INORGANIC CHEMISTRY AND LABORATORY - MOD.2

The Inorganic Chemistry and Laboratory course (Mod.2) is part of the training activities characterizing the three-year degree course in Chemistry and Sustainable Technologies, which allows the student to deal with a chemical problem in its various articulations, and with a coherent use of the current technical-scientific language.
The specific training objective of the course is to provide knowledge of inorganic chemistry related to the Lewis acid and bases, and to the basic concepts useful for the comprehension of the structure of the coordination compounds. Therefore, the course aims on the one hand to complete and integrate some of the basic concepts examined in the General Chemistry course, on the other to offer to the students an overview of the coordination compounds and of the d-block elements from a sustainability perspective. The course also examines the chemistry of the Group 12 elements.
Lastly, the course aim at developing competences that can allow the students to carry out the synthesis and characterization of an inorganic compound with specific physicochemical characteristics.

1. Knowledge and understanding
(I) Knowledge of the coordination bond in terms of Lewis acid-base interactions.
(II) Knowledge of the nomenclature of the coordination compounds.
(III) Knowledge of composition and geometry, isomerism and chirality of the coordination compounds.
(IV) Knowledge of the general trends within the d-block elements.
(V) Knowledge of the chemistry of the Group 12 elements.
(VI) Main methodologies to perform inorganic synthesis experimental activities.
2. Ability to apply knowledge and understanding
(I) Ability to identify the stability of a coordination compound in terms of the HSAB theory.
(II) Ability to interpret the periodic properties of the d-block elements.
(III) Ability to evaluate analogies and differences among the Group 12 elements.
(IV) Ability to carry out the synthesis of compounds characterized by covalent, ionic and coordination bonds.
(V) Ability to draw up an experimental notebook and a consequent elaboration of the results, to be made explicit in a scientific report.
3. Ability to judge
(I) Ability to predict the relative stability within the same class of compounds.
(II) Ability to recognize the sustainability aspects of the chemistry of the Group 12 elements and of selected d-block elements.
(III) Ability to critically evaluate the results obtained during the experimental activities.
4. Communication skills
(I) Ability to communicate the concepts learned and the result of their application using appropriate terminology, both in oral and written forms.
(II) Ability to interact with the teacher and with the classmates in a respectful and constructive way, especially during the experimental work carried out in group.
5. Learning skills
(I) Ability to take notes, select and collect information according to specific importance and priority.
(II) Ability to be sufficiently independent in the collection of experimental data.

To have reached the educational objectives of GENERAL CHEMISTRY, possibly (but not necessarily) having passed the exam. In particular, the student should be able to master the concepts related to atomic theory and molecular structure, acids and bases and redox processes, the principles of thermodynamics and stoichiometric calculation.

In relation to the training objectives and expected learning outcomes, described in the relevant sections, the contents of the course can be divided as follows:
(I) Acid and bases: green solvents, revision and in-depth analysis of Brønsted and Lewis acidity, hard and soft acids and bases (Pearson’s paradigm).
(III) Introduction to the coordination compounds: composition and geometry, isomerism and chirality, main classes of ligands, nomenclature.
(IV) Chemistry of d-block elements: sustainability aspects and general trends. Brief introduction to the electronic structure and properties: focus on the octahedral complexes.
(V) Chemistry of the Group 12 elements with a specific focus on sustainability and technological aspects.
(VI) Laboratory experiences: synthesis of: polysiloxanes, phosphine oxides and phosphine sulfides, polyiodide ions, compounds with boron-nitrogen bonds, octahedral coordination compounds with oxygen and nitrogen donor ligands, in relation to the theoretical contents of the course. Conductimetry and spectroscopic (IR, NMR) characterization of the synthesized compounds. Evaluation of the thermal stability of carbonates.

• Weller M., Overton T., Rourke J., Armstrong F., La Chimica Inorganica di Atkins, Zanichelli editore.
• Atkins P., Overton T., Rourke J., Weller M., Armstrong F., Chimica Inorganica, Zanichelli editore.
• Rayner-Canham G., Overton T., Chimica Inorganica Descrittiva, Edises, 2017.
• Miessler G.L., Tarr D.A., Chimica Inorganica, Piccin, ISBN 978-88-299-2096-9.
• Shriver D.F., Atkins P.W., Inorganic Chemistry (4th or 5th edition), Oxford.
• Cotton F.A., Wilkinson G., Gaus P.L., Basic Inorganic Chemistry, Wiley, ISBN 978-0-471-50532-7.

The assessment method consists of an oral exam that must be passed. Access to the oral exam is only granted after passing the written exam for Module 1 of the course (see Module 1 syllabus). The oral exam must be taken in the same exam session in which the written exam was passed. The overall grade will be the result of the average of the written exam grade and the oral exam grade.

The oral exam consists of a series of questions (3-5) on various aspects of the program outlined in the "Contents" section: students must thus demonstrate their learning of the topics covered in lectures and laboratory experiences, their ability to present them formally, and their ability to develop logical connections between the various sections of the program.
The final grade is assigned based on the following criteria:
Grades 18-22: sufficient knowledge and understanding of the program, limited ability to interpret data and formulate independent judgments. Sufficient communication skills, with the use of specific language in the field of inorganic chemistry.
Grades 23-26: good knowledge and understanding of the program and ability to interpret data and formulate independent judgments. Discrete communication skills, with the use of specific language in the field of inorganic chemistry.
Grades 27-30: very good or excellent knowledge and understanding of the program and ability to interpret data and formulate independent judgments. Very appropriate communication skills, with the use of specific language in the field of inorganic chemistry.
Cum Laude: excellent knowledge and understanding of the program, judgment abilities, and communication skills.
The exam will last approximately 40 minutes.

The laboratory exam consists in the writing of a scientific report on the experimental activity carried out in the laboratory, which must report the description of the experimental approach adopted, the description of the analytical methods used, and the assignment of the structure of the prepared products. In this way, the student's ability to address experimental and practical problems, to correctly process a set of experimental data, and to formally report their work in writing is assessed. The laboratory exam will have a score between 0 and 1 point to be added to the score of the oral exam.
The report must be submitted at the latest one week before the oral exam.

Teaching is organized in:
• frontal lectures that include examples;
• laboratory experiences in which the students perform inorganic synthesis and characterization experiments closely linked to the contents delivered during classes (the participation to at least 75% of the laboratory activities is mandatory).
All the slides of the lectures can be found and downloaded from the Moodle webpage of the course.

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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This subject deals with topics related to the macro-area "Climate change and energy" and contributes to the achievement of one or more goals of U. N. Agenda for Sustainable Development