuracy, precision and understanding.
Modern theories of atomic structure and chemical bonding and their applocations to molecular and metallic structures and coordination chemistry.
Students are confronted with a number of new types of isomerism as they move from organic chemistry into inorganic chemistry. This can be confusing and students often have trouble visualizing structures and differentiating between isomers. In this exercise, students are asked to examine a number of different crystal structures from the Teaching Subset (distributed with Mercury version 3.10, early 2018) of the Cambridge Structural Database.
This exercise looks at the metal complexes of tropocoronand ligands, which were first studied by Nakanishi, Lippard, and coworkers in the 1980s. The size of the metal binding cavity in these macrocyclic ligands can be varied by changing the number of atoms in the linker chains between the aminotroponeimine rings, similar to crown ethers. These tetradentate ligands bind a number of +2 metal centers (Cd, Co, Cu, Ni, and Zn) and the geometry of the donor atoms around the metal center changes with the number of atoms in the linker chains.
Topics in inorganic chemistry, including periodicity and descriptive chemistry of the elements, electrochemistry, transition metal coordination chemistry, and the structure and properties of solid state materials. Laboratories emphasize synthesis and characterization of inorganic coordination compounds, electrochemistry, and inorganic materials. This course satisfies the second semester of a one-year General Chemistry requirement for post-graduate Health Professions programs. Prerequisite, 120 or 125. Three hours of lecture and three hours of laboratory.
Introduces the theories of atomic structure and bonding in main-group and solid-state compounds. Common techniques for characterizing inorganic compounds such as NMR, IR, and mass spectrometry are discussed. Descriptive chemistry of main group elements is examined. Conductivity, magnetism, superconductivity, and an introduction to bioinorganic chemistry are additional topics in the course. In lieu of the laboratory, students have a project on a topic of their choice. Serves as an advanced chemistry elective for biochemistry majors.
Introduces the theories of atomic structure and bonding in main-group and solid-state compounds. Common techniques for characterizing inorganic compounds such as NMR, IR, and mass spectrometry are discussed. Descriptive chemistry of main group elements is examined. Conductivity, magnetism, superconductivity, and an introduction to bioinorganic chemistry are additional topics in the course. In lieu of the laboratory, students have a project on a topic of their choice. Serves as an advanced chemistry elective for biochemistry majors.