Inorganic Chemistry IV

Course Overview

In this class, students will build on the basic knowledge of typical elements learned in Inorganic Chemistry I and II and learn more detailed chemistry. We aim for a different type of comprehension of the main group elements (including elements from families 1, 2, and 13 to 18).

Students who gain credit from this course will have learned about:

1. Basic reactions and properties of elements organized into families of elements on the periodic table.
2. Molecular orbitals of some small molecules and their energy levels
3. Reactivity of small molecules based on their electronic structures

Key Features

Is Inorganic Chemistry boring?

Lectures on inorganic chemistry usually include detailed discussions about the specific properties of each element without any categorization of them into groups. Many elements are introduced, confusing students and later they unable to use their knowledge.

To avoid this type of problem, my class attempts to avoid the teaching style where a vast amount of information is dropped on the student, and I'm doing everything I can to offer a systematic explanation based on the electronic structure of the elements. I will also discuss my failures in the lab due to my own lack of knowledge of inorganic chemistry and stress how inorganic chemistry can advance their own experiments in the lab in the near future.

Speaking of manufacturing and chemistry, in the field of petrochemistry organic chemistry might come to mind first, but inorganic chemistry also plays a vital role. In this course I attempt to transmit the fascination and importance of inorganic chemistry along with how inorganic chemistry will affect both the current world and the near future, as much as time allows.

Course Contents

Session	Contents
1	Metal element or non-metal element?
2 – 4	family elements : hydrogen and alkaline metals family elements : alkaline earth metals
5 – 6	13th family elements : particularly boron and aluminum
7 – 9	14th family elements : particularly carbon and silicone
10 – 12	15th family : particularly nitrogen and phosphorus
13 – 14	16th family : particularly oxygen and sulfur
15	17th family : chemistry of halogen
16	18th family : particularly xenon

Quizzes will be given every fifth lecture.

Textbooks

Housecroft & Sharpe, Inorganic Chemistry 3rd Ed. Pearson (Eng. ver.) Tokyo Kagaku Dojin (Jpn. ver.)

Reference materials

None

Related courses

Inorganic Chemistry I and II

Course Requisites

None

Grading

• Quizzes (30%), final exam (70%)
• Students who do not take the final exam: No record
• Students who do not have a combined score of 60% or higher on the quizzes and final exams: F

About Withdrawing from the class

Students can withdraw from the course according to the regulation rules.

Students from other departments

Students from other departments may audit.

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