CHEM 310

Week 1

5-Sep-19

Welcome to CHEM 310! Complete reading assignments for the term (with tentative coverage dates), week 1 lecture notes (Scope of and basic concepts in transition metal chemistry, as well as CHEM 212 review material covering symmetry, group theory, and MO theory), and course syllabus posted.

8-Sep-19

To celebrate the 150th anniversary of the periodic table, Bloomberg Businessweek has devoted their entire 2 Sep 2019 issue to the topic. The issue includes a clickable periodic table with entertaining and/or informative commentaries on specific elements.

Chemical and Engineering News, the weekly trade magazine of the American Chemical Society, also presented a clickable periodic table in the 19 Oct 2009 issue, with each element associated with an essay by an expert in that element.

10-Sep-19

Partial notes for weeks 2-3 (electronic structure: crystal and ligand field theories) posted. These notes are currently incomplete and will be finalized over the course of this coming week.

11-Sep-19

Complete notes for weeks 2-3 (Electronic structure: crystal and ligand field theories) posted. Also, notes for week 1 (Scope and basic concepts) have been updated to remove misplaced text on p. 8.

Week 2

12-Sep-19

Weeks 2-3 course notes (Electronic structure: crystal and ligand field theories) updated to include definition of CFSE and LFSE on pp 10-11.

17-Sep-19

Problem set 1 (due Tue, 24 Sep) posted. The course textbook has only limited information on crystal / ligand field theory; for a more detailed treatment of CFT and LFT, consult Huheey, Keiter, and Keiter, Inorganic Chemistry, 4th Ed., pp. 394-413, which is available on reserve in Davis Library.

18-Sep-19

Week 3 course notes (Electronic structure: molecular orbital theory) posted. Also, problem set 1 updated to clarify question 1(b) and correct slide number references in questions 5 and 6.

18-Sep-19

TA office hours are held in a (noisy) laboratory setting (C2 381), so please knock LOUDLY on the lab door to get Max's attention.

Week 3

23-Sep-19

Week 3 course notes (Electronic structure: molecular orbital theory) updated (2 slides on ligand types added)

25-Sep-19

Week 3 course notes (Electronic structure: molecular orbital theory) updated (3 more slides added).

Week 4

30-Sep-19

Week 4 course notes (Electronic structure: angular overlap model) and problem set 1 answer key posted. Marked problem sets can be retrieved at tutorial tomorrow or directly from Max.

2-Oct-19

Week 3 course notes (Electronic structure: molecular orbital theory) updated (1 slide added). New course notes (Magnetochemistry) posted. Due to a change in lecture topic scheduling, the next problem set will be posted on Thu, 3-Oct.

Week 5

4-Oct-19

Problem set 2 (due Fri, 11 Oct) posted. The assignment due date has been extended because of the late posting; the problem set can also be submitted in class on Thu, 10 Oct.

5-Oct-19

Problem set 2 updated to fix problem numbering.

7-Oct-19

Are you interested in paid undergraduate research opportunities at other Canadian universities? The Inorganic Chemistry Exchange program may be for you! Consult the linked flyer for further details.

Week 6

10-Oct-19

Angular overlap lecture notes updated (Jahn-Teller distortion slides added) and week 6 lecture notes (terms and states) posted.

13-Oct-19

Problem set 3 (due Tue, 22 Oct) posted.

17-Oct-19

Answer key for problem set 2 posted.

22-Oct-19

Terms and states lecture notes updated and week 7 lecture notes (electronic absorption spectroscopy) posted.

22-Oct-19

The midterm exam will be held during class hours this Thu, 24 Oct, from 10-11:20am (80 min total exam time). Students with last names starting with A through M will sit the exam in MC 4040 (the usual class lecture room)); students with last names N through Z will sit the exam in EV3 4412.

The midterm will cover all materials through the last lecture (Thu, 10 Oct) before break week, through the topics of the angular overlap method and Jahn-Teller distortions (lecture notes 5), and Chapters 9 and 10 of the textbook. Bring a pencil or pen; a periodic table, relevant character and AOM tables, and important formulae will be provided, and simple calculators and molecular model kits are permitted.

To assist students with preparation for the upcoming exam, course TA Max Hamilton will hold office hours on Tue, 22 Oct, 3:30-5pm, in C2 381, and Prof. Lee will hold office hours on Wed, 23 Oct, 2-4pm, in C2 382. Both of us are also available by appointment. Because of the exam on Thu, Max's normal office hour is cancelled for this week.

22-Oct-19

Answer key for problem set 3 posted.

23-Oct-19

It has come to our attention that there are errors in the AOM discussion and energy diagrams in MF&T, specifically in the treatment of the ligand-derived bonding MOs (e.g., Figs. 10.21, 10.23, 10.25). The textbook treats all ligand bonding MOs as equivalent and assigns AOM stabilization energies for each by simply reading the values off the table at each ligand position. As we know, this is incorrect for symmetry reasons – six ligands in octahedral symmetry do not give six equivalent bonding MOs, nor can the bonding counterpart to an antibonding orbital level differ in irreducible representation! The approach we used in class and on problem set #3 is symmetry-correct and gives the appropriate energy level diagram, but it necessarily incorporates an understanding of symmetry behavior in addition to the parameterization in the AOM tables. The textbook approach, on the other hand, ignores symmetry; total energies compute correctly because the energy increments are additive, but the specifics of ligand-derived MO energetics are incorrect. For a more detailed discussion of AOM with technical references, see this article from J. Chem. Ed..

