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.  

H atom radial factors

Submitted by Maggie Geselbracht / Reed College on Sun, 01/27/2008 - 17:46
Description

This is an Excel spreadsheet that contains the radial factors of the H-atom wavefunctions for the 1s, 2s, 2p, 3s, 3p, 3d, and 4s orbitals as a function of multiples of the Bohr radius.  Plots are also included of the radial factors (R) vs. r and the radial probability distribution (4πr2R2) vs. r.  These can be used during lecture to illustrate to students how these plots change for each type of orbital, or for different principal quantum numbers, or for changing effective nuclear charge.

Athletic Periodic Trends Review

Submitted by Lori Watson / Earlham College on Sat, 11/17/2007 - 18:18
Description

­In this activity, students self-organize according to periodic trends. I print out the attached cards onto card stock (each page will contain two) and hand them out to the students (one to each). Generally, we go outside and I shout out periodic trends (i.e. size, polarizability, ionization energy, Zeff etc.) and the students run to get in line in the correct order.  I have a bell which I ding if correct, and a buzzer that I sound if incorrect. If incorrect, they have to try again.