Department of Chemistry
Oregon State University



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Syllabus


CH 411/511. INORGANIC CHEMISTRY

Fundamental principles of inorganic chemistry including atomic structure, bonding models for molecules and solids, symmetry, acid/base chemistry, oxidation-reduction, and metal-ligand complexes.

 

Prereqs  One year of general chemistry. College-level physics is recommended.

 

Credits   CH411 is 3 credits; CH511 is 4 credits. There are 3 hours of lecture per week.

 

Course content

The class text is Shriver, Atkins Inorganic Chemistry 5/e. Topics covered are indicated in the table below.

 

Topic

Text Chapter

Introduction

 

Atomic Structure: Atomic orbitals, periodicity

    1

Molecular Structure and Bonding: VSEPR, MO theory

    2

Intro to Solids: Lattice geometries, common structures, lattice energies, Born-Haber, thermodynamic effects, band structures

    3

Acids and Bases: Aqueous solutions, Lewis model, acid/base strengths

    4

Oxidation and Reduction: Half reactions, Latimer, Frost, and Pourbaix diagrams, Nernst relations

    5

Symmetry: Symmetry elements and operations, point groups, character tables, symmetry applications

    6

Coordination Compounds: Structures of complexes, nomenclature, crystal and ligand field theories

    7

    20.1, 20.2

Characterization Methods: XRD, NMR, EPR, MS

    8

Periodicity: Review of trends

    9

Hydrogen: Preparation, uses, compounds, H-bonding

    10

 

Evaluation of Student Performance

Course grades in CH411 will be based on 2 midterms (100 pts each) and a final exam (200 pts) For CH511, problems sets (100 pts total) will also count towards the course grade. For CH411, the problem sets are optional and will be scored as extra credit. Since the performance expectations for CH 411 and CH 511 differ, grades will be determined on separate curves.

 

Learning Resources

·       Inorganic Chemistry 5/e (Shriver and Atkins)  ISBN 1-4292-1820-7 (Required)

·       Solutions Manual to accompany Shriver & Atkins’ Inorganic Chemistry 5/e (Hagerman, Schnabel, Ramanujachary)  ISBN 1-4292-5255-3 (Optional)

·       Problem Sets, practice exams, lecture notes, assigned exercises and problems in the text: These will be provided on the class website

·       There may be other assigned or suggested readings; these will be provided when needed.

 

Statement Regarding Students with Disabilities

Accommodations are collaborative efforts between students, faculty and Disability Access Services (DAS). Students with accommodations approved through DAS are responsible for contacting the faculty member in charge of the course prior to or during the first week of the term to discuss accommodations. Students who believe they are eligible for accommodations but who have not yet obtained approval through DAS should contact DAS immediately at 737-4098.

 

Link to Statement of Expectations for Student Conduct

http://oregonstate.edu/admin/stucon/achon.htm

 

Measurable Student Learning Outcomes

The course is designed to for students to analyze and integrate concepts relevant to inorganic chemistry (these are described in detail below) that are required to understand, read, write, and to perform research in inorganic chemistry.

 

CH411:

Chapter 1

·       Determine exactly the energies of hydrogenic species, and determine relative energies of non-hydrogenic species using effective nuclear charges; give the electronic configuration of any atom or ion.

·       Describe the radial and angular distribution of atomic orbitals.

·       Understand the definitions and methods of obtaining atomic radii, ionization enthalpies, electron affinities, electronegativities, and polarizabilities, and explain the periodic trends of these atomic properties.

Chapter 2

·       Write a Lewis structure for any molecule, including resonance forms, and assign formal charges and oxidation states.

·       Explain qualitatively the relation between bond order, strength, and length, and their trends in the p-block.

·       Determine molecular geometries using VSEPR, including deviations from ideal geometries and relate orbital hybridization to common molecular geometries.

·       Generate MO diagrams, symmetry labels, and electron configurations for any  diatomic molecule, and describe bonding and spectroscopic properties.

