A Living Syllabus for Sophomore Level Inorganic Chemistry
Description
In my sophomore level inorganic course, I have experimented with the idea of a living syllabus as a way to develop my own specific learning objectives and to help the students connect the material to the tasks that will be expected of them in assessing their learning.
Suite of LOs on Biomimetic Modeling
This suite of activities can be used as a unit exploring the use of small molecule models and biophysical techniques to illuminate complicated biomolecules. The Parent LO: Modeling the FeB center in bacterial Nitric Oxide reductase is a short, data-filled and well-written article that is approachable with an undergraduate's level of understanding.
Introduction to Photoinduced Electron Transfer
Description
This 5 slides about will introduce students to the concept of photoinduced electron transfer. These slides go over the energics of photoinduced electron transfer, which implements basic concepts of photochemistry and electrochemistry. The photoinduced electron transer properties of ris-(2,2'-bipyridine)-ruthenium(II) is used as an example.
Literature Discussion of "Mechanisms Controlling the Cellular Metal Economy"
Description
This is a literature discussion of a review by Tom O'Halloran (The link to the paper is included in the "Web Resources" below). The review covers concepts of metal content in cells, metal trasport, storage, and regulation. Its a good review to start a broader or deeper discussion about metals in biology. We have provided some questions to help guide the student discussion. These questions can be given to students prior to coming to class, and the answers can either be used for the in-class discussion and/or collected.
Coordination complexes and crystal field theory in-class worksheet
Description
This is an in-class activity that I made to help students in my second semester general chemistry course work through some aspects of color and coordination chemistry. The activity was performed with a demonstration of color for nickel coordination complexes (ligands: water, ethylenediamine, and ammonia). I also included equilibria and thermodynamics as those concepts apply to coordination compounds at the introductory level. This served as a review of the concepts as well.
Student choice literature-based take home exam question
Description
During my junior/senior level inorganic course, we did several guided literature discussions over the course of the semester where the students read papers and answered a series of questions based on them (some from this site!). As part of my take home final exam, I gave the students an open choice literature analysis question where they had the chance to integrate topics from the semester into their interpretation of a recent paper of their own choice from Inorganic Chemistry, this time with limited guidance.
The Iron that Keeps and Kills Us
Description
This in-class activity requires that the students read an article in The Atlantic about an interesting (and modern) case of the plague. The article provides a great platform to showcase the Inorganic side of broad societal themes like evolutionary biology, environmental and hereditary influences on disease, and the collaboration between biology, medicine, and history. The article itself contains little chemistry, but can be used to guide students into learning about iron in bioinorganic chemistry.
Accompanying article found here:
Literature summary through student presentation - free choice of topic.
Description
(1) Student choses and reads a journal article of his/her choice that is related to a topic we have discussed during the semester. (i.e. atomic structure, MO theory, group theory, solid state structure, band theory, coordination chemistry, organometallics, catalysis). Suggested journals include, but are not limited to JACS, Inorg. Chem., Organometallics, Angew. Chem., JOMC, Chem. Comm.)
(2) Student answers the following questions regarding their chosen article:
(a) Describe, in 1 or 2 sentences the goal of this work.
General Chemistry Electronic Study Aids
Description
At this website students can access interactive game-like learning resources that cover a wide range of topics in general chemistry. These learning activities, which are in the form of flash cards, quizzes and matching games, will help student learn and review/drill important general chemistry topics.