In this lab, students will use solid-state methods to synthesize cobalt and chromium spinels, ZnCr2O4, ZnCo2O4, CoAl2O4, and CoCr2O4. They will (1) characterize their structure with X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) and (2) characterize the color using UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy.
This series of (not five) slides introduces X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS), specifically XANES (X-ray absorption near-edge structure). There is background in basic theory, the general technique including synchrotron radiation sources, and two specific examples from the literature that apply XANES spectra to (1) oxidation state and effective nuclear charge of sulfur in various compounds such as sulfates, and (2) measurement of energy levels in MO diagrams of coordination compounds (i.e., LFT). Point (2) is analogous to showing PES peaks alongside MO diagrams for diatomics.
Chemical acrostic is used as a teaching tool in descriptive inorganic chemistry. This is an active learning approach to engage the students with a fun classroom activity. The acrostics are designed by Simon Cotton and published in the Royal Society of Chemistry's education resource magazine "The Mole." The students are divided into groups of two or three to work on the acrostics. To come up with the answers, the students engage in meaningful group discussions that enhance conceptual understanding.
I created this Collection of Learning Objects (LOs) at the IONiC VIPEr TUES 2013 Workshop: Solid State Materials for Alternative Energy Needs held at Penn State University. The overall theme of the Collection is electronic and optical properties of metals, semiconductors, and insulators. Most of the learning objects either require knowledge of or explicitly refer to band structures, either at a basic level or a more advanced level. Some LOs also deal with extended structures, un
Synthesis of ammonium decavanadate, and analysis via IR, UV-Vis and quantitative titration. Time: 1.5 lab periods
Purpose
The purpose of this lab experiment is to expose students to the synthesis of a colored POM, and to connect the use of standard analytical techniques to this new type of compound. It introduces the use of IR spectroscopy of inorganic materials.
Introduction
Covers the geometries and symmetries of the seven crystal systems in an inquiry-based manner. 2-D paper templates are provided, which the students cut out, fold, and tape together to create 3-D representations of the seven crystal systems: triclinic, monoclinic, orthorhombic, tetragonal, rhombohedral, hexagonal, and cubic. The students can then use these to determine the geometries and symmetries of the systems for themselves.
This website provides a link to a simple downloadable program that introduces students to a Schlenk line through a series of short animations. It is designed for Windows (does not appear to work on Windows 8 or on Macs). While a bit rudimentary, it does a nice job of showing students the basic setup, discussing safety concerns with the liquid nitrogen trap, and outlining the general procedure for starting up and shutting down the Schlenk line.
Students in a sophomore-level inorganic chemistry course were asked to read the paper “High-Pressure Synthesis and Characterization of the Alkali Diazenide Li2N2” (Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2012, 51, 1873-1875. DOI: 10.1002/anie.201108252) in preparation for a class discussion. For many students, this was a first exposure to reading the primary literature.
We have prepared a YouTube video demonstrating a visually accessible kinetic isotope effect in the Cr(VI) oxidation process, a reaction commonly encountered in introductory organic chemistry. The demo provides students with an opportunity to see an isotope effect and then understand how it can be used to provide mechanistic evidence for the identification of a rate-determining reaction step.
Maggie Geselbracht has a great fondness for compounds with too many nitrogen atoms next to each other. This is a collection of problem sets and class activites based on the structure, bonding, and spectroscopy of a number of such compounds, drawn from the recent literature.