Submitted by Nerissa Lewis / Seattle Pacific University on Wed, 06/29/2022 - 00:35
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Specific Course Information
Course Area and Number
CHM 3540
Institution
Seattle Pacific University
Location
Seattle, WA
Textbook
Inorganic Chemistry (5th Edition), Housecroft & Sharpe
Course Meetings and Time
Number of meetings per week
3 meetings / week
Time per meeting (minutes)
90 min / meeting
Number of weeks
10 weeks
Lab Associated
Yes, required, concurrently
Average Class Size
5 to 15
Typical Student Population
This is a course taken by chemistry majors and minors.
Description

A systematic study of chemical principles as applied to inorganic systems. This class consist of a 3 hour lecture and a 4 hour lab. Special emphasis is placed on group theory and the use of molecular orbital, ligand field, and crystal field theories as tools to understanding the structure and reactivity of inorganic compounds. 

File attachments
Learning Goals

After successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

  • Indicate the number and approximate location of protons, neutrons, and electrons in a given atom. Electron configurations and quantum numbers will be used to assign probabilities of finding electrons in each of the orbitals. Paramagnetism will be exemplified in a lab experiment.
  • Describe the symmetry, geometry, and electronic structure of a molecule using valence bond theory and molecular orbital theory. Electronegativity, polarity, hybridization, resonance, delocalized bonding are all concepts that can aid the description.
  • Predict whether optical, linkage, or coordination isomerism is possible within a molecule and describe the expected results of experiments that may be able to differentiate or describe the isomers. Lab experiments will explore a set of linkage isomers and a set of optical isomers.
  • Employ crystal field theory, ligand field theory, and the spectrochemical series to anticipate the color and reactivity of coordination complexes. A lab experiment will explore the ligand exchange kinetics of a coordination complex and the UV-visible spectroscopy of a series of cobalt complexes.
  • Describe solid state structure crystal packing and use lattice energy, trends in ionization energy and ionic radii to understand inorganic salt formation. Salts are often purified by recrystallization as carried out in the first lab experiment.
  • Analyze experimental data to confirm the thermodynamics of reactions based on reduction-oxidation potentials and known constants. Also apply these redox potentials to describe the anticipated photovoltaic chemistry of various organometallic dye compounds in solar cells. A photovoltaic device will be constructed as the final lab experiment.
How the course is taught
Brief lecture with in-class small group activities
Evaluation
Grading Scheme
Letter grades will be based on student performance on the following course components:

Three Midterm Exams 20%
Final Exam 20%
Homework Assignments 13%
Laboratory 20%
Research Paper 12%
Selected In-Class Activities 15%
Total 100%

At the end of the quarter a numeric % grade is calculated that is a weighted average of the course requirements listed above. A letter grade is then assigned based on the percentages listed below
% Grade
93-100 A
90-92 A-
87-89 B+
83-86 B
80-82 B-
77-79 C+
73-76 C
70-72 C-
67-69 D+
60-66 D
0-59 E
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Attribution, Non-Commercial, Share Alike CC BY-NC-SA