With an increased focus on integrated upper-level laboratories, we present an experiment integrating concepts from inorganic, biological, and physical chemistry content areas. Students investigate the effects of ligand strength on the spectroscopic properties of the heme center in myoglobin using UV-vis, [superscript 1]H NMR, and EPR…

This article describes a novel experiment focused on metal ion hydrolysis and the equilibria related to metal ions in aqueous systems. Using [superscript 27]Al NMR, the students become familiar with NMR spectroscopy as a quantitative analytical tool for the determination of aluminum by preparing a standard calibration curve using standard aluminum…

A two-week laboratory experiment for students in advanced inorganic chemistry is described. Students prepare and characterize a cobalt(III) complex coordinated by a thioether ligand during the first week of the experiment and then study the kinetics of Co-S bond cleavage in basic solution during the second week. The synthetic portion of the…

The experiment described here for advanced inorganic chemistry undergraduate students includes a solvolysis reaction of [CoCl(NH[subscript 3])[subscript 5]][superscript 2+] in nonaqueous (H[subscript 3]PO[subscript 4]) medium, followed by an alternative way of using ion-exchange chromatography based on the capability of changing the charges of the…

The photochemical synthesis and subsequent ligand exchange reactions of Ru(CO)[subscript 4] (eta[superscript2]-alkene) compounds has provided a novel experiment for upper-level inorganic chemistry laboratory courses. The experiment is designed to provide a system in which the changing electronic properties of the alkene ligands could be easily…

The connectivity of a hexane-soluble silver salt is established by using NMR spectroscopy to describe the synthesis, characterization and reactivity of the salt. The results found hexane-soluble silver to be an effective transfer agent.

A project which exposes students to biologically important transition-metal chemistry is illustrated by taking an example of the iron-carbonyl compound, [mu]-(1,3-Propanedithiolaro)-hexa-carbonyldiiron as a structural model for an iron-only hydro-genase. The project provides the students with experience of Schlenk line techniques, purification,…

An experiment is designed where students will be using both gold and silver nanoparticles to study the enhancement factors of organic molecules adsorbed to the surface of the nanoparticles during or after synthesis by using surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS). The experiment has helped students learn about the theory and experimental…

The series of experiments proposed for advanced undergraduate students deal with both standard organometallic preparative methods in dry anaerobic conditions and with a kinetic study of the mechanisms operating in the substitution of square-planar complexes. The preparation of organometallic compounds is carried out by transmetallation or…

A simple and cost-effective experiment for the development and characterization of semiconductors using Uv-vis spectroscopy is described. The study shows that the optical properties of ZnO films can be easily modified by forming Zn[subscript 1-x] Co[subscript x]O solid solutions via spray pyrolysis.

The three step synthesis is presented to allow the functionalization of an aromatic amine by forming new C-C and C-N bonds via an intramolecular C-H activation under mild conditions. The reactions are stoichiometric and allow the students to isolate the different organometallic intermediates.

A simple procedure to quickly screen different consumer products for the presence of lead, cadmium, and other metals is described. This screening technique avoids expending a lot of preparation time on samples known to contain low levels of hazardous metals where only samples testing positive for the desired elements need to be analyzed…

A three-week laboratory project involving synthesis and characterization of a layered manganese oxide provides an excellent vehicle for teaching important concepts of inorganic chemistry and instrumental methods related to non-molecular systems. Na-birnessite is an easily prepared manganese oxide with a 7 A interlayer spacing and Na[superscript +]…

Most inorganic chemistry textbooks present the determination of spectroscopic terms obtained from a given electronic configuration by a method which requires explicitly writing down all microstates. A method is provided and discussed in which tabulating all possible microstates is not required. (JN)

The catechol dioxygenases are bacterial iron-containing enzymes that catalyze the oxidative cleavage of catechols. These enzymes serve as a component of nature's mechanisms for degrading aromatic compounds in the environment. The structure and mechanistic aspects of these enzymes are described. (JN)