9452131 Myers 31The project will develop a novel approach to the upper-level undergraduate inorganic chemistry laboratory which successfully integrates both the techniques and methodologies of scientific research into the course. Further, the diversity of inorganic chemistry, from molecular substances to structurally extended materials, will be presented within the context of a single, coherent laboratory course. This approach is already under way, and student experience to date has run the gamut from photochemical preparation and characterization of an organometallic complex to the preparation and ion exchange of a zeolite. Four new initiatives are incorporated into the proposal: 1) use of a diode array kinetic spectrophotometer in the study of reaction kinetics and mechanisms, 2) electrochemical characterization and preparation techniques (e.g. cyclic voltammetry and bulk electrolysis), 3) preparation and manipulation of air sensitive complexes by Schlenk techniques, and 4) use and maintenance of inert atmosphere enclosures. In addition, desktop computers will be employed for calculating X-ray powder diffraction patterns and for free energy minimization calculations to predict optimum reaction conditions.
