Syllabus

Course Outline

This course is intended to provide a moderately detailed look at the chemistry of the main group, the 2nd and 3rd row transition metals as well as the lanthanides and the actinides. The main focus will be on the descriptive chemistry of these elements with reference to underlying periodic trends. Special topics will highlight areas of current interest or technological relevance. The course is complementary to 423/523 Organometallic Chemistry, and so a limited amount of such chemistry will be presented.

Grades and Examinations

Letter grades will be derived from the final composite score. Conversion of numerical scores to letter grades will be based on the following approximate scale:

90-100 A+, 85-89 A, 80-84 A-, 75-79 B+, 70-74 B, 65-69 B-, 60-64 C+, 55-59 C, 50-54 D, <50 F

The total percentage mark will be made up as follows:

The midterms are not necessarily the same for 426 and 527 but will be held at the same time (dates are subject to change with due notice). Midterms will be 50 minutes (both will be counted under all circumstances) and final exam 3 hours.

Note that one or more questions in the final exam may be based on material from the presentations.

Suggested Texts

The advice below is relevant for Dr. McIndoe's part of the course only.

• Inorganic Chemistry (Housecroft & Sharpe). Basic coverage of all the topics we cover in the course.
• Inorganic Chemistry (Atkins & Shriver). Similar coverage to the H&S text; not a recommended purchase except perhaps second-hand.
• Advanced Inorganic Chemistry (Cotton & Wilkinson). This classic and rather massive textbook is up to the 6th edition, but the 5th edition is probably the best.
• Chemistry of the Elements (Greenwood & Earnshaw). Another big, comprehensive book - probably the best companion for this course but expensive.
• d- and f-Block Chemistry (Jones). Focuses exclusively on the subject matter for the course and is inexpensive - probably the best value for money if you were to buy a textbook just for this course.
• Two Oxford Chemistry Primers: The Heavier d-Block Metals (Housecroft) and The f Elements (Kaltsoyannis & Scott). You'd need to buy both to completely cover the material in the course.

More basic texts are not very useful. There is no compulsory text for this course, but you should have access to a copy of one of the above texts.

Background reading

Some books that make interesting background reading for this course.

• The Elements: Their origin, abundance and distribution (Cox). An inorganic chemistry text written by a physicist, enormously valuable on the subject of "where did the elements come from?".
• Nature's Building Blocks (Emsley). Lots of interesting facts, authoritative and a good read.
• Uncle Tungsten (Sacks). Autobiographical account of an unusual, chemistry obsessed childhood.
• The Ingredients (Ball). A guided tour of some of the more charismatic elements, including plenty of heavy metals.