CH2IN1: Further Inorganic Chemistry

Module code: CH2IN1

Module provider: Chemistry; School of Chemistry, Food and Pharmacy

Credits: 20

Level: Level 2 (Intermediate)

When you'll be taught: Semester 1

Module convenor: Professor Anthony Powell, email: a.v.powell@reading.ac.uk

Pre-requisite module(s): BEFORE TAKING THIS MODULE YOU MUST TAKE CH1IN1 OR TAKE CH1IN4 (Compulsory)

Co-requisite module(s):

Pre-requisite or Co-requisite module(s):

Module(s) excluded:

Placement information: NA

Academic year: 2024/5

Available to visiting students: Yes

Talis reading list: Yes

Last updated: 21 May 2024

Overview

Module aims and purpose

The aim of this module is to further students’ understanding of key aspects of inorganic chemistry. The module will introduce core aspects of transition-metal chemistry, including crystal-field theory and its application to the understanding of spectroscopic and magnetic properties of inorganic complexes. The chemistry of the first-row transition series will be compared and contrasted with that of the second- and third-row transition series elements. Trends in the inorganic and organometallic chemistry of the main-group Groups 13-16 will be discussed and illustrated by examples. Students will be introduced to the ideas and concepts of symmetry and taught how it can be applied to understanding and interpreting vibrational spectroscopic data of inorganic species.

Module learning outcomes

By the end of the module, it is expected that students will be able to:

1. Critically analyse numerical and other problems and appreciate the strengths and weaknesses of molecular orbital and crystal-field approaches to the bonding in inorganic complexes.
2. Recognise and identify symmetry elements and operations in molecules and use this information to predict vibrational spectroscopic activity.
3. Understand and predict trends in the chemical behaviour of the transition-series elements and be able to compare the chemistry of these elements with that of the main-group elements.

Module content

Symmetry (5 lectures + 1 workshop + 1 revision workshop)

Symmetry elements and operations. Point groups. Character tables: characters, representations, reduction formula, irreducible representations, symmetry species. Chirality. Molecular vibrations: vibrational representations, assignments, spectroscopic activity.

Crystal Field Theory, Spectroscopic and Magnetic properties of Transition-Metal Complexes (7 lectures + 1 workshop + 1 revision workshop)

The crystal-field model. Crystal-field stabilisation energy in octahedral and tetrahedral complexes. Derivation of splitting diagrams for some other geometries. The Jahn-Teller effect. UV-vis spectroscopy, term symbols, Orgel and Tanabe-Sugano diagrams. Magnetic properties of complexes.

Coordination chemistry of d-block elements (13 lectures + 2 workshops+ 1 revision workshop)

Development of a molecular-orbital approach to sigma-bonding in transition-metal complexes; comparisons and analogies with crystal-field theory. Ligand-metal pi-interactions in octahedral transition-metal complexes; sigma and pi type ligands. Hard and soft metals and ligands. Electron counting and the 18-electron rule. Synergic bonding and effect on structure. Ligand displacement reactions in coordination complexes. The trans influence and trans effect. Comparison of first row with second and third row behaviour; the effect of the lanthanide contraction. Multiple metal-metal bonding. Redox diagrams.

Main Group Chemistry (5 lectures + 1 workshop + 1 revision workshop)

Chemistry of Groups 13-16 and Group 18; trends in properties. Introduction to main group organometallic chemistry: illustration of relevant examples; bonding and structure. Borane clusters and Wade’s rules.

Structure

Teaching and learning methods

Module content will be delivered through in-person lectures. Each of the four module topics will be accompanied by at least one formative workshop (compulsory) to practice and reinforce the material covered in the lectures. In addition, a problem-based tutorial sheet, covering all topics in the course, will be issued during the second half of the semester. This tutorial will be summative. Students will submit written answers, which will be marked. The marks will contribute to the overall module mark. Feedback on the marked work will be provided to small groups of students through a tutorial (compulsory) during week 11 of the semester. There will be a total of 4 hours of revision workshops towards the end of the semester in preparation for the written examination.

Study hours

At least 30 hours of scheduled teaching and learning activities will be delivered in person, with the remaining hours for scheduled and self-scheduled teaching and learning activities delivered either in person or online. You will receive further details about how these hours will be delivered before the start of the module.

Please note the independent study hours above are notional numbers of hours; each student will approach studying in different ways. We would advise you to reflect on your learning and the number of hours you are allocating to these tasks.

Semester 1 The hours in this column may include hours during the Christmas holiday period.

Semester 2 The hours in this column may include hours during the Easter holiday period.

Summer The hours in this column will take place during the summer holidays and may be at the start and/or end of the module.

Assessment

Requirements for a pass

Students need to achieve an overall module mark of 40% to pass this module.

Summative assessment

Penalties for late submission of summative assessment

The Support Centres will apply the following penalties for work submitted late:

Assessments with numerical marks

• where the piece of work is submitted after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): 10% of the total marks available for that piece of work will be deducted from the mark for each working day (or part thereof) following the deadline up to a total of three working days;
• the mark awarded due to the imposition of the penalty shall not fall below the threshold pass mark, namely 40% in the case of modules at Levels 4-6 (i.e. undergraduate modules for Parts 1-3) and 50% in the case of Level 7 modules offered as part of an Integrated Masters or taught postgraduate degree programme;
• where the piece of work is awarded a mark below the threshold pass mark prior to any penalty being imposed, and is submitted up to three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline), no penalty shall be imposed;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): a mark of zero will be recorded.

Assessments marked Pass/Fail

• where the piece of work is submitted within three working days of the deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): no penalty will be applied;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): a grade of Fail will be awarded.

The University policy statement on penalties for late submission can be found at: https://www.reading.ac.uk/cqsd/-/media/project/functions/cqsd/documents/qap/penaltiesforlatesubmission.pdf

You are strongly advised to ensure that coursework is submitted by the relevant deadline. You should note that it is advisable to submit work in an unfinished state rather than to fail to submit any work.

Formative assessment

Formative assessment is any task or activity which creates feedback (or feedforward) for you about your learning, but which does not contribute towards your overall module mark.

Students will receive feedback on their work during the workshop sessions.

Reassessment

Additional costs