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.
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.
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.
I feel like I've shared this resource before but I couldn't find it so maybe it will stick this time :)
This is a good resource created by "Dr. Andryj Borys, a main-group chemist, phosphorus fanatic and Schlenk line enthusiast." He is currently a postdoc in Canada, headed back to Europe in 2020 (supposedly..)
this resource describes the use of a Schlenk line in quite a bit of detail, with a variety of standard applications (cannula transfer, sealing NMR tubes).
The migratory insertion reaction is one of the "four" main reactions in organometallic chemistry. It involves the formation of an acyl group by insertion of a CO molecule into a metal alkyl bond. The reaction is sometimes called the carbonyl insertion reaction because the product appears to be a result of direct insertion of the CO into the metal alkyl, but that name implies a mechanistic pathway that may not be in operation.
The synthesis of (arene)Cr(CO)3 and (arene)Mo(CO)3 complexes are fairly standard experiments in the organometallic curriculum. I present here some student data and experimental descriptions of real procedures carried out at Harvey Mudd College over the previous two to three years. The word document has the answers in it so it is posted under "faculty resources" but the raw data (pdf or png form) is presented for those who need data to support their distance learning classrooms in the Spring of 2020.
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.
Inorganic chemistry interfaces and overlaps with the other areas of chemistry. Inorganic chemists synthesize molecules of academic and commercial interest, measure properties such as magnetism and unpaired electron spin with sophisticated instruments, study metal ion uptake in living cells, and prepare new materials like photovoltaics. Inorganic chemistry is a diverse field, and we will only be able to touch on some of the chemistry of the 118 elements that currently reside in the periodic table.
The UV-vis spectra of porphyrins are among the most recognizable spectra in the chemical literature, but the electronic transitions that lead to the observed specta are not as well known. This presentation provides an introduction to the structure and numbering of porphyrins and the origin of the bands observed in the near UV and visible region, based on the work done by Martin Gouterman beginning in the late 1950's.
This experiment was developed for an upper division Instrumental Analysis course to give students additional experience with infrared (IR) spectroscopy beyond the routine functional group identification encountered in undergraduate Organic Chemistry courses. It shares some aspects with the analysis of gas phase rovibrational spectra typically performed in Physical Chemistry courses, but places a greater emphasis on more practical considerations including data acquisition (using ATR) and interpretation.