Course Summary:
This course gives in-depth experience with synthetic methods, especially airfree techniques to handle air-sensitive compounds, and with analytical tools such as IR, UV-vis, NMR, magnetic susceptibility, X-ray crystallography, and differential scanning calorimetry. Advanced topics in coordination chemistry such as catalysis, bioinorganic chemistry, inorganic spectroscopy, and materials chemistry. Lab reports are expected to be more professional than in previous courses, and involve significant library work. Logic, brevity, and careful analysis in scientific writing are developed. Students enrolled in CHM 234W also re-write two reports to improve writing skills. The laboratory experiments require good time-management skills and handling of sensitive chemicals.

Course Topics:

1. Ferrofluids and quantitative determination of iron content.
2. Ruthenium-catalyzed alkene metathesis; catalytic reactions and column chromatography.
3. Polymerization of alkenes; materials properties and analysis of stereoselectivity.
4. Synthesis, spectroscopy, and magnetism of nickel complexes.
5. Synthesis of air-sensitive copper complexes; bioinorganic chemistry of O₂.
6. Space group symmetry and X-ray crystallography

Required Text:
Literature resources located in the Carlson Library.