WebElements

Submitted by Barbara Reisner / James Madison University on Wed, 03/11/2009 - 18:53
Description

This is my all time favorite resource for finding out basic information about the elements. I love it. And all of my students do too.

Polarizing Power of Cations

Submitted by Nancy Williams / Scripps College, Pitzer College, Claremont McKenna College on Tue, 02/24/2009 - 20:08
Description

This is a handout which I use in an advanced general chemistry course, but which could be used in an inorganic course as well. It is a mini-periodic table with common cations and their charge to size ratios expressed as Q/r2, where Q is in integer charges (+1, +2), and r is in Angstroms. Conveniently, Na+ is an easy to remember 1.0, and Al3+ and Be2+ are easy to remember values of 10. This corresponds to the polarizing power of these ions, and is a crude proxy for how covalent their interactions with a given anion tend to be.

House: Inorganic Chemistry

Submitted by Adam Johnson / Harvey Mudd College on Mon, 01/12/2009 - 15:35
Description

House (Inorganic chemistry):  The book is divided into 5 parts:  first, an introductory section on atomic structure, symmetry, and bonding; second, ionic bonding and solids; third, acids, bases and nonaqueous solvents; fourth, descriptive chemistry; and fifth, coordination chemistry.  The first three sections are short, 2-4 chapters each, while the descriptive section (five chapters) and coordination chemistry section (seven chapters covering ligand field theory, spectroscopy, synthesis and reaction chemistry, organometallics, and bioinorganic chemistry.) are longer.  Each chapter includes

Speed-Dating, Chemistry Style: HSAB Theory

Submitted by Patrick Holland / Yale University on Mon, 07/28/2008 - 10:24
Description

This is an interactive Challenge in which students have to find others in the room with whom they "match" as a hard or soft acid or base. It brings to life the way inorganic chemists think about HSAB. Inorganic Challenges are exercises designed to be solved by a small group of students. Some Challenges practice a problem-solving algorithm, some reinforce important concepts, and some involve creativity or games.

Aufbau Exercise

Submitted by Patrick Holland / Yale University on Mon, 07/28/2008 - 10:12
Description

This is a Challenge for the beginning of an Inorganic class, to remind students of the basics of Aufbau, etc. Inorganic Challenges are exercises designed to be solved by a small group of students. Some Challenges practice a problem-solving algorithm, some reinforce important concepts, and some involve creativity or games. You can pick and choose Challenges from our Web site to increase active learning in your classroom, and we ask that you contribute creative Challenges of your own to give a head start to teachers at other colleges and universities!

Atomic orbitals brainstorm

Submitted by Joanne Stewart / Hope College on Wed, 04/02/2008 - 23:04
Description

This is a beginning-of-semester "warm up." The goals are to help students reconnect to their prior knowledge about atomic orbitals and to introduce and practice the fundamentals of good small group work.

Miessler and Tarr: Inorganic Chemistry, 3rd. Ed

Submitted by Nancy Williams / Scripps College, Pitzer College, Claremont McKenna College on Fri, 03/28/2008 - 16:44
Description

Miessler and Tarr is an inorganic textbook which is is best suited to an upper-division one-semester inorganic course, though there is more material than can be covered in a single semester, so some choice of topics is necessary.  It is very well suited for a course oriented around structure, bonding, and reaction chemistry of transition metal compounds, but is very limited in its treatment of solids, main-group, descriptive chemistry, and bioinorganic.  Pchem would be helpful but is not necessary.  In particular, the treatment of MO theory is very in-depth.  The quality of end-of chapter p

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.

The Lanthanide Contraction

Submitted by Maggie Geselbracht / Reed College on Fri, 02/08/2008 - 01:20
Description

This recent article discusses a series of isostructural complexes across the lanthanides using a multidentate ligand.  In these structures, the lanthanides are all eight-coordinate, bonded to all oxygen donors.  Copious structural data is presented that provides excellent experimental verification of the lanthanide contraction.