Zinc-Zinc Bonds

Submitted by Maggie Geselbracht / Reed College on Fri, 03/28/2008 - 02:51
Description
This paper in Science reports the synthesis of decamethyldizincocene, a stable compound of Zn(I) with a zinc-zinc bond. The title compound and the starting material, bis(pentamethylcyclopentadienyl)zinc, offer a nice link to metallocene chemistry, electron counting, and different modes of binding of cyclopentadienyl rings as well as more advanced discussions of MO diagrams. More fundamental discussion could focus on the question of what constitutes the evidence for a chemical bond, in this case, the existence of a zinc-zinc bond.

Housecroft and Sharpe: Inorganic Chemistry, 3ed

Submitted by Lori Watson / Earlham College on Wed, 03/26/2008 - 20:01
Description

Housecroft and Sharpe (Inorganic Chemistry, 3ed): This is a comprehensive inorganic textbook designed primarily for students at the Junior/Senior level. P-Chem would not be needed as a prerequisite for this text, but would be helpful. It includes both theoretical and descriptive material along with special topics, enough for a two semester course though it is easily adaptable to a one-semester "advanced inorganic" course by choosing only some topics. It is written in a clear and generally readable style and the full-color graphic contribute to student understanding.

Literature Discussion: Synthesis, Structure, and Reactivity of a Stabilized Calcium Carbene: R2CCa

Submitted by Lori Watson / Earlham College on Sun, 03/09/2008 - 16:26
Description
This is a literature discussion assignment which asks students to read and write responses to some guided questions.  This is then followed by an in-class discussion loosely based on the questions provided.  This particular article investigates the synthesis and structural characteristics of a calcium carbene.  Within the context of the journal article, I ask students to review MO diagrams and interpret X-ray data.  I also introduced computational methods in the context of inorganic chemistry using this paper.

Introduction to Powder X-ray Diffraction

Submitted by Maggie Geselbracht / Reed College on Fri, 02/22/2008 - 19:01
Description
This quick lab experiment is designed to introduce students to powder X-ray diffraction including sample preparation, data collection, and the analysis of diffraction data to refine lattice parameters.  Diffraction data is collected for a sample of the cubic perovskite SrTiO3 (useful data can be obtained in relatively short times) and compared to data collected previously (over 6 hours) for the orthorhombic perovskite CaTiO3.  Students index the diffraction pattern of SrTiO3 by comparison to  the JCPDS database, and use a free program, UnitCell, to refine the l

Tetrahedral Tellurate

Submitted by Maggie Geselbracht / Reed College on Sun, 02/17/2008 - 23:27
Description

This communication describes the first example of a discrete tetrahedral tellurate ion, analogous to sulfate and selenate.  This assignment was used as an introduction to the inorganic literature early in the semester.  Pre-discussion questions were adapted from the "How to Read an Inorganic Paper" learning object by Hilary Eppley.  In class discussion focused on communications vs. full papers, the essentials of X-ray crystallographic information, multinuclear NMR, and the periodic trends discussed in this paper.   

student choice experiment

Submitted by Adam Johnson / Harvey Mudd College on Fri, 01/04/2008 - 19:26
Description

The students prepare a short proposal outlining their desired target and why they want to make it.  Chemicals are ordered, and during the last 3-4 weeks of the semester, the students carry out their synthesis.  The writeup is as a paper submtited to the journal Inorganic Chemistry using the template from the journal web page.

The N5+ Cation: Explosive Chemistry and Raman Analysis (Christe)

Submitted by Maggie Geselbracht / Reed College on Sat, 11/17/2007 - 13:18
Description

­This paper discusses the synthesis and characterization of a novel compound of nitrogen.  The pre-discussion assignment asks students draw a Lewis structure for the N5+ cation, and using the tools of group theory, conduct a normal mode vibrational analysis, comparing the results to the experimental Raman spectral data.­­

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