Course Description: This foundational course for 2nd-year students covers the properties and trends of molecules derived from across the periodic table. In addition to main-group elements, a deeper understanding of transition metal ions will be developed. Topics covered include periodicity, bonding, symmetry, and reactivity.
This course focuses on the concepts of inorganic chemistry with emphasis on atomic structure, periodicity, group and bonding theories, symmetry, solid-state structures of metals, ionic compounds and semiconductors, as well as transition metal coordination chemistry.
The course is currently designed for a student population impacted by COVID and College policies that the department offer this course every third semester. This semester I have a diverse student population in terms of developmental levels including cohort year (freshman, junior, senior), prior foundational course work (biochemistry, analytical, physical), and research experience. I have altered the assessment part of the course substantively from prior iterations and reduced topic coverage to provide flexibility.
Course catalog description: The chemistry of non-metals. This course consists of a systematic study of the properties and reactions of the elements and their compounds based upon modern theories of the chemical bond, as well as from the viewpoint of atomic structure and the periodic law.
This literature discussion involves various aspect of organometallic chemistry ranging from synthesis, reactions, symmetry, NMR and IR spectroscopy of organometallic compounds as well as catalysis.
Students are asked to read the article published in Angewandte Chime, and answer the questions from the worksheet. Students later discuss their answers with the entire class.
Descriptive chemistry of the main group elements with some emphasis on the non-metals. Transition metal compounds: aspects of bonding, spectra, and reactivity; complexes of n-acceptor ligands; organometallic compounds and their role in catalysis; metals in biological systems; preparative, analytical, and instrumental techniques.
This in class activity will walk students through a more advanced example for MO diagram generation from scratch. The students will work through the symmetry, point group, character table, and MO diagram of PH2F3.
This video discusses symmetry, geometrical structure, infinite patterns that do not repeat, and quasicrystals.