This work outlines the inadequacies of the "ions in a sea of electrons" model. Some general properties of metals are stated. A different "soft/flexible" sphere model is described. The benefits of using this other model to account for metallic properties are discussed. Equations based on the soft sphere model are used to…

An integrated pair of experiments has been developed to introduce undergraduate students to the ways in which electrochemistry can complement conventional synthetic chemistry involving redox reactions. Students first use cyclic voltammetry and linear scan voltammetry to characterize and quantify the products of the reaction between…

Electronic spectra often exhibit vibronic structure when vibrational and electronic transitions occur in concert. Theory reveals (1) that orbital symmetry considerations determine specific roles played by the nuclear degrees of freedom and (2) that the vibrational excitation is often highly regiospecific, that is, attributable to an identifiable…

The Covalent Bond Classification (CBC) method provides a means to classify covalent molecules according to the number and types of bonds that surround an atom of interest. This approach is based on an elementary molecular orbital analysis of the bonding involving the central atom (M), with the various interactions being classified according to the…

Undergraduate laboratories rarely involve lanthanide coordination chemistry. This is unfortunate in light of the ease with which many of these complexes are made and the interesting and instructive photophysical properties they entail. The forbidden nature of the 4f transitions associated with the lanthanides is overcome by incorporation of…