Nanomaterials Chemistry
This list includes a number of LOs to help in teaching nanomaterials subjects; however, it is not exhaustive.
Updated June 2018.
ColourLex - a colorful website!
Description
ColourLex (colourlex.com) is an amazing website that mixes chemistry and art. The creators of this website have extensively catalogued paintings and the pigments that were used to create them. The pigments range from artificial to natural and organic to inorganic. You can search for the specific combination that you want to see.
Writing Lab Reports
Description
Each spring semester I take on the task of teaching and grading full lab reports for my senior advanced inorganic chemistry class. For most this is their first experience writing a document of this magnitude as most other labs they have previously taken require either lab report sheets or the occasional abbreviated lab memo. As I read their lab reports each year I am reminded both how challenging it is to teach writing (more specifically scientific writing) and to grade the reports objectively.
Shape & Polarity Review with Clickers
Description
A set of questions to be used in General or Introductory Inorganic Chemistry as a review or “quiz” of shapes and polarities.
Orbital Viewer: Visualize atomic and molecular orbitals
Description
Orbital Viewer (http://www.orbitals.com/orb/ov.htm) is a PC-based program that shows electron density calculated from the Schrodinger equation for atoms and molecules. Results can be shown as probability densities or probability surfaces.
Orbital Viewer Program copyright 1986-2004 by David Manthey
Kayaking to Lake Washington
Description
Leisure activity after days of hard work at the IONiC VIPEr workshop in Seattle, WA.
Participants rented kayaks and paddled around the lake for about 90 minutes.
Pre-requisites: Application of a generous amount of sunscreen.
The original plan was to paddle to Lake Washington, but no directions or map was provided. So given the lack of navigation skills and familiarity with the area it is no surprise that only one kayak made it all the way to lake Washington (Go team FBL & KMH!).
Kinetics of electrocatalytic reduction of carbon dioxide by Mn catalysts containing bulky bipyridine ligands
Description
This question set has students examine the kinetics of the electrocatalytic reduction of CO2 to CO described in Sampson, D.L.; Nguygen, D., Grice, K.A.; Moore, C.E.; Rheingold, A.L.; Kubiak, C.P. Manganese Catalysts with Bulky Bipyridine Ligands for the Electrocatalytic Reduction of Carbon Dioxide: Eliminating Dimerization and Altering Catalysis. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2014, 136, 5460-5471.
Analyzing a journal article for basic themes, roles of authors, and the scientific method
Description
This literature discussion is meant to give students an understanding of both the key concept-driven and more “meta” information of a literature paper. Students will use Jillian Dempsey’s paper, “Electrochemical hydrogenation of a homogeneous nickel complex to form a surface-adsorbed hydrogen-evolving species,” to investigate paper authorship, how the scientific method is used in research, and how to understand the important findings of a research article.
Reference: Chem. Commun., 2015, 51, 5290-5293
DOI:10.1039/C4CC08662G
The Nature of Science
Description
I do this activity as an introduction to the nature of science. An object (not easily guessable) is put into a paper bag. The job of the class is to figure out what is in the bag. At first, the students are simply shown the bag (sense of sight). Discussion (hypotheses) ensues on what could be in the bag. I then walk around and shake the bag so students can hear what's in it (hearing). This results in more discussion, with some previous ideas being discarded. The bag is then passed around and students can feel (but not open!) the bag and also try to smell it.