Metal - Noble Gas Bonding

Submitted by Sisyphus / Harvey Mudd College on Tue, 12/15/2009 - 21:54
Description
This powerpoint presentation was created as part of the requirements for Chemistry 165 "Organometallics" at Harvey Mudd College during the fall semester 2009.  The authors of this presentation are Thomas Avila, Mark Hendricks, and Camille Sultana, all HMC students.  The activity consists of three items:  a powerpoint presentation, a script that goes along with the presentation, and a literature review (annotated bibliography) for further reading.  The presentation has links to figures;  the actual figures have been removed to prevent copyright violations.

Coordination chemistry via Inorganic Chemistry ASAP

Submitted by Hilary Eppley / DePauw University on Mon, 09/14/2009 - 11:23
Description
This in-class activity is a fun way to show students how to apply basic concepts of coordination chemistry to complicated systems that appear in a recent issue of Inorganic Chemistry. After quickly reviewing types of ligands (monodentate, chelating, bridging), how we assign charge to ligands and metals in complexes, and the idea of coordination number, I took my class through a number of "real world" examples from the latest ASAP edition of Inorganic Chemistry.

Theo Gray's Mad Science: Experiments You Can Do at Home--But Probably Shouldn't

Submitted by Hilary Eppley / DePauw University on Wed, 07/08/2009 - 16:18
Description

Theo Gray has compiled some of his Popular Science columns into a beautiful book of sometimes dangerous experiments, many of them with particular relevance to inorganic chemistry! With chapter names like "Experimental Cuisine", "Doomsday DIY", and "Twisted Shop Class", you know you in for a wild ride. Some particularly intriguing experiments include electroplating a copper design on your iPod, making glass and elemental silicon out of sand, making a burning Mg/dry ice sculpture, anodizing Ti for cool color effects, and creating a "hill billy hot tub" using 600 lbs of quicklime.

Energy Nuggets: Wise Energy Use – The Challenge of Nitrogen Fixation

Submitted by Maggie Geselbracht / Reed College on Tue, 06/16/2009 - 01:33
Description
This literature discussion activity is one of a series of “Energy Nuggets,” small curricular units designed to illustrate: The Role of Inorganic Chemistry in the Global Challenge for Clean Energy Production, Storage, and Use.

Literature Searching: Bibliography in-class Assignment

Submitted by Meris / James Madison University on Mon, 03/09/2009 - 09:52
Description

This in-class exercise prepares students for the homework Literature Searching: Bibliography Assignment. It allows them to practice the skills needed for that assignment while in class.

Literature Searching: Understanding Handbooks

Submitted by Meris / James Madison University on Mon, 03/09/2009 - 09:44
Description

To allow students to become familiar with the structure of chemical literature and provide them with an understanding of several types of basic handbooks.

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

Bonding and Electronic Structure of a 14-electron W(II) bound to 4-electron pi-donors

Submitted by Hilary Eppley / DePauw University on Sun, 01/11/2009 - 12:01
Description

This paper is a meaty communication that covers novel bonding of 4 e- π-donors to a 14-electron species. Requires students to apply their knowledge of electron counting and organometallic bonding to ligands that are acting in novel ways.  This also includes exercises dealing with chemical information and general questions that require students to put the science in context. 

Werner From Beyond the Grave

Submitted by Maggie Geselbracht / Reed College on Mon, 06/09/2008 - 19:11
Description
This short communication in 2001 established the structure of a dinuclear cobalt complex based on a single crystal X-ray diffraction study of crystals taken from the Werner collection. The X-ray structure clarified the nature of the bridging ligands including a bridging superoxo group. As such, it offers a nice entry point into the nomenclature of bridging ligands, a discussion of O2 related ligands such as peroxide and superoxide, and the evolution of characterization techniques from Werner's time to the present.

Fivefold Bonding in Cr(I) Dimer

Submitted by Maggie Geselbracht / Reed College on Thu, 04/17/2008 - 19:47
Description

This paper describes the synthesis and characterization of a Cr(I) dimer with a very short Cr-Cr distance.  Computational studies support fivefold bonding between the chromium atoms.  I have used this paper to introduce metal-metal multiple bonds and discuss the molecular orbital interactions of homonuclear diatomics including d-orbitals.  More generally, it is a nice example to stimulate the discussion of what constitutes a bond and the various interpretations of bond order.

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