KEY CONCEPTS IN INORGANIC CHEMISTRY ATOMIC THEORIES AND THE PERIODIC TABLE
• Understand the principles of atomic structure and quantisation.
• Know the quantum numbers n, l, ml, ms and how they relate to orbitals and the periodic table.
• Be able to use Hund’s Rule, Aufbau and Pauli exclusion principle to predict electron configurations.
• Be able to draw the shapes of the s, p and d atomic orbitals.
Be able to explain and apply general periodic trends,
• size of atoms (decrease left to right, increase top to bottom).
• ionization potentials (generally increase left to right, decrease top to bottom)
• electronegativities (increase left to right, decrease top to bottom).
• oxidation state.
Be able to:
• Apply the 18 electron rule and use it to predict bonding and reactivity of organometallic complexes.
• Calculate oxidation state and recognise the range of oxidation for elements in the periodic table.
• Appreciate common oxidation states.
• Calculate dn configuration and recognise connection with oxidation state.
• Appreciate the valency of an element and the variability possible for a particular element.
BONDING
• Describe the 4 basic types of bonding: ionic, covalent, metallic and dative.
• Describe the factors that influence the type, strength and properties of such bonds.
• Draw diagrams to show how to combine atomic orbitals to give molecular orbitals (σ, σ*, π, π*, δ).
• Use molecular orbital diagrams to calculate bond order.
• Know what is meant by highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) and lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) and the importance of these orbitals in bonding.
• Recognise that multi-centre, multi-electron bonding, e.g. in diborane, can occur.
• Know the common types of ligand and describe them in terms of their denticity.
• Describe the chelate and macrocyclic effect and understand their origin.
• Understand the terms constitutional- and stereo-isomerism in four- and six-coordinate complexes and be able to draw these isomers.
CRYSTAL FIELD AND LIGAND FIELD THEORIES
• Be able to draw the orbital splitting diagrams for octahedral, tetrahedral and square planar geometries
• Know the Jahn-Teller theorem.
Use ligand field theory to:
• Explain and predict magnetic properties of transition metal complexes.
• Calculate spin only magnetic moments
• Explain and predict spectroscopic properties of transition metal complexes.
Know the selection rules for electronic spectroscopy of transition metal complexes.
Be able to calculate crystal field stabilization energies (CFSE) for transition metal complexes.
• Know the factors that influence CFSE (oxidation state, 3d-4d-5d, ligand types).
• Apply this knowledge to predict the geometry of a complex
• Apply this knowledge to predict whether a complex is high or low spin.
Be able to use HSAB theory and to identify hard/soft metals and donor atoms.
State the trans-effect and understand its origin.
SHAPE AND STRUCTURE
• Know the possible geometries of coordination compounds
• Use VSEPR theory to predict the shapes of main group molecules and ions and understand when to apply it.
• Describe the impact of the Jahn Teller Effect on molecular geometries.
Be able to identify the following common solid state structures:-
• Cubic close packed (ccp)
• Hexagonal close packed (hcp)
• Sodium chloride
• Caesium chloride
Be able to relate solid state structures to the following molecular properties:-
• Electrical conductivity
• Thermal conductivity
• Hardness
REACTIONS
Be able to recognise and employ the following important organometallic reaction steps:
ligand dissociation, ligand association, oxidative addition, reductive elimination, migratory insertion, beta-elimination, alpha-elimination and salt elimination.
KINETICS AND MECHANISM
Experimental methods for the determination of reaction rates
• Appreciation of different kinetic techniques for fast and slow reactions
Deduction of rate laws and rate constants by manipulation of basic kinetic data
• How to determine order of a reaction
• How to determine the rate constant from concentration-time data
• How to determine the mechanism from rate constant/concentration data
How rate constants vary with temperature (Arrhenius equation) and pressure
• Appreciate the relationship between kinetic information and thermodynamic information
• The difference between K (thermodynamic) and k (kinetic)
SYMMETRY AND SPECTROSCOPY
Elements of symmetry
• Recognise mirror planes, rotation axes and centres of symmetry in molecules.
Molecular point groups
• Use the flow sheet to determine the point group symmetry of a molecule.
Inorganic NMR spectroscopy
• Recognise that the number of chemical shifts (δ’s) equates with the number of chemical environments of the atom in a molecule.
• Appreciate how the multiplicities, given by Pascal’s triangle, and magnitude of coupling constants gives information on neighbouring atoms.
• How satellites are accounted for when non-100% spin ½ nuclei are present.
• Appreciate the effect and value of decoupling experiments.
• Appreciate that NMR spectra can be affected by motion (exchange) in a molecule.
