Assignments

Assignments

Assignments will not be graded. However, assignments will be given out regularly and some class time will be used to go over these problems. Short model answers will be posted on this page. Students who do not attempt the assignments will inevitably find the midterm and final exams difficult.

Problem set 1 ()
- Model answers ()
Problem set 2 ()

Model answers ()

Problem set 3 ()

Model answers ()

Problem set 4 ()

Model answers ()

Problem set 5 ()

Model answers ()

Problem set 6 ()

Model answers ()

Problem set 7 ()

Model answers ()

Problem set 8 ()

Model answers ()

Problem set 9 ()

Model answers ()

Problem set 10 ()

Model answers ()

2004 final exam

4 questions from the 2004 exam that have relevance for you may be found here (). There were two other questions; one examined Special Topic H (not examinable this year), the other Special Topic G (changed this year to heterogeneous catalysis from homogeneous catalysis). The exam was 3 hours long and 100 marks (the 2006 exam will be the same).

Note that this year I intend to examine the final part of the course in a fashion similar to the midterms (about 1/3 of the marks). The remaining 2/3 of the exam will cover the entire course, and require you to answer more general questions, similar to the type shown below in Q1 and Q5.

Class Presentations

All presentations will be held in class, and will be for five minutes plus a brief discussion time. You will be expected to choose a recent article in the popular science press (e.g. C&EN, New Scientist, Scientific American, Chemistry World) about one of the heavy metals studied in this course and explain the chemistry behind the story.

Example plan of attack:
Go to C&EN
Search for “cerium"
Select “Probing oxygen vacancies on ceria"

Email me with suggestion(s) for possible articles; include the URLs in your email. I will select one I think to be appropriate (or not already taken!). Once an article has been approved, you should go and track down the original article [in this case, it was Science 2005, 309, 752]. Follow the literature as far as you need to get a full understanding of the material covered; use textbooks to ensure you have the basics covered. Write a one page summary of the article; this will be handed in to me at the latest the day before your talk. A second page may be used for your references if necessary. The presentation will be 5 minutes long (followed by questions) and held on April 4, 5 and 7. The presentation is worth 10% of your final grade, and both the summary sheet and the presentation itself will be graded.

How will the presentation be graded? Good topic selection is key: a genuinely interesting and relevant article will make it easy for you to deliver an engaging presentation. Being able to explain what it is about the properties of the metal you have chosen that make it crucial to the particular application you are describing is important. Additionally, all of the aspects that make up a quality lecture - e.g. clarity of explanation, interest, style, delivery, ability to answer questions fluently - will be judged.

Note that I plan to ask at least one question in the final exam based on one of the presentations (count yourself lucky if it is yours; the selection will be random), to encourage attendance on days that you are not presenting...

Below is a table showing the slots already taken and those still available (these will be filled in reverse order, so getting in quick is a smart move). If you are yet to choose a topic please ensure your subject does not overlap with one already taken; thank you.

Date	Slot	Student	Topic
Tuesday April 4	1	S. Querengesser	Chemists force platinum partnership
	2	S. McKinnon	A highly unsaturated Pt/Re cluster
	3	L. Botelho	Lanthanoids set shining example
	4	J. Thomson	Alcohols oxidized without solvent
	5	D. Chisholm	MRI agent developed for angiogenesis
	6	J. Zhang	Planar gold nanoparticle clusters as microscale mirrors
	7	E. Leitao	Focus on palladium’s hydrogen storage potential
Wednesday April 5	1	P. Zhang	Catalytic reduction of dinitrogen
	2	J. Zou	Enantioselective reduction of imines
	3	R. Ching	Hot electrons from catalysis
	4	A. Zentner	Artificial cells allow ion entry
	5	P. Evans	Pyridines yield to Diels-Alder
	6	O. Thomas	Gold catalyst for fuel cells
	7	A. Bergsma	Catalytic converters disperse their metals
Friday April 7	1	O. Sarycheva	Designing for shape
	2	H. Thorup	Superconductivity by design?
	3	S. Bennett	A bright future for photodynamic therapy?
	4	M. Henderson	Antimony–tungsten triple bond
	5	J. Adams	Nitrogen fixation using tantalum oxide catalysts
	6	K. Giesbrecht	Electrochromic films advance display technology

Term Papers

Graduate (525) students only will have the option of submitting a term paper instead of sitting the final exam. The term paper can be on any topic related to heavy transition metal, lanthanide or actinide chemistry subject to approval of the instructor. The paper should present a survey of the topic with appropriate background and provide a thorough discussion of current research trends in this area. The paper should be 20-25 pages in length and include figures and appropriate literature references. All papers must be typewritten.

Graduates should come and discuss possible term paper topics with me early in the spring term. The deadline for choosing a topic is February 3. Anyone not picking a topic by this date will be assumed to be taking the final exam instead (you can pick a topic but opt later to take the final exam instead).