·       Write qualitative LCAO’s for simple polyatomic molecules; explain and use correlation (Walsh) diagrams for polyatomic molecules.

 Chapter 3

·       Describe close-packed lattice in terms of A, B, and C hexagonal layers and describe the location, size, and concentration of Oh and Td voids in close packed lattices.

·       Sketch and explain common metal and alloy structure types.

·       Qualitatively indicate the relation between atomic radii and coordination number.

·       Sketch, describe, and relate geometric relations for common ionic lattices, including rocksalt, rutile, spahlerite, wurtzite, fluorite, NiAs, CsCl, and perovskite.

·       Define lattice enthalpy, and calculate using the Born-Meyer or Kapustinskii equations.

·       Use the Born-Haber approach to estimate reaction enthalpies. Include entropic effects to predict reaction free energies.

·       Discuss trends for thermal stabilities and solubilities using Born-Haber analysis.

·       Draw and interpret simple DOS diagrams. Define and identify Fermi level, metals, insulators, instrinsic and extrinsic semiconductors. Relate the Arrhenius relation to electronic conduction in semiconductors.  

Chapter 4

·       Define Bronsted-Lowry acidity; identify B-L acids/bases and discuss the true nature of the acidic species (proton, hydronium, more complex) in aqueous solutions.

·       Define, determine, and use Ka, Kb, Kw and pK values and list common strong and weak acids and bases.

·       Explain solvent leveling and provide significant examples.

·       Write equations and that generate polyoxoions and explain structures; use Pauling’s rules to estimate Ka’s for oxoacids.

·       Use periodic and oxidation state trends to classify acidity or basicity of oxides.

·       Define Lewis acidity, identify Lewis acids and bases and provide and explain examples of Lewis acid/base reactions for p-block elements.

·       List common hard or soft Lewis acids/bases; provide and explain consequences of Lewis hard/soft reactions, use Drago-Wayland parameters to predict Lewis reactions and solvation.

 Chapter 5

·       Explain the use and significance of redox half-reactions. Determine potentials using a Latimer diagram.

·       Add together half-reactions potentials and use the Nernst relation to determine the effect of pH on reaction potentials.

·       Use Frost diagrams to predict disproportionation, comproportionation, oxidant/reductant strengths, and thermodynamic stabilities in aqueous solution.

·       Use Pourbaix diagrams to identify stable species, and predict acid/base and redox reactions.

·       Describe and provide examples of ligand effects on the stability of complexes.

·       Interpret an Ellingham diagram to explain the reduction of metal ores.

 Chapter 6

·       Identify point symmetry operations and point groups and use symmetry rules to determine polarity, chirality, and ligand equivalence.

·       Use character tables to generate orbital symmetry labels and predict spectroscopically-active vibrational modes.

 Chapter 7, 20

·       Give examples or identify complexes with coordination numbers 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 and list common ligands.

·       Name and give formulas for transition metal complexes according to IUPAC rules.

·       Describe in detail the splitting of d-orbitals in Td, Oh, and square planar molecules using crystal field, ligand field, and MO models.

 Chapter 8

·       Describe qualitatively several techniques used to characterize inorganic compounds, including XRD, UV-Vis, IR and Raman, NMR and EPR, XPS, GC-MS, and thermal methods.

·       Interpret and predict NMR spectra for inorganic compounds.

 Chapter 10

·       Describe the production and important uses of H2.

·       Give examples of the structures or chemistry of molecular hydrides, saline hydrides and metallic hydrides.

·       Explain hydrogen bonding and give important examples and consequences.

 

CH511:

 

All of the above, plus:

·       Explain and relate original research literature to the fundamental models used to describe inorganic structures and chemistry.

·       Synthesize the fundamental models used to describe inorganic compounds to explain or predict specific inorganic structures or reactions.

 

 

 

 

Last Updated: 09/21/2011