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CHEM 4510
Course Title:
Chemistry of Materials
This course will be an elective for the Minor in Chemistry, and will eventually be an elective or
required upper-level division course for the Major in Chemistry as that is developed. As we
already offer the 2000-level year-long series of Organic Chemistry, there will be a number of
students well-prepared to take this class to complete requirements for the Minor and Major in
Chemistry.
1. Understand inter- and intramolecular chemical bonding in bulk systems
2. Assign symmetry elements to molecules and determine symmetry point groups
3. Predict local and extended network structures in solids, liquids, and glasses
4. Use structural information to predict properties of bulk systems
6. Understand emerging properties from atomic to nano to bulk systems
7. Predict and determine optical, electronic and magnetic properties of materials
8. Learn techniques for structural and property determination
9. Conceptualize relationships between natural, anthropogenic, and biological materials
Structures of Materials
1. Hard materials: crystalline solids - ionic, covalent, metallic
3-D structures, polymorphism, determination (XRD)
nanoscale effects and materials
phase diagrams, transformations
2. Soft materials
Polymers, liquids, glasses, liquid crystals, gels
ordering, self-assembly
Properties of Materials
1. Mechanical and thermal properties
stress, strain, deformation
thermal properties
B. Electrical properties
MO  band theory
Applications of conductors, semiconductors, devices
C. Optical properties
Absorption, emission
Lasers, quantum confined materials, LEDs, solar cells, non-linear optical,
D. Magnetic Properties
hard, soft, magnetic domains, applications
Assessment will include individual and group assignments (25% of total grade), exams (25% of
total grade), a final exam (20% of total grade), participation in class discussions (10%), and a
report/proposal based current topics and reports in the scientific literature (20%).
Introduction to Materials Chemistry, Harry R. Allcock (ISBN-13: 978-0470293331)
Wiley; 1st edition (September 9, 2008)
Areas in bold are required.