This learning object focuses on fundamental concepts of organometallic chemistry. I use an article published in the Journal of Chemical Education (Jensen, W.B. "The Origin of the 18-Electron Rule," J. Chem. Educ.
This presentation provides an inorganic chemist's perspective on metals used to make organ pipes and their corrosion and conservation. The slides highlight my own research in this area as well as work being done by other scientists around the world. The purpose of this learning object is to show students an application of inorganic chemistry that they probably have not encountered before and show an example of how analytical methods of materials chemistry can be used in conservation science.
This is a short presentation on cyclic voltammetry. It is covers the basics and some simple electrode mechanisms. There is room for improvement (especially in my art) and suggestions are welcome.
Early in 2009, Christopher Cummins’ group at MIT reported (in Science) the synthesis of AsP3, a compound that had never been isolated at room temperature. Later that year, a full article was published in JACS comparing the properties and reactivity of AsP3 to those of its molecular cousins, P4 and As4. The longer article is full of possibilities for discussion in inorganic chemistry courses, with topics including periodic trends, NMR, vibrational spectroscopy, electrochemistry, molecular orbital theory, and coordination chemistry.
In the two years since this article was published, it has jump-started a large amount of research in the area of cobalt-based catalysts for solar water splitting. The paper describes the electrochemical synthesis and oxygen-evolution capabilities of a Co-phosphate catalyst under very mild conditions. The paper can stimulate discussion of many topics found in the inorganic curriculum, including electrochemistry, semiconductor chemistry, transition metal ion complex kinetic trends, and solid state and electrochemical characterization techniques.
This communication from the Journal of the American Chemical Society (J. Am. Chem. Soc.
Biological Inorganic Chemistry: Structure & Reactivity edited by Bertini, Gray, Stiefel, and Valentine was published by University Science Books (copyright 2007). It is a detailed text divided into 2 parts. Part A gives "Overviews of Biological Inorganic Chemistry" while Part B goes into more specifics of "Metal Ion Containing Biological Systems." Several prominent bioinorganic chemists have contributed chapters to the book in their various areas of expertise.
The advanced inorganic chemistry course is completed by all chemistry majors at Wabash College during the fall of their senior year. The capstone character of the course provides an excellent opportunity for utilizing an investigator model of laboratory learning. Student teams are responsible for the preparation of a formal, National Science Foundation (NSF) styled proposal stating the goals, context, experimental timetable, safety considerations, and budget for the execution of an original laboratory project.