SLiThEr #57: What to do when your published results are questioned?
Description

This was the 57th SLiThEr, presented by Dr. George Stanley, retired professor from LSU. It was a very interesting story and would be a valuable lesson to students about proper characterization and working with challenging and paramagnetic systems. 

Kyle Grice / DePaul University Tue, 02/13/2024 - 15:19
Iridium dihydroxybipyridine complexes for hydrodeoxygenation
Description

I regularly give an oral exam instead of a written exam in my junior and senior level organometallics seminar course. The course focuses on the primary literature, discussion of advanced topics, and asking questions. A written exam would not evaluate the students' abilities on the important skill development they learned in the class. Besides, I am better able to gauge when a student has no idea about a certain topic, or just needs a little nudge in order for them to demonstrate that they actually understand 95% of it.

Adam Johnson / Harvey Mudd College Thu, 01/04/2024 - 17:50

Synthesis of Ti complexes supported by an ortho-terphenoxide

Submitted by Adam Johnson / Harvey Mudd College on Thu, 01/04/2024 - 16:21
Description

The Tonks group has helped to revitalize interest in early metal, especially titanium, organometallic chemistry in recent years. Often his group uses Ti complexes for multi-component coupling, increasingly with masked low-valent Ti(II) as an important intermediate. This paper is more fundamental, exploring a ligand based on ortho-terphenoxide since the meta- and para- derivatives were already known. Along the way, they report some interesting NMR and structural information, and finish with some hydroamination catalysis. 

Geometric Control of C-C RE from a Pt(IV) Pincer Complex
Description

When I saw this paper come out, I thought it would make a great teaching paper. It has synthesis, characterization, reaction mechanisms, computational chemistry and it directly impacts catalysis by a thorough examination of the reductive elimination reaction. What are the factors governing the rate of C-C RE? Can geometry (sterics) control reactivity or is it only based on the hybridization (sp2/sp3) of the carbon atom in question (electronics)?

Adam Johnson / Harvey Mudd College Thu, 01/04/2024 - 15:10

An Exploration of Molecular Dihydrogen Complexes

Submitted by Adam Johnson / Harvey Mudd College on Mon, 11/27/2023 - 14:41
Description

I wanted my organometallic class to explore the bonding and spectroscopy of the Kubas dihydrogen complex without having to spend the time doing the entire literature discussion (which is really great and I have done it many times in the past) because I wanted to do it in only about 20-30 minutes in a 75 minute class period. Most of the questions come from the Kubas literature discussion, which I shortened. The IR and reduced mass calculations come from an LO I wrote about arene activation by Jones and Feher.

SLiThEr #56: What can the Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR) do for you?

Submitted by Sarah Shaner / Southeast Missouri State University on Mon, 10/30/2023 - 15:46
Description

In this SLiThEr, Bridget Gourley (DePauw University), Joe Reczek (Denison University), and Kari Stone (Lewis University) discuss getting involved in CUR from the perspectives of a long-time representative, the chair of the chemistry division of CUR, and a fairly new division representative. Learn about the resources and community that are available to support your research.

 

“Five” Slides About: Multiple Bonds

Submitted by Rebecca Eikey / Chestnut Hill College on Thu, 10/26/2023 - 09:15
Description

Here are 10 slides to introduce students to multiple bonds formed between transition metals and between transition metals and ligands. This can be adapted to general chemistry, as long as students have learned Lewis diagrams. This can also be extended to add more information on the nature of the multiple bonds for upper division use in inorganic and physical chemistry. 

SLiThEr #55: "Chemical information meets AI -The continued need for information literacy training"

Submitted by Kyle Grice / DePaul University on Wed, 10/25/2023 - 17:02
Description

This is the 55th SLiTher, entitled "Chemical information meets AI -The continued need for information literacy training", presented byJudith Currano  This presentation was an related to Judith's recent fall ACS meeting presentation which explores how research search engines perform searches and how to train students to better utilize these resources.

 

 

SLiThEr #52: Warming up for Inorganic- Helping students remember what we think they should already know

Submitted by Taylor Haynes / California Polytechnic, San Luis Obispo on Fri, 09/01/2023 - 13:12
Description

In this SLiThEr, Sarah St. Angelo from Dickinson College shares some of her strategies for helping students remember concepts and skills from prior coursework that they "should" remember before her junior/senior inorganic course. Student-led review presentations, LMS-based warm-up topics and quiz, and a rapid collaborative recollection of models of bonding help Sarah's students remember important ideas and take ownership of their learning from early in the semester.