Formal NSF Styled Proposal Writing in Preparation for Original Multi-Week Laboratory Projects

Submitted by Lon Porter / Wabash College on Sat, 07/17/2010 - 13:23
Description

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.

Organometallics and Named Reactions

Submitted by Laurel Goj Habgood / Rollins College on Sun, 07/11/2010 - 18:38
Description
A list of named reactions involving transition metal-complexes is provided to the class and the students present a brief overview of each which includes the original paper and a current application.

Descriptive Chemistry Wikipedia project

Submitted by Lori Watson / Earlham College on Mon, 06/21/2010 - 16:11
Description

Students select, research, and then post an article on an inorganic compound to Wikipedia. The compounds are chosen from a list of “stubs” (short articles that need to be expanded) found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Inorganic_compound_stubs and might include such items as the synthesis, processes of isolation, structure, interesting facts about the compound in history, and/or an application of the compound.

Google Docs for Summer Research

Submitted by Hilary Eppley / DePauw University on Thu, 06/10/2010 - 08:51
Description

I am using Google Docs in my research lab for a variety of purposes, and I thought it might be helpful to share how I am using them. Google docs allows simulataneous editing by multiple people, and everyone needs a Google ID to do that.   My research group and I are using one document to write up research results in paper format, one document to keep track of weekly goals, one document for general instrumentation and experimental technique trouble-shooting, and one to keep track of any work that occurs after hours when I am not around.   

The Chemmies: A Descriptive Chemistry Audio/Video Research Project

Submitted by Neal Yakelis / Pacific Lutheran University on Mon, 03/29/2010 - 01:31
Description

This project was initiated as a way to enhance the descriptive inorganic chemistry unit presented in our General Chemistry II curriculum.  As the time available in the term prohibited the amount of lecture time needed to cover this vast array of material, the idea of a research project allowed for students to investigate an inorganic chemistry topic of keen interest to them over the course of the semester.  A previous term's attempt using a research paper project was quite unpopular, so the idea of a multimedia presentation was devised as an alternative to achieve similar learning goals.  S

Periodic Table of Haiku

Submitted by Adam Johnson / Harvey Mudd College on Thu, 03/18/2010 - 16:45
Description

This is a great website that was forwarded to me by a friend.  Broaden students' scientific communication skills by condensing the descriptive chemistry of an element down to a haiku.

Energy Nuggets: Wise Energy Use – The Challenge of Nitrogen Fixation

Submitted by Maggie Geselbracht / Reed College on Tue, 06/16/2009 - 01:33
Description
This literature discussion activity is one of a series of “Energy Nuggets,” small curricular units designed to illustrate: The Role of Inorganic Chemistry in the Global Challenge for Clean Energy Production, Storage, and Use.

Catalytic cycles and artistry: Chalk Drawing 101

Submitted by Adam Johnson / Harvey Mudd College on Wed, 04/15/2009 - 14:19
Description

This is how I always end my organometallics unit in my advanced inorganic chemistry class.  The students have already learned electron counting, the major reaction types (oxidative addition (OA), reductive elimination (RE), 1,1- and 1,2-insertion, β­-hydrogen elimination, and [2+2] cycloadditi­ons), and have gone through naming elementary steps in class for some classic catalytic cycles (hydrogenation with Wilkinson's catalyst and the Monsanto acetic acid process).

Contemporary Inorganic Chemists

Submitted by Betsy Jamieson / Smith College on Tue, 01/13/2009 - 11:59
Description
This is an assignment I use to give students a sense of what kinds of problems real life, contemporary inorganic chemists work on.  I start out by having them find 2 contemporary inorganic chemists.  They give a 15-20 min presentation on their two chemists that gives a general overview of their research projects.  Once everyone has done their general presentation, I have students choose a specific journal article by one of their chemists to present in class.  I usually have this assignment run throughout the semester, with the general presentations taking place in the first half of the semeste

House: Inorganic Chemistry

Submitted by Adam Johnson / Harvey Mudd College on Mon, 01/12/2009 - 15:35
Description

House (Inorganic chemistry):  The book is divided into 5 parts:  first, an introductory section on atomic structure, symmetry, and bonding; second, ionic bonding and solids; third, acids, bases and nonaqueous solvents; fourth, descriptive chemistry; and fifth, coordination chemistry.  The first three sections are short, 2-4 chapters each, while the descriptive section (five chapters) and coordination chemistry section (seven chapters covering ligand field theory, spectroscopy, synthesis and reaction chemistry, organometallics, and bioinorganic chemistry.) are longer.  Each chapter includes

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