The course objective is to deepen some notions acquired in the General Chemistry course and provide students with the knowledge of the physical principles and basic concepts about the chemistry of transition metals with particular attention to the nature of chemical bond and to the electronic and steric properties of coordination compounds. In laboratory activities, students will also acquire practical knowledge on reactivity and on some spectroscopic properties (IR and UV-Vis) of these species.
Course Prerequisites
The knowledge acquired in the courses of General Chemistry and Physical Chemistry 1 are essential in order to follow profitably this teaching. In order to take the exam of Inorganic Chemistry students must have passed the General Chemistry exams.
Teaching Methods
Classroom lectures will be given with the aid of PowerPoint presentations. Lab experimental activities will involve the use of small scientific instrumentation.
Assessment Methods
Written test on Part II and III (symmetry and metal-ligand bond) of the course. Final oral exam also on topics covered in the laboratory activities (involving the drafting of a report to be delivered a few days before the oral exam). Admission to the oral exam is subject to passing the written test. The final grade will also take into account the result obtained in the written test.
Contents
Part I (12 hours): The structure of the atomic nucleus. Nuclear stability and modes of radioactive decay. Natural radioactive series. The origin of the elements. Part II (22 hours): Symmetry and molecular structure. Molecular orbitals of simple polyatomic molecules: the SALC-AO method. Walsh diagrams. Part III (22 hours) Bonding in metals: band theory. Alloys. Block d transition metals. Oxidation states. Latimer, Frost and Pourbaix diagrams. Coordination compounds Ligands typology. Structure, symmetry and stability of coordination compounds. Pearson Hard/Soft theory. Metal-ligand interaction: crystal field theory. Splitting of d orbitals in octahedral and tetrahedral fields. Splitting in other geometries. Spectrochemical series. Jahn-Teller effect. Molecular orbital theory: Ligand Group Orbitals. Sigma and pi interactions. Backbonding. Electron counting. The 18 electrons rule. Carbonyl and phosphine compounds. Ligand substitution reactions in octahedral and square planar complexes. Lab experiences (24 hours) provide experimental applications of topics seen in class.
More information
Office Hours Every day, from 10 to 12 and from 14 to 17.
