In-class exercise that helps students learn how to use structural data and other experimental methods to assign structure. Using chemical intuition, students will rationalize the structures of metal complexes that differ by protonation states.

Students are asked to choose a type of reaction from a set list (included), determine appropriate starting materials and the resulting product and present the reaction as though they accomplished it in the laboratory setting (5 min oral presentation with a 1 page paper).  I asked the students to perform both a rough draft presentation (to me) and final draft presentation (to all students in laboratory).

A guided inquiry activity where students use group theory and character tables to practice determining reducible representations for all atoms and the individual bonds (like CO stretches).  The students then reduce the representation, determine which are vibrational modes, and then determine which are IR active using the character table.  For the second portion, they practice using this approach to differentiate between two metal isomers.

After I teach my students about magnetism and magnetic properties in coordination compounds, I spend a day showing how the data is collected and analyzed. I teach them about the Gouy balance, the Evans method of determining magnetism by NMR, and SQUID magnetometry. I also show them real data that I collected as an undergraduate or graduate student, and have them interpret and analyze it.

The only experiment that we can do locally is the Evans method, so I spend more time on this technique. We use the method during the metal acac laboratory.