This is our 23rd SLiThEr. The collection can be found here.
This discussion focused on ways to assess readiness for the general chemistry course sequence.
The YouTube video link for SLiThEr #23 is below under "Web Resources"
A one-semester study of advanced topics in inorganic chemistry with emphasis on structure and bonding, transition metal chemistry, organometallic and solid-state chemistry.
This is a worksheet designed for a flipped-classroom, in-class activity during the first course in our chemistry sequence. It teaches the basics of Molecular Orbital Theory from a semi-qualitative standpoint, by showing the constructive and destructive overlap of s-orbital "wavefunctions." The activity illustrates the formation of the bonding and antibonding molecular orbitals in H2, shows its molecular orbital diagram, and introduces the concept of bond order.
This course will emphasize the fundamental concepts needed to understand the diverse chemistry of all the elements of the periodic table. The common theme for the entire course will be Structure and Bonding. The primary focus will be inorganic molecules, ions and solids, but the concepts we will discuss are applicable to all aspects of chemistry. The first two-thirds of the course will cover theories of bonding in molecules and solids along with some background in symmetry and structure.
A collection of all of the IONiC VIPEr NanoCHAts. These are short discussion on a teaching topic by 4-5 faculty members from different institutions. Each of these events is recorded and posted to the IONiC VIPEr YouTube Channel.
Ligands can bind to anions, just as they do to metal ions, and Bowman-James developed these analogies as well as many examples of selective anion binding ligands. This short slide decks gives background to her work as well as some relevant introductory material.
This is a research-like laboratory experience based on the one posted by Brad Wile (linked below). My students are mostly juniors and have had 2 semesters of organic. This spring they are taking the inorganic laboratory virtually, so I wanted to give them a more exploratory lab experience. Their job will be to watch the YouTube videos to see the synthesis and isolated products, and then propose characterization methods they want to employ to identify both the identity and purity of the compounds.
The LO focuses upon classic articles describing the synthesis and characterization of the first "texaphyrin" compounds.
This LO is part of a special VIPEr collection honoring the 2021 ACS National Award recipients in the field of inorganic chemistry. Jonathan L. Sessler was the recipient of the Ronald Breslow Award for Achievement in Biomimetic Chemistry for the discovery of expanded porphyrins, molecular recognition via base-pairing, pyrrole-based anion binding, and demonstrating the power of this biomimetic chemistry in drug discovery.
The discussion covers a 2021 publication by the Chirik group (Nature Chemistry, 2021, DOI: 10.1038/s41557-020-00614-w) which details the discovery of a new way to polymerize butadiene through iron-catalyzed [2+2] cycloadd
This is a classic experiment that has been revised and updated numerous times over the years. The experiment can be found in Girolami, Rauchfuss and Angelici, 3rd edition, but that edition removed some purification steps that were present in the earlier edition which has plagued generations of my students with poor resolution of the enantiomers. Marion Cass published a J. Chem. Educ. article in 2015 that included a pH determination and added back in the recrystallization step. This allowed my students to achieve higher yields and greater resolution in Spring 2020.