Scandium Carbonyls - mysterious myth or legendary legend?

Submitted by James F. Dunne / Central College on Thu, 03/06/2025 - 14:36
Description

This literature discussion is based on a short JACS communication reporting the first isolable Sc(II) carbonyls (not a typo) and isocyanides.  The paper discusses some standard synthesis and characterization while exploring a more fundamental question regarding why Sc, a d-block metal, is considered a rare-earth and when it stops reacting analogously to the rare-earth metals.  The LO focuses on ye olde carbonyl stretching frequencies and back-bonding and makes a nice follow up to an introduction to that concept.  It tries to make students explicitly connect electron configuration to changes

Nickel-Catalyzed Enantioconvergent and Diastereoselective Allenylation of Alkyl Electrophiles: Simultaneous Control of Central and Axial Chirality (Greg C. Fu)
Description

This literature discussion LO was created for the ACS National Award Winners 2025 collection. Dr. Greg C. Fu for being the recipient of the Gabor A. Somorjai Award for Creative Research in Catalysis 2025 from the American Chemical Society.

Shirley Lin / United States Naval Academy Sat, 03/01/2025 - 14:36
National ACS Award Winners 2025 LO Collection

This collection of learning objects was created to celebrate the National ACS Award Winners 2025 who conduct research related to inorganic chemistry.

The list of award winners included in this collection are shown below. (* denotes learning object pending) IONiC members are welcome to develop more LOs for the collection.

 

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Shirley Lin / United States Naval Academy Sat, 03/01/2025 - 14:12

Adducts of XeO3

Submitted by Chip Nataro / Lafayette College on Wed, 02/26/2025 - 14:03
Description

This literature discussion was prepared as part of the 2025 ACS awards collection in honor of Gary J. Schrobilgen, winner of the M. Frederick Hawthorne Award in Main Group Inorganic Chemistry.

Geometry of macrocyclic Cu complexes

Submitted by James F. Dunne / Central College on Wed, 02/26/2025 - 12:19
Description

This literature discussion introduces students to various tetradentate ligands not commonly seen in textbooks.  Students can apply knowledge of ligand binding to predict coordination geometry while exploring how the 3D nature of more complex ligands can affect their coordination to a metal.

AsF5 - a superacid for super review!
Description

This LO was developed as a review activity for the end of the semester.  Students are required to touch on a wide range of topics including acid-base theories, crystal systems, point groups, the spectrochemical series, and 19F NMR spectroscopy.  A close reading of the paper is required helping to build student comprehension of the literature.

James F. Dunne / Central College Fri, 02/21/2025 - 13:02

Flipping Cobalt Spin States

Submitted by James F. Dunne / Central College on Fri, 02/21/2025 - 12:01
Description

This activity was designed to assess student comprehension of how changes in pi-donation from ligands can affect both crystal field splitting and metal spin states.  The activity requires students to practice electron counting, idealized crystal field splitting, and then apply these concepts to explain the observed change from low to high spin caused by the loss of a proton.

Eight Coordinate Zirconium?

Submitted by James F. Dunne / Central College on Fri, 02/21/2025 - 11:43
Description

This discussion is intended as a brief application of symmetry and ligand coordination to a novel Zr compound. Students apply VSEPR and molecular symmetry to an uncommon organometallic compound, and apply the coordination mode to basic reactivity. It is intended for an in-class activity but could easily be assigned as a short homework assignment.

Exploring the Electronegativity and Hardness of the Noble Gases
Description

This is a literature discussion focused on calculating and comparing the Mulliken electronegativites of the noble gases. Students can explore how this periodic property extends into the noble gases and impacts the observed reactivity of Group 18 compounds.  The discussion could be used either as an in-class activity or a homework assignment.

James F. Dunne / Central College Fri, 02/21/2025 - 11:15

Replace the Orbitron

Submitted by Chip Nataro / Lafayette College on Mon, 02/10/2025 - 10:19
Description

There are several LO's on the site that use the Orbitron which unfortunately is no longer available. Here is another option that should allow use of those LO's.