Molecular Hydrogen Complexes of Mo and W

Submitted by Kyle Grice / DePaul University on Fri, 11/11/2016 - 19:28
Description

Literature discussion about the first examples of molecular hydrogen complexes isolated by Gregory J. Kubas in the early 80s. The questions are divided into groups with two levels of difficulty.

The more basic group of questions includes topics on:

1)      Coordination Chemistry: electron count, geometry, oxidation state, orbital interactions, types of ligands, binding modes, cis/trans and fac/mer isomers.

2)      Symmetry elements and point groups.

3)      Basic concepts on spectroscopy: NMR, Raman, IR, UV/Vis, XANES, EXAFS, neutron and X-ray diffraction

Ethylene compounds of the coinage metals

Submitted by Chip Nataro / Lafayette College on Mon, 10/17/2016 - 12:55
Description

This is a literature discussion based on a short paper on ethylene compounds of the coinage metals (Dias, H. V. R.; Wu, J. Organometallics 2012, 31, 1511-1517). In this paper, analogous ethylene compounds are prepared with Cu(I), Ag(I) and Au(I). The other ligand on the coinage metal is a scorpionate tris(pyrazolyl)borate ligand. The strength of the interaction between the metal and the ethylene varies significantly with the coinage metal as seen in X-ray crystallographic and spectroscopic (1H and 13C NMR) data.

Safety is job one

Submitted by Alice / Villanova University on Fri, 09/16/2016 - 13:12
Description

This five slides about came to be from a discussion that happened after Marta Guron and Jared Paul gave a talk at the Philly ACS in Fall 2016. This is a modified version of a presentation given to all chemistry students regarding the proper handling and disposal of chemicals. Certain details will need to be modified to fit your individual institutions. The particular focus of the slides is for students to learn to turn to SDS sheets before using chemicals and to be able to read the labels on chemicals and understand the associated safety concerns.

Symbolize It All

Submitted by Fabiola Barrios-Landeros / The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art on Wed, 07/27/2016 - 13:58
Description

This is an HTML program that helps you spell with symbols of chemical elements for anything you want. Just cut and paste the text, paragraph or list of names you would like to "symbolize" in the left field. The program automatically displays the words that could be spelled with chemical symbols in the right field. When a word has more than one possible spelling, all of the possible combinations are displayed on a single line.

Developing a rubric for a learning object

Submitted by Joanne Stewart / Hope College on Fri, 07/08/2016 - 15:46
Description

A rubric articulates the expectations for an assignment and enables faculty to assess student work in a rapid and consistent manner.

This Five-Slides About was developed for the TUES 2016 workshop Organometallica at University of Michigan. It was presented in conjunction with Chip Nataro's modeling of the development of a literature discussion learning object (Ligand effects in titration calorimetry from the Angelici lab).

Introduction to Atom Economy and the Hydroamination Reaction

Submitted by Eugene Chong / University of Michigan on Fri, 07/01/2016 - 02:04
Description

This 5 slides about introduces the term "atom economy" as a means for undergraduates to start thinking about the efficiency of synthetic reactions. While this term may not be the best measure of the overall process of a reaction (as it ignores other factors such as solvents and materials used in purification), it provides a nice introduction to a concept on green chemistry. An example of an atom economic reaction, hydroamination, is briefly highlighted as it is an important ongoing research area. Notes for the instructor are included in the slides.

Chemical Information Available on the Web

Submitted by Matthew Riehl / Minnesota State University, Mankato on Thu, 06/30/2016 - 22:21
Description

This exercise introduces students to many chemical resources found on the internet.  Rather than being geared for upper-division chemistry majors, much of the material introduced is appropriate for freshmen and sophomore level students (although more advanced students will also benefit from the exercise).  The “web guide” contains links to many search engines and resources with brief descriptions of each while the “web report” has a number of exercises that asks students to search for chemical information.  The assignment is self-guided; students are encouraged to choose topic of interest t

Activating H2: Mechanisms for Catalytic Hydrogenation and Hydroborylation

Submitted by Elizabeth Jensen / Aquinas College on Thu, 06/30/2016 - 22:02
Description

Based on the literature reference, this activity allows students to discover inner-sphere and outer-sphere catalytic hydrogenation mechanisms then apply their knowledge to hydroborylation. This is a guided-inquiry in-class activity that students can complete in small groups or individually with instructor support. 

Oxorhenium(V) Methyl, Benzyl, and Phenyl Complexes: New Mechanism for Carbonyl Insertion

Submitted by Matthew Riehl / Minnesota State University, Mankato on Thu, 06/30/2016 - 20:59
Description

The article “Synthesis and Reactivity of Oxorhenium(V) Methyl, Benzyl, and Phenyl Complexes with CO; Implications for a Unique Mechanism for Migratory Insertion,” Robbins, LK; Lilly, CP; Smeltz, JL; Boyle, PD; Ison, EA;, Organometallics 2015, 34, 3152-3158 is an interesting read for students studying reaction mechanisms of organometallic complexes.  The reading guide directs students to the sections of the paper that support the question posed in the Discussion Questions document.