Week 7

29-Oct-19

Terms and states notes updated (state properties slide added).

29-Oct-19

Marked midterm exams will be returned and exam answers discussed at tutorial today. Marked exams will also be available for pickup directly from Prof. Lee any time after the tutorial session. The answer key is available from Prof. Lee for viewing, but it may not be removed or copied. If you wish to request a regrade, you must contact Prof. Lee by next Tue (5 Nov). For a re-grade request, attach a sheet noting exactly why you believe there was a grading error; do NOT write on the original exam copy. We reserve the right to review the entire exam if it is submitted for re-grading.

Week 8

5-Nov-19

Notes for weeks 8-9 (ligand substitution) posted.

6-Nov-19

Problem set 4 (due Thu, 14 Nov) posted.

Week 9

11-Nov-19

Problem set 4 has been updated; question 2 has been updated to indicate the permitted use of reference information.

12-Nov-19

Ligand substitution notes updated (kinetic derivations added).

12-Nov-19

Max will hold an office hour instead of tutorial; this office hour will occur at the normally scheduled tutorial time and location. Also, regraded midterms can be picked up from Prof. Lee.

Week 10

14-Nov-19

Course notes for week 10 (electron transfer) posted.

18-Nov-19

Problem set 5 (due Tue, 26 Nov) posted.

19-Nov-19

Course notes for week 11 (organometallic chemistry: ligands) posted. Also, electron transfer notes (tetrapyrrole and inner sphere electron transfer slides added), ligand substitution notes (slide 20, NH3 typo fixed in trans effect ordering), and electronic absorption spectroscopy notes (slide 12, Dq/B horizontal scale typo fixed) updated. Note that the Tanabe-Sugano diagrams can be horizontally scaled in units of Dq/B or Δ/B; check the horizontal axis carefully!

Week 11

21-Nov-19

Ligand notes updated (phosphine and NHC ligand slides added). Also, the original papers describing the discovery and structural assignment of ferrocene have been posted.

25-Nov-19

Final lecture notes (organometallic chemistry: reactivity) posted (incomplete, additional slides will be added prior to final lectures).

25-Nov-19

Answer key for problem set 4 posted.

25-Nov-19

Time will be set aside during Thu lecture (28 Nov) to complete the web-based course evaluation survey for CHEM 310; please bring an internet-capable device (e.g., laptop, tablet, smartphone) to access the survey. Alternatively, you can also complete the survey online any time this week at your convenience. In any case, please fill out the course evaluation if you have not already done so.

27-Nov-19

Problem set 6 (due Tue, 3 Dec) posted. The problem set can be submitted directly to Prof. Lee or TA Max Hamilton.

27-Nov-19

Organometallic reactivity lecture notes updated (typos fixed on slides 1 and 3, additional slides on insertion and elimination reactions added; more slides will be added before next Tue).

Week 12 and Beyond

2-Dec-19

Answer key for problem set 5 posted.

2-Dec-19

Organometallic reactivity lecture notes finalized (slides on metathesis reactions added).

3-Dec-19

Answer key for problem set 5 updated (alternate mechanistic interpretation added for question 6).

7-Dec-19

Answer key for problem set 6 posted. Problem set 5 has been marked and can be retrieved from Max.

9-Dec-19

Supplemental readings - electron transfer: The course textbook provides only a limited discussion of electron transfer (Chapter 12.8). A deeper textbook treatment can be found in Huheey, Keiter, and Keiter (on course reserve), Chapter 13, pp.557-572; for a technically detailed presentation with references, see this article from J. Chem. Ed..

9-Dec-19

The lab notebook page detailing the discovery of the first alkylidene, and the paper that derived from that discovery is posted here.

9-Dec-19

The CHEM 310 final exam will be held on Tue, 17 Dec, 9-11:30am in MC 4045. Bring a pen (or pencil) and a simple calculator; chemical model kits will also be allowed, and relevant reference material (periodic table, character and AOM tables, Tanabe-Sugano diagrams, key formulae) will be provided. No additional materials will be permitted.

The final exam session will use assigned seating. Click here for your seat assignment.

The final exam covers material spanning the entire semester. Approximately one-quarter of the marks are in one section consisting of nine short (single-page) questions on various topics treated over the semester; students will be able to choose any five of those questions to answer for credit, and, if more than five questions are answered, the best five marks will be counted toward the exam grade.

In preparation for the final exam, office hours will be held from the Wed to the Mon preceding the exam, as follows: Max on Wed, 11 Dec, 10am-noon and Thu, 12 Dec, 1-3pm, in C2 381; Prof. Lee on Fri, 13 Dec, 2-4pm, and Mon, 16 Dec, 1-4pm, in C2 382. Both Prof. Lee and Max are also available by appointment outside of these office hours.

9-Dec-19

Answer key for problem set 6 updated (problem 2.a structure clarified).

10-Dec-19

Answer key for problem set 6 updated (problem 5 alkene stability and deuterium scrambling clarified).

11-Dec-19

All problem sets (ps1-6) have been marked and can be retrieved from Max, and unclaimed marked midterms can be retrieved from Prof. Lee. The midterm answer key can be viewed during office hours (Fri, 13 Dec, 2-4pm or Mon, 16 Dec, 1-4pm in C2 382) or by appointment with Prof. Lee.

6-Jan-20

Marked final exams and answer key may be viewed by appointment with Prof. Lee. Marked problem sets and midterms can also be retrieved from Prof. Lee.