VIPEr Fellows 2019 Workshop Favorites
During our first fellows workshop, the first cohort of VIPEr fellows pulled together learning objects that they've used and liked or want to try the next time they teach their inorganic courses.
Guided reading and in-class discussion questions for "High-Spin Square-Planar Co(II) and Fe(II) Complexes and Reasons for Their Electronic Structure"
Description
Guided reading and in-class discussion questions for "High-Spin Square-Planar Co(II) and Fe(II) Complexes and Reasons for Their Electronic Structure."
Guided Reading: Square-planar Co(III) in {O4} coordination: large ZFS and reactivity with ROS. dx.doi.org/10.1039/C8CC04464C
Description
This Literature Discussion is based on the article “Square-planar Co(III) {O4} coordination: large ZFS and reactivity with ROS” by Linda Doerrer et. al.
The Synthesis and Electronic Structure of [NiX4]2- Complexes and the Role of Crown Ethers in Inorganic Synthesis
Description
This literature discussion aims to have students in an advanced inorganic chemistry course interpret reaction schemes and electronic spectra, relate chemical formulae to molecular structure, and gain an understanding of how inorganic synthesis is planned and executed. Students should gain an understanding of how counterions and crown ethers affect structure. Question 7 may be expanded to ask students to why pi-donor ability affects ligand field splitting, or as an introfuction to this topic.
An associated 1FLO based on this paper is linked in the related content.
1FLO: Relating Electronic Spectra and Ligand Field Strength of [NiX4]2- Anions
Description
This 1FLO asks students to interpret an electronic spectrum of 5 NiX4
Zinc-Zinc Bonds (Expanded and Updated)
Description
This paper in Science reports the synthesis of decamethyldizincocene, a stable compound of Zn(I) with a zinc-zinc bond. In the original LO, the title compound and the starting material, bis(pentamethylcyclopentadienyl)zinc, offer a nice link to metallocene chemistry, electron counting, and different modes of binding of cyclopentadienyl rings as well as more advanced discussions of MO diagrams.
Quadruple Bond Acrobatics
Description
Four pairs of students represent quadruple bonding in metal complexes by "forming bonds" with a variety of physical methods involving actions like facing each other while holding hands (sigma bond), touch hands and feet of their partner "above and below" the plane (two pi bonds), touching hands and feet while facing each other (delta bond). This results in a "Twister"-like pile of students resembling the quadruple bonding interaction
Advanced ChemDraw (2019 Community Challenge #2)
Description
This in-class activity was designed for a Chemical Communications course with second-year students. It is the second part of a two-week segment in which students learn how to use ChemDraw (or similar drawing software to create digital drawings of molecules).
5-ish Slides About Bridging Hydrides and the [Cr(CO)5HCr(CO)5] anion
Description
This set of slides was made for my Organometallics class based on questions about bridging hydrides and specifically the chromium molecule. I decided to make these slides to answer the questions, and do a DFT calc to show the MO's involved in bonding of the hydride.
Guided Literature Discussion of “Next-Generation Water-Soluble Homogeneous Catalysts for Conversion of Glycerol to Lactic Acid”
Description
This Guided Literature Discussion was assigned as a course project, and is the result of work originated by students Joie Games and Benjamin Melzer. It is based on the article “Next-Generation Water-Soluble Homogeneous Catalysts for Conversion of Glycerol to Lactic Acid” by Matthew Finn, J. August Ridenour, Jacob Heltzel, Christopher Cahill, and Adelina Voutchkova-Kostal in Organometallics 2018 37 (9), 1400-1409.