CHEMISTRY OF TRANSITION ELEMENTS AND LABORATORY - MOD.2

The course falls within the compulsive training activities characterizing the Master Study Programme in Chemistry and Sustainable Technologies, which allow the student to deal with a chemical problem in its various articulations and with consistent use of the current technical-scientific language. The specific training objective of the course is to provide advanced knowledge of inorganic chemistry, in particular regarding the determining aspects of structure, spectroscopic properties, magnetism and reactivity of the coordination and organometallic compounds of transition elements. The course aims to develop skills that allow students to design and implement the synthesis of a coordination compound having specific physical-chemical properties.

1. Knowledge and understanding.
I) Knowing the metal-ligand interactions and understanding the influence of the ligands on the electronic structure of the metal centres.
II) Knowing the relationships between the electronic structure of the metal centres and the geometry of the coordination compounds.
III) Understanding the relationships between complex structure and spectroscopic and magnetic properties.
IV) Understanding the reactivity of the transition elements as a function of the electronic structure and of the coordination sphere.
2. Ability to apply knowledge and understanding.
I) Being able to use the concepts learned to foresee and logically interpret the chemical-physical properties of a complex.
II) Being able to propose coherent and feasible syntheses of coordination and organometallic compounds.
3. Ability to judge
I) Being able to evaluate the effects induced by changes in the electronic configuration of metal centres and in the coordination sphere.
II) Being able to recognize the basic elements determining the stability of a complex, so as to recognize similarities and differences between coordination compounds.
4. Communication skills
I) Being able to use the appropriate scientific-technical terminology and symbols to discuss the course contents.
II) Being able to interact constructively with the teacher and with the other students.
5. Learning skills
I) Being able to synthesize in an autonomous way the salient aspects of the concepts expressed in class.
II) Being able to make logical connections between the topics of the course.
III) Being able to apply the theoretical concepts learned in the inorganic synthesis laboratory.

The prerequisite is to have achieved the training objectives of the General Chemistry and Inorganic Chemistry courses provided in the three-year degree courses in Chemistry. It is necessary for the student to know the basic concepts concerning atomistic and chemical bonding. The student must also be familiar with the chemistry of the main groups elements and with the basic organic chemistry. Finally, the student must possess basic knowledge of spectroscopy typical of the three-year degree courses in Chemistry.

In relation to the training objectives and expected learning outcomes, shown in the relevant sections, the contents of the course can be divided as follows:
I) CFT (Crystal Field Theory) theory, crystal field stabilization energy (CFSE) and Jahn-Teller effect.
II) Magnetism of the compounds of the block d. Paramagnetism, ferromagnetism, ferrimagnetism, antiferromagnetism.
III) d-d transitions. Spectroscopic terms and Tanabe-Sugano diagrams.
IV) Theory of molecular orbitals applied to coordination compounds (ligand field theory). Comparison between CFT and MO methods. Sigma and Pi interactions. Metallocenes.
V) Metal-metal bonds.
VI) HSAB theory (hard and soft acids and basis).
VII) Substitution reactions. Associative, dissociative and interchange mechanisms. Trans effect. CFAE (crystal field activation energy).
VIII) Electronic transfer reactions. Outer sphere mechanism and Marcus theory. Inner sphere mechanism and Taube reaction.
IX) Mixed valence compounds.
X) Coordination and organometallic chemistry of group 10 elements (Ni, Pd, Pt). Oxidation states, coordination geometry, ligands, reactivity, applications.
XI) Coordination and organometallic chemistry of group 11 elements (Cu, Ag, Au). Oxidation states, coordination geometry, ligands, reactivity, applications.
XII) Laboratory: Synthesis and characterization of coordination and organometallic compounds in relation to the theoretical contents of the course. Conductimetry, spectroscopic (IR, UV-VIS, PL, NMR) and magnetic characterization of transition metal complexes.

For the study and the deepening of the theory:
I) F. A. Cotton, G. Wilkinson, C. A. Murillo, M. Bohmann, Advanced Inorganic Chemistry, 6th ed .; Wiley-Interscience, 1999.
II) J. Ribas Gispert, Coordination Chemistry; Wiley-VCH, 2008.
III) C. E. Housecroft, A. G. Sharpe, Inorganic Chemistry; 4th ed., Pearson, 2012.
IV) Lecture and laboratory notes and additional teaching materials available at https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0B6EkDs_UUlhBbjVNNkI5MVNqYkE?usp=sharing

The assessment of learning takes place through an oral test, which consists of a series of questions to which the student must respond by demonstrating to know and be able to expose the topics of the entire program (see the content section) with correct language and use of scientific chemistry symbols. The oral exam lasts from 30 minutes to 45 minutes depending upon the clarity and consistency of the answers to the questions asked. There are at least three questions, the first of which concerns laboratory work.The exam sessions may be extended beyond the expiration of the session in case of high student numbers.

Teaching is organized in lectures including examples. The laboratory proposes experiences of synthesis and characterization closely linked to the contents delivered frontally. In Google Drive, educational material concerning lectures and laboratory is available and downloadable. The partecipation to al least 80% of the laboratory activites is compulsory.

Italian

Accessibility, Disability and Inclusion
Accommodation and support services for students with disabilities and students with specific learning impairments: Ca’ Foscari abides by Italian Law (Law 17/1999; Law 170/2010) regarding support services and accommodation available to students with disabilities. This includes students with mobility, visual, hearing and other disabilities (Law 17/1999), and specific learning impairments (Law 170/2010). In the case of disability or impairment that requires accommodations (i.e., alternate testing, readers, note takers or interpreters) please contact the Disability and Accessibility Offices in Student Services: disabilita@unive.it.

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