The UV-vis spectra of porphyrins are among the most recognizable spectra in the chemical literature, but the electronic transitions that lead to the observed specta are not as well known. This presentation provides an introduction to the structure and numbering of porphyrins and the origin of the bands observed in the near UV and visible region, based on the work done by Martin Gouterman beginning in the late 1950's.
This experiment was developed for an upper division Instrumental Analysis course to give students additional experience with infrared (IR) spectroscopy beyond the routine functional group identification encountered in undergraduate Organic Chemistry courses. It shares some aspects with the analysis of gas phase rovibrational spectra typically performed in Physical Chemistry courses, but places a greater emphasis on more practical considerations including data acquisition (using ATR) and interpretation.
Students read two review articles and one research article on platinum-based cancer therapeutic agents. These articles compresentively discuss various aspects of these drug agents such as discovery, synthesis, mode of function. Students read the articles and use the knowledge on coordination chemistry (structure, reactivity, bonding, etc.) to explain the information included in the articles.
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This is a collection of LOs that I used to teach a junior-senior seminar course on organometallics during Fall 2018 at Harvey Mudd College. There were a total of 9 students in the course. The Junior student (there was only one this year) was taking 2nd semester organic concurrently and had not takein inorganic (as is typical).
This set of questions is based on a single figure from Rountree et al. Inorg. Chem. 2019, 58, 6647. In this article (“Decoding Proton-Coupled Electron Transfer with Potential-pKa Diagrams”), Jillian Dempsey’s group from the University of North Carolina examined the mechanism by which a nickel-containing catalyst brings about the reduction of H+ to form H2 in non-aqueous solvent.
This experiment tasks students with preparing triphenylphosphine sulfide, and the corresponding I2 adduct, then characterizing these products using common instrumental methods. Students are asked to consider MOs and tie this to their Lewis bonding depiction for the final product. This discussion is supported by WebMO calculations and tied to the experimental data obtained by the student.
An introduction to the chemistry of inorganic compounds and materials. Descriptive chemistry of the elements. A survey of Crystal Field Theory, band theory, and various acid-base theories. Use of the chemical and scientific literature. Introduction to the seminar concept.
Theoretical and descriptive inorganic/bioinorganic chemistry. Examines molecular structure and other properties of crystals, coordination compounds, and organometallic compounds. Topics include the roles of metal complexes as acids and bases, in oxidation-reduction reactions, and in biochemical systems. Laboratory in which main group and transition metal compounds are synthesized and studied. This course counts towards the Writing Across the Curriculum requirement.