CHEM 334: ADVANCED INORGANIC CHEMISTRY
Spring 2012
Prof. Margret J. Geselbracht
309 Chemistry, ext. 7865
Office Hours: Mondays 2–4 PM
mgeselbr@reed.edu
LECTURE/CONFERENCE: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 2:40–4:00 PM, Psychology 103
TEXTS AND COURSE MATERIALS:
1. Molecular Symmetry and Group Theory, Robert L. Carter
2 copies on reserve in the library, we will use this book right away
2. An Inorganic Chemistry textbook to refer to (Miessler & Tarr or Housecroft & Sharpe)
2 copies of each on reserve in the library
3. Solids and Surfaces: A Chemist's View of Bonding in Extended Structures, R. Hoffmann
2 copies on reserve in the library, 2 copies in stacks, we will use after Spring Break
4. Chem 334 Moodle containing electronic copies of course documents, links to journal
articles and other course resources, and cool molecular structures!
OVERALL VIEW OF ADVANCED I-CHEM:
Inorganic Chemistry addresses some of the most pressing challenges of our time. Whether the
problem involves making new materials to harness solar energy, drawing inspiration from nature
to convert methane to methanol, or developing metal-based pharmaceuticals and catalysts,
inorganic chemistry is fundamental to the solutions. In this course, you will continue developing
the skills and tools needed to understand the bonding, properties, and reactivity of inorganic
molecules and extended solids and the modern techniques used to characterize them. We will
draw inspiration from the current literature and devote class time to discussing current research
in order to learn what the big questions are in inorganic chemistry and what motivates leading
researchers in this field.
COURSE LEARNING GOALS: By the end of Chem 334, you should be able to:
• Apply tools from symmetry and group theory to solve problems involving vibrational
spectroscopy and molecular orbital theory
• Describe the frontier orbitals for a variety of common ligands (X–, NR3, PR3, H2, N2, CO,
alkenes, arenes, etc.) and their interactions with a given MLn fragment to derive and use
MO diagrams
• Use MO theory to rationalize the structure, bonding, and spectroscopic and magnetic
properties of transition metal complexes including those with metal-metal bonding
• Count to 18, describe the difference between X and L, and explain the use and limitations
of the 18 electron rule
• Understand the extension of MO theory to band structure and derive useful information
from an E vs. k (spaghetti) and/or density of states diagram that connects with properties
• Explain the use of various spectroscopies, X-ray crystallography, magnetic studies,
thermal analysis, and electrochemistry to characterize inorganic compounds
• Describe research themes from various subdisciplines of inorganic chemistry (solid state
and materials chemistry, nanoscience, coordination chemistry, organometallic,
bioinorganic, f-block chemistry) that relate to the scientific challenges we face today
In addition to these content-specific goals, you should also be able to:
• Choose an article from the inorganic chemistry primary literature and summarize the
purpose of the research, explain one or more techniques used, and the conclusions
• Create and deliver oral presentations to share scientific knowledge with peers
COURSE FORMAT:
While some amount of lecturing is effective, nobody enjoys 80-minute lectures! The first few
classes, we will soldier through in order to cover content efficiently. But in most classes, I will try
to include an active-learning component: group problem-solving activities or conference-style
discussions of readings from the inorganic literature to break up the class. This puts the
responsibility on you to come to class prepared, i.e. do the reading or assigned homework!
Early on in the semester, you will have weekly problem sets to practice applying the new tools
that you will be learning. To prepare for our discussions of readings from the literature, you will
be asked to complete short written assignments, responding to questions designed to guide
your reading of a paper. I plan to assign a longer computational project involving Spartan
around Spring Break. Throughout the semester you will be working in teams of 2-3 to read,
understand, and prepare brief PowerPoint presentations for your peers on a recent paper
directed at addressing a major scientific challenge of our time.
COURSE EXPECTATIONS AND EVALUATION:
I am mindful of the fact that this is a 0.5 unit course and will plan assignments accordingly. Your
performance in this class will be evaluated based on:
(1) Engagement and class participation
(2) Problem sets and other written assignments
(3) The Great Computational Challenge
(4) Oral presentations
(5) Take-home midterm exam (due on March 9, 2012)
(5) Final exam – the ACS Exam in Inorganic Chemistry (taken during Finals Week)
WHAT DO I NEED TO REMEMBER FROM CHEM 212?
I have compiled a set of review questions that provide a comprehensive overview of what I
expect that you will know from your Chem 212 experience. Consider these as the starting point
for the various topics we will discuss this semester. I will not collect these review problems or
grade them, but I strongly suggest that you work through the problems within the first 2 weeks of
the course. Consult your textbook where necessary, write out your answers, and check the
solutions once I post them on the Moodle. I am happy to talk through any of these problems if
you need help tweaking your memory.
A General Course Outline:
This may be an overly ambitious schedule before spring break, but it provides a rough idea of
the order in which I hope to cover various topics and the associated readings in Carter. How
slowly we proceed also will depend on how many papers from the literature we stop and read
along the way.
After spring break, our timing is a bit more flexible and depends on what happens during the first
8 weeks. We will not have class on Tuesday, March 27, 2012, as I will be at the Spring National
Meeting of the American Chemical Society.
WEEK 1. REVIEWING SYMMETRY AND ACQUIRING BASIC TOOLS OF GROUP THEORY
Carter, Chapter 1 – Fundamental Concepts
Carter, Chapter 2 – Representations of Groups
Carter, Chapter 3 – Techniques and Relationships for Chemical Applications
WEEK 2. VIBRATIONAL SPECTROSCOPY OF INORGANIC MOLECULES
Carter, Chapter 6 – Vibrational Spectroscopy
WEEK 3. METALS IN BIOLOGICAL SYSTEMS: WHO, HOW, AND WHY?
Introduction to bioinorganic chemistry, model complexes vs. metalloproteins
Case study: NO binding at heme and non-heme Fe centers (Nicolai Lehnert’s visit)
Vibrational spectroscopies, electrochemistry, EPR spectroscopy
WEEK 4. MOLECULAR ORBITAL THEORY OF MAIN GROUP MOLECULES
Carter, Chapter 4 – Symmetry and Chemical Bonding
Expanded octets? Walsh diagrams, new frontiers in main group chemistry
WEEK 5. BONDING INTERACTIONS IN TRANSITION METAL COMPLEXES
Carter, Chapter 7 – Transition Metal Complexes
Ligand Field Theory, Spectroscopy and magnetism in full glory
Exploring geometric preferences: tetrahedral, square planar, trigonal bipyramidal, etc.
WEEK 6. ORGANOMETALLIC CHEMISTRY
Counting to 18: It’s tricky!
Unique ligands: H2, N2, O2, NO, alkenes, arenes
Case study: Catalysis (the little o – big M view)
WEEK 7. METAL-METAL INTERACTIONS
Metal-metal bonds: triple, quadruple, quintuple?
How do we determine bond order? What constitutes a multiple bond?
SPRING BREAK
WEEK 8. SYMMETRY OF EXTENDED SOLIDS
Space groups
Introduction to crystallography
Case study: Applications of X-ray and neutron diffraction
WEEKS 9–11. BONDING IN EXTENDED SOLIDS: BAND THEORY
Hoffmann: Solids and Surfaces
WEEKS 12–13. STUDENT PRESENTATIONS
Readings from the literature