Studies in relation to the silver complexes of porphyrins, corroles and carbaporphyrins are presented especially with relation to silver in the oxidation states II and III. It is seen that the Ag(sub III) complex was electrochemically readily and reversibly reduced to the corresponding Ag(sub II) complex, thus indicating that the complex could be…

A facile synthesis of two gold(I) complexes with 1,2-benzenedithiolate ligand and two different bidentate phosphines are described. A detailed sequence of NMR experiments is suggested to determine the structure of the compounds.

The main classes of inorganic compounds is presented to students as a two-dimensional chart and one coordinate of the chart corresponds to the acidic equivalent while the other corresponds to the number of bound water molecules. The chart is intended for those students who can assign a compound to a particular class and can be used at different…

Jmol is free, open source software for interactive molecular visualization. Since it is written in the Java[TM] programming language, it is compatible with all major operating systems and, in the applet form, with most modern web browsers. This article summarizes Jmol development and features that make it a valid and promising replacement for…

A course module in general chemistry focusing on predicting the products of simple inorganic reactions is described. This component of the course is intended to be presented near the end of the last term of the general chemistry sequence and is designed to afford practice in applying the variety of principles encountered throughout the general…

Discusses predicting common oxidation numbers, uncommon oxidation numbers, hydrogen-phosphorus bonds and other examples. (PVD)

Buckminsterfullerene, which is in the shape of a soccer-ball was first discovered in 1985, has many applications as a good lubricant, or as a new superconductor. The synthesis of these inorganic fullerenes involves a great deal of interdisciplinary research between physicists, material scientists, engineers and chemists from various fields.

The student-directed explorations for learning various ligands and their impacts on the field of inorganic chemistry are discussed. Various themes can be adopted by the instructors, like ligand-of-the-week theme, while teaching inorganic chemistry to their students.

Provides a comprehensive overview of the 19 essential trace elements, examining: the concept of essentiality; evolution of these elements; possible future essential elements; the lanthanides and actinides; how essential trace elements work; the metalloenzymes; the nonmetals; iodine and the thyroid hormones; and antagonism among these elements. (JN)

Proposes a simple and general method whereby the lattice energies of lanthanide(II) and (IV) compounds are derived directly from those found experimentally for the corresponding lanthanide(III) compounds. The method is applicable to all lanthanide halides and oxides and involves calculations which can be easily and quickly performed by students.…

The entropy change for a reaction in aqueous solution can be evaluated as a combination of entropy factors. Valuable insight or understanding can be obtained from a detailed examination of these factors. Several entropy effects of inorganic chemical reactions are discussed as examples. (Author/JN)

Bond character is directly conditioned by the peculiar capacity of bonded atoms to exchange electrons; such a capacity is clearly illustrated by electronegativity. The determination of bond character using the electronegativity difference between the bonded atoms is discussed and an equation focusing on relationships between bonds is provided. (JN)

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 chemical mystery with an emphasis on qualitative inorganic analysis, forensic chemistry and medicinal substances is discussed. The mystery is solved by Sherlock Holmes with the help of clues provided.

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 +]…