Undergraduate Chemistry Curriculum

Submitted by Kyle Grice / DePaul University on Tue, 05/07/2013 - 16:54

There is a discussion about the undergraduate chemistry curriculum in general going on over at Andre the Chemist (http://andre-the-chemist.blogspot.com/2013/05/lets-talkcomplain-about-u…), if anyone is interested in weighing in (I suggest recommending more Inorganic ;) ).

-Kyle

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Werner cobalt complexes

I have a 3-week lab experiment in my sophomore inorganic course that I call Project Werner, heavily adapted from Angelici's text, in which students first make their choice of 4 cobalt complexes: [Co(NH3)6]Cl3, [Co(NH3)5Cl]Cl2, [Co(NH3)4(CO3]NO3, or [Co(en)3]Cl3.  In the second week, everyone carries out ligand substitution of [Co(NH3)5Cl]Cl2 to prepare the two linkage isomers of [Co(NH3)5(NO2)]Cl

Maggie Geselbracht / Reed College Wed, 04/17/2013 - 00:32
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proposed CPT changes - 2013

Dear VIPEr friends,

Not sure how well everyone's chair keeps them up-to-date so thought I would share this with the community.

I encourage you to take a look at the white paper, discuss it in your department, and send feedback to CPT. They read it all and they really use it to make decisions. 

I would also be interested in hearing what you think on this forum.

Joanne

 

Dear Department Chair/Head:

Joanne Stewart / Hope College Tue, 02/12/2013 - 12:26
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hydrogen bonding; 3c-2e or 3c-4e

Submitted by Dave Frohnapfel / Slippery Rock University of PA on Sun, 02/10/2013 - 15:50

Hi All - I am currently using Housecroft and Sharp's 4th edition with supplements from Meissler and Tarr's 3rd ed.. Both of these texts discuss [FHF]- in the early MO chapter(s) as an example of 3c-2e bonding.  I'm okay with both text's approach to this ion by using LGO's on the F atoms that combine with the central H atom to illustrate formation of a bonding, non-bonding, and antibonding level for the F 2pz ortbitals with the H 1s.  It's easy to "see" a 3c-2e interaction from that approach.

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Question about computational chemistry and student learning

Dear VIPEr friends,

I am teaching an advanced undergraduate group theory, molecular orbital theory, computational chemistry course this semester and having a ball. My question has to do with what we expect students to learn (what will they know and be able to do) when doing computational chemistry. I'm looking for answers beyond the obvious: learning the mechanics of setting up and visualizing the results of a calculation.

Joanne Stewart / Hope College Wed, 02/06/2013 - 09:30
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Editorial

Submitted by Sibrina Collins / College of Arts and Sciences at Lawrence Technological University on Fri, 02/01/2013 - 21:27

Hello VIPEr Colleagues,

I hope all is well. I wanted to share an idea I had today. Some of you may be aware that I published an editorial a few years ago in Chemical and Engineering News entitled "African Americans and Science." (The link is below.) Well, I decided to post a link to the article on the homepage of my inorganic course and encourage my students to read it, because honestly I want to know what the students think about it. But, I thought it was a good way to begin celebrating Black History Month.

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The Chemistry of Shoes

Submitted by Sibrina Collins / College of Arts and Sciences at Lawrence Technological University on Mon, 01/07/2013 - 22:20
Dear VIPEr Colleagues, Happy New Year! I am working on a new idea for a classroom activity entitled, "The Chemistry of Shoes." I absolutely love shoes and I thought I could create something useful to post on VIPEr. For instance, dress shoes are often made of leather and the process of tanning makes the leather more waterproof. Chromium(III) salts are often used as tanning agents, which I didn't know. Apparently, there is cross-linkage of chromium ions with the free carboxyl groups in collagen. So, there is some interesting chemistry we could discuss in the classroom.
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Reviewing Laboratory Experiments

Submitted by Sibrina Collins / College of Arts and Sciences at Lawrence Technological University on Sun, 10/28/2012 - 19:15

Dear VIPEr Colleagues,

I would like for someone to look over a couple of experiments I am planning to do in my inorganic lab in the spring semester. The first lab is the synthesis of copper(II) glycinate monohydrate and the second focuses on [ReO2(py)4]Cl.2H2O.

Thanks,

Sibrina

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