Inorganic Spectroscopy Introduced Using an Interactive PhET Simulation (Part 1)

Submitted by Alycia Palmer / The Ohio State University on Wed, 04/30/2014 - 20:49
Description

A guided-inquiry activity for the interactive PhET simuation "Molecules and Light" was created to introduce upper-level inorganic laboratory students to inorganic spectroscopy. The activity included here is the first part of a two-day discussion. This activity instructs students to use the PhET simulation "Molecules and Light" to explore how various molecules interact with different energies of electromagnetic radiation (microwave, infrared, visible, ultraviolet). This activity can also be used in a general chemistry setting as the topics discussed are very basic.

Sheffield ChemPuter

Submitted by Chip Nataro / Lafayette College on Tue, 04/29/2014 - 16:42
Description

The Sheffield Chemputer is a site that does a variety of calculations including: isotope patterns, element percentages, reaction yields, oxidation states (for transition metal complexes), electron accounting (for metal complexes), VSEPR shape and classification using the CBC method. At the initial point of this post (April 29, 2014) parts of the site are still under development, but it seems to be off to a good start.

Coordination complexes and crystal field theory in-class worksheet

Submitted by Sarah K. St. Angelo / Dickinson College on Mon, 04/28/2014 - 18:39
Description

This is an in-class activity that I made to help students in my second semester general chemistry course work through some aspects of color and coordination chemistry.  The activity was performed with a demonstration of color for nickel coordination complexes (ligands: water, ethylenediamine, and ammonia). I also included equilibria and thermodynamics as those concepts apply to coordination compounds at the introductory level.  This served as a review of the concepts as well.

Molecular Orbitals of Square-Planar Tetrahydrides

Submitted by Matt Whited / Carleton College on Fri, 04/18/2014 - 10:15
Description

This in-class activity walks students through the preparation of a molecular-orbital diagram for methane in a square-planar environment.  The students generate ligand-group orbitals (LGOs) for the set of 4 H(1s) orbitals and then interact these with carbon, ultimately finding that such a geometry is strongly disfavored because it does not maximize H/C bonding and leaves a lone pair on C.

'Sophomore' symmetry: Computational analysis

Submitted by Chip Nataro / Lafayette College on Tue, 03/25/2014 - 17:34
Description

Having been inspired by a number of wonderful LOs, I introduced group theory in my 'sophomore' inorganic class this spring. In addition to learning to determine the point group of a molecule, students were taught how to construct a qualitative MO diagram though the use of LGOs. While this course can be taken with or without the laboratory component, it seemed only natural to include a lab on this material. A previous lab had introduced the students to computational methods for geometry optimization.

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. 

Water Oxidation Catalyzed by NHC Complexes of Iridium

Submitted by Peter M Graham / Saint Joseph's University on Wed, 02/19/2014 - 12:08
Description

A literature discussion based on an interesting paper from Bernhard and Albrecht about a catalytic water oxidation promoted by irdium complexes featuring abnormal/mesoionic NHC ligands.

I used this in an upper-level Organometallics course after discussing NHC ligands in class.

 

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.

Understanding Hypervalency Activity

Submitted by Gerard Rowe / University of South Carolina Aiken on Mon, 11/04/2013 - 10:38
Description

This activity is meant to teach students an MO theory interpretation of hypervalency that goes beyond the simple (and somewhat unsatisfying) explanation that atoms that are in the third row and below use d-orbitals for bonding in addition to s- and p-orbitals. Specifically, students will be learning how to construct MO diagrams for multicenter bonding schemes (i.e., 3c4e).  

The Iron that Keeps and Kills Us

Submitted by Katherine Franz / Duke University, Department of Chemistry on Mon, 09/16/2013 - 14:10
Description

This in-class activity requires that the students read an article in The Atlantic about an interesting (and modern) case of the plague.  The article provides a great platform to showcase the Inorganic side of broad societal themes like evolutionary biology, environmental and hereditary influences on disease, and the collaboration between biology, medicine, and history.  The article itself contains little chemistry, but can be used to guide students into learning about iron in bioinorganic chemistry.

 

Accompanying article found here: