Foundations: Atomic Structure; Molecular Structure; the Structures of Solids; Group Theory

The Elements and their Compounds: Main Group elements; d-Block Elements; f-Block Elements

Physical Techniques in Inorganic Chemistry: Diffraction Methods; Other Methods

Frontiers: Defects and Ion Transport; Metal Oxides, Nitrides and Fluorides; Chalcogenides, Intercalation Compounds and Metal-rich Phases; Framework Structures; Hydrides and Hydrogen-storage Materials; Semiconductor Chemistry; Molecular Materials and Fullerides.

This course is a survey of the chemistry of the inorganic elements focusing on the relationship between electronic structure, physical properties, and reactivity across the periodic table. Topics to be covered include: atomic structure, chemical bonding, group theory, spectroscopy, crystal field theory, coordination chemistry, organometallic chemistry and catalysis, and bioinorganic chemistry.  Prerequisites: Successful completion of CH120, CH121, (with a C- or better) and CH 301 (suggested)

This course covers fundamentals of central topics in inorganic chemistry from historical to modern-day perspectives.  Topics include: coordination compounds (history, structure, bonding theories, reactivity, applications); solid state chemistry (crystals, lattices, radius ratio rule, defect structures, silicates & other minerals); and descriptive chemistry of the elements.

Catalog Description:  Concepts and models in inorganic chemistry with emphasis on atomic structure and bonding, molecular orbital theory, material science, and descriptive inorganic chemistry including biological and environmental applications.

This course is composed of two components:

A. Lecture:

This course is designed to give an introduction to the concepts of electronic structure, bonding,

and reactivity in inorganic chemistry. The field is too vast to comprehensively cover every aspect in

a single semester, so this class will offer a qualitative overview of inorganic chemistry. Reading and

understanding scientific literature is an important skill for any scientist to have, whether you move

on to grad school, professional school, or the job market, so relevant literature articles will be

The application of physio-chemical principles to understanding structure and reactivity in main group and transition elements. Valence Bond, Crystal Field, VSEPR, and LCAO-MO will be applied to describe the bonding in coordination compounds. Organometallic and bio-inorganic chemistry will be treated, as will boranes, cluster and ring systems, and inorganic polymers. The laboratory will involve both synthetic and analytic techniques and interpretation of results.