66922 - Coordination Chemistry with Laboratory

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course, the student has acquired knowledge on the chemistry of coordination compounds and their properties as well as the principal laboratory methodologies for the synthesis and characterisation of coordination compounds.

Course contents

Prerequisites:  the student attending this course needs to have the basic concepts of general and inorganic chemistry as well as stoichiometry. The student needs to have knowledge and experimental skills on the procedures to be adopted in a chemistry laboratory. A general chemistry course is required to attend this course.

Attendance to laboratory experiments (2CFU) is mandatory.

Program

Coordination compounds: mono- and polydentate ligands, macrocyclic ligands; coordination sphere; coordination number (factors which determine it) and corresponding geometry of the compound; isomerism and chirality; nomenclature. Synthesis and stability (chelate and template effect), coordination equilibria and diagram of species distribution.

Crystal Field Theory (CFT) for an octahedral, tetrahedral and square planar ligand field. Factors which determine the d orbital separation, spectrochemical series, stabilization energy. Interpretation according to CFT theory of: absorption spectra, magnetic properties (paramagnetic, diamagnetic, ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic compounds), and periodic properties (crystal energy, ion dimension for octahedral complexes, hydration energy). Jahn-Teller effect: tetragonal distorsion of Cu(II) complex, splitting of absorption bands. Pros and Cons of CFT theory.

Molecular Orbital Theory (MOT): criteria for orbital combination. Sigma and pi interactions. Rationalization of the spectrochemical series. Classification of electronic transitions and their principal properties (energy, intensity and shape).

Reactions of coordination compounds: (a) ligand substitution by associative, dissociative, or interchange mechanism and definition of labile and inert compounds; (b) rearrangement; (c) reaction on the coordinated ligands; (d) electron transfer processes with brief discussion of the Marcus theory.

Brief discussions on most recent applications of coordination compounds in the fields of medicine and nanotechnology.

Organometallic compounds: definition and exceptions to the definition. 18-electron rule. Synergic bond: donation and retrodonation. Examples of the main classes of compounds.

Laboratory experimental work involving: (a) synthesis of gold nanoparticles and transition metal complexes; (b) analysis of the chemical-physical properties (by IR, UV/VIS spectroscopy, magnetic susceptibility  by Evans balance) and reactivity of the previously synthesized complexes.

Readings/Bibliography

Lecture notes on the teacher web site

G. Rayner-Canham, T. Overton, Chimica inorganica descrittiva, Edises Ed., ISBN:8879599712

F. Neve, Chimica di Coordinazione: dalla teoria alla pratica, Piccin Ed., ISBN: 978-88-299-2324-3

Teaching methods

The course comprises module 1: lectures with slide and video presentation (2 CFU), problem solving at the blackboard on stoichiometry, molecular geometry and isomers (1 CFU). The course comprises also laboratory experiments (2 CFU) and the students will be divided in two groups, corresponding two modules 2 (Prof. Paola Ceroni) and 3 (Prof. Andrea Fermi).

To facilitate the preparation for the exam, the regular attendance to classes is of utmost importance.

Attendance of laboratory activities is mandatory.

The laboratory part  consists of experiments of ca. 4 hours per each laboratory day, in which the student will learn the principal synthetic procedure and characterization techniques of coordination compounds.  The students must write a brief report at the end of each laboratory experiment. The reports have to be uploaded on-line within the deadline reported on-line and communicated by the professor.

All students must attend Module 1, 2 [https://www.unibo.it/en/services-and-opportunities/health-and-assistance/health-and-safety/online-course-on-health-and-safety-in-study-and-internship-areas] online, while Module 3 on health and safety is in class. Information about Module 3 attendance schedule is available on the website of your degree programme.

Assessment methods

The course assessment i composed by a written test and an oral examination. Evaluation of the work in the laboratory and the corresponding on-line tests and laboratory reports (grades reported on-line for each student) will be taken into account for the final grade.

The written test concerns the theory module (4CFU) and the oral exam deals with the laboratory module (2CFU): the grade is the weighted average on the number of CFUs.

The student has one hour time to solve the written test, without the help of notes and books. The student can use a scientific calculator, as well as the periodic table that is given to each student together with the written test.

The written test is composed by 8-10 questions about numerical excercises and open questions on the course program.

The final grade is calculated as the sum of the grades of each question and the maximum grade is 32, which corresponds to 30 cum laude; a score of at least 18 in the written test is required to pass the exam.

The written test is valid for 1 year.

The examination can be undertaken only by students who had already passed the examination of Fondamenti di Chimica con laboratorio (I year).

Teaching tools

Video projector and blackboard for lectures.

On-line tests will be prepared for each laboratory experiment in order to test the knowledge of the student on the laboratory safety rules and on the most important and most critical procedures of each experiment.

In the laboratory the prepared species are characterized by means of FT-IR, UV, VIS spectroscopy, magnetic susceptibility measurements, and conventional analytical techniques.

Office hours

See the website of Paola Ceroni

See the website of Andrea Fermi