First Look at Coordination Complexes

Submitted by Anthony L. Fernandez / Merrimack College on Sun, 09/06/2020 - 15:08
Description

When transitioning into inorganic chemistry from organic chemistry, students are surprised by the complexity of metal complexes. To ease this transition, students are asked to look at the crystal structure of a coordination complex [(+/-)cis-dichloro-bis(ethylenediamine)-cobalt(III) chloride monohydrate], make some observations about what they see, and provide a list of questions that they would like answered. Students usually note that there are atoms/ions that are "floating" and are seemingly unattached to anything else in the structure.

A cobalt hydroformylation catalyst tribute to Malcolm Green

Submitted by Chip Nataro / Lafayette College on Mon, 07/27/2020 - 20:00
Description

In this paper (Llewellyn, Green and Cowley, Dalton Trans. 2006, 4164-4168) the synthesis and characterization of two cobalt compounds with an N-heterocyclic carbene ligand (IMes) are reported. the first, [Co(CO)3(IMes)Me] was prepared by the reaction of [Co(CO)3(PPh3)Me] with IMes. The second compound, [Co(CO)3(IMes)COMe] is formed by the addition of Co to the first.

Blomstrand, Jørgensen, and Werner

Submitted by Brad Wile / Ohio Northern University on Fri, 07/10/2020 - 11:05
Description

This is a short set of slides I use to introduce aspects of coordination chemistry for my foundation level inorganic chemistry class. 

Demonstration of Hard-Soft Acid-Base Theory: An Ion-Exchanger for Recovery of Rare Earth Metals

Submitted by Gary L. Guillet / Georgia Southern University Armstrong Campus on Wed, 07/08/2020 - 08:19
Description

The article from The Journal of the American Chemical Society by M. Kanatzidis et al describes a new ion-exchange material (FJSM-SnS) that shows high selectivity for rare-earth metals (REE) and very fast adsorption kinetics.  A number of techniques are used to characterize the properties of the compound that students may not be very familiar with but the article presents in an accessible way.

A copper "Click" catalyst for the synthesis of 1,2,3-triazoles

Submitted by Chip Nataro / Lafayette College on Wed, 06/10/2020 - 11:40
Description

This paper (Gayen, F.R.; Ali, A.A.; Bora, D.; Roy, S.; Saha, S.; Saikia, L.; Goswamee, R.L. and Saha, B. Dalton Trans. 2020, 49, 6578) describes the synthesis, characterization and catalytic activity of a copper complex with a ferrocene-containing Schiff base ligand. The article is relatively short but packed with information. However, many of the details that are assumed knowledge in the article make for wonderful questions some of which I hope I have captured.

Literature Discussion for Oscillating Stereocontrol: A Strategy for the Synthesis of Thermoplastic Elastomeric Polypropylene

Submitted by Shirley Lin / United States Naval Academy on Mon, 05/18/2020 - 15:25
Description

This literature discussion focuses upon the Science article by Coates and Waymouth reporting the synthesis of thermoplastic elastomeric polypropylene by an unbridged zirconocene. This article was the basis for the work done for my PhD thesis in the Waymouth group. The LO was written in May 2020 in honor of Bob Waymouth's 60th birthday. See the BITeS post announcing the LO here. 

Handling Air Sensitive Reagents and Working with a Schlenk Line (the COVID19 version)

Submitted by Lori Watson / Earlham College on Thu, 03/26/2020 - 13:18
Description

One of the features of the laboratory associated with my Inorganic chemistry course is learning to do some air sensitive chemistry using Schlenk lines (and sometimes gloveboxes).  Of course, COVID19 is keeping us out of the lab this year!  This is a collection of short web based resources (text and video) detailing begining use of a Schlenk line, something about drying and degassing solvents, and transferring liquids to a reaction flask.  It is accompanied by questions I am having students answer as part of the alternate lab I am creating in place of our usual organometallic lab experiemnt.

Ferrocene acylation - The Covid-19 Version

Submitted by Chip Nataro / Lafayette College on Sat, 03/21/2020 - 12:56
Description

This is the classic Chromatography of Ferrocene Derivatives experiment from "Synthesis and Technique in Inorganic Chemistry" 3rd Ed. (1986 pp 157-168) by R. J. Angelici.

Job's Method - The Covid-19 Version

Submitted by Chip Nataro / Lafayette College on Thu, 03/19/2020 - 23:03
Description

This is the classic Job's Method experiment from "Synthesis and Technique in Inorganic Chemistry" 2nd Ed. (1977 or 1986 pp 108-114) by R. J. Angelici. There are slight changes from the experiment published in the book but they just include running solutions with ethylenediamine mole fractions of 0.67 and 0.75, so details will not be provided. What is provided are a series of pictures and videos showing the experiment being performed. Also included are the raw files of the absorbance spectra in EXCEL.

Online Seminar Talks

Submitted by Amanda Reig / Ursinus College on Thu, 03/19/2020 - 22:55
Description

In an attempt to find a substitute for our chemistry seminar program, I have found a number of YouTube videos of chemists giving seminar lectures, mostly between 2017-2020. The topics span a range of chemistry disciplines, and are all around 1 hour in length (typical seminar length).  I have not watched them, so I cannot vouch for video quality. Feel free to add additional links in the comments below if you know of or find any great talks.

We will ask students to select and watch a certain number of lectures from the list and then write and submit a one-page summary of the talk.

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