Howard
Payne Course Numbers
Inorganic Chemistry: CHE 4381
No Laboratory is associated with this course
Where organic chemistry focuses on the element carbon, inorganic chemistry focuses on the rest of the periodic table.
Chemistry 4381 is the one semester course in Inorganic Chemistry—the study of the structures, properties and reactions of all elements and their compounds with the exception of the hydrocarbons and their derivatives. The main purpose is to introduce students to the diversity and practical impact of inorganic chemistry. Inorganic chemistry is essential to improving such things as semiconductors, optics, superconductors, ceramics, pharmaceuticals and building materials such as high rise office buildings, spaceships and even thumbtacks. Students will be provided with an introduction to synthesis, reactions, structures and explanations thereof. However the student will learn that advancement comes from recognizing new and/or unexpected results and using these results in new applications.
The main emphasis of this course is on molecular orbital theory and band theory. Most of the experiences of the student thus far in their career has been on solution chemistry both in the General Chemistry and the Organic Chemistry classes. Most of the molecular theories covered in the lower division classes formally only apply to the gas phase, but can be applied to liquids and solutions with little error, not so with the solid state! In graduate school, one of the major criticisms of undergraduate programs is that solid state chemistry is virtually ignored. This course has been designed to address this issue.
Topics Covered
Current Theory on the Origin of the Elements
Qualitative Construction of Homonuclear and Heteronuclear Diatomic Molecular orbitals as well as Polynuclear Molecular Orbitals using symmetry arguments from Lewis structures and Molecular shapes learned in General Chemistry and Group Theory.
Band Theory
Unit Cells and Packing Structures
Acids and Bases, Models: Arrhenius, Bronsted, Lewis, Hard-Soft, MO.
Oxidation/Reduction
IR and Raman Spectroscopy and Group Theory.
Coordination Chemistry and Nomenclature. Chirality
d-Block Metals
Occurrence in Nature (Oxides, Sulfides, Carbonates), Stability of Oxidation States, Metal to Metal Bonding, Quadruple bonding and d-bonds.
Crystal Field Theory, LSFE, Octahedral Complexes. Tetrahedral Complexes, Square Planar Complexes
Ligand Field Theory, p-donor and p-acceptor ligands
Term Symbols and Tanabe-Sugano Diagrams, Charge Transfer Bands, Selection Rules
Ligand Substitution Reactions
Redox Reactions
Inner-sphere and Outer-sphere Reaction Mechanisms
Organometallic Chemistry
Electron Counting and Stability of Complexes, Hapticity, Arenes, Carbonyl Complexes, Carbenes Metallocenes, Oxidative Addition, Reductive Eliminations and Related Reactions, Catalytic Cycles: Hydrogenation, Hydroformylation, Palladium Catalyzed Carbon-Carbon Bond Formation (Heck Reaction), Hydrocarbon Cracking With Zeolites, Alkene Polymerization