Inorganic chemistry
Undergraduate · Chemistry
Syllabus focus
Standard syllabus · STEM / applied
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Topics typically covered
Standard syllabus
Atomic structure and periodic trends
- Electronic configurations and periodic properties
- Ionization energies, electron affinities, and electronegativity
- Atomic and ionic radii trends across the periodic table
- Oxidation states and common valences
- Hard and soft acids and bases (HSAB) preview
- Allotropes of main-group elements
- Hydrides, oxides, and halides of representative elements
- Industrial production of key inorganic compounds
- Environmental chemistry of main-group elements
- Descriptive chemistry of Groups 1, 2, 13–18
Chemical bonding and molecular structure
- Ionic vs covalent bonding in inorganic compounds
- Lattice energy and Born–Haber cycles
- Lewis structures and VSEPR for inorganic molecules
- Valence bond theory and hybridization
- Molecular orbital theory for diatomics and triatomics
- Metal–ligand bonding in coordination compounds
- Crystal field theory: d-orbital splitting
- Ligand field theory and strong/weak field ligands
- Jahn–Teller distortion
- Magnetism: diamagnetism, paramagnetism, ferromagnetism (intro)
Coordination chemistry
- Coordination number and common geometries
- Nomenclature of coordination compounds
- Isomerism: geometric, optical, linkage, ionization
- Stability constants and chelate effect
- Spectrochemical series and color of complexes
- Electronic spectra of transition metal complexes
- Organometallic compounds: 18-electron rule (intro)
- Catalysis by transition metal complexes (overview)
- Bioinorganic chemistry: hemoglobin, chlorophyll, nitrogenase (intro)
- Synthesis and characterization of coordination compounds
Solid-state and materials chemistry
- Crystal systems and unit cells
- Close packing: FCC, BCC, HCP structures
- Ionic crystals and radius ratio rules
- Band theory: conductors, semiconductors, insulators
- Defects in crystals: point and line defects
- Solid-state reactions and ceramic materials
- Zeolites and porous inorganic materials
- Nanomaterials: quantum dots and nanoparticles (intro)
- X-ray diffraction for structure determination (intro)
- Applications in electronics, catalysis, and energy storage
STEM / applied
Laboratory and characterization
- Synthesis of coordination complexes in the lab
- UV-Vis spectroscopy of colored complexes
- Magnetic susceptibility measurements
- IR spectroscopy of metal–ligand vibrations
- Cyclic voltammetry of redox-active complexes (intro)
- Schlenk line and air-sensitive synthesis techniques
- Recrystallization and purity assessment
- Safety with heavy metals and toxic inorganic reagents
- Computational modeling of molecular geometry
- Writing inorganic lab reports with spectral interpretation
Applied inorganic chemistry
- Catalytic converters and automotive emissions
- Battery materials: lithium, nickel, cobalt chemistry
- Photovoltaics and dye-sensitized solar cells
- Superconductors and magnetic materials (overview)
- Water treatment: coagulation, chlorination, fluoridation
- Nuclear fuel cycle and waste management (intro)
- Metallurgy and ore processing
- Pigments, ceramics, and industrial minerals
- Medical imaging agents: gadolinium, technetium
- Career paths in materials, catalysis, and bioinorganic research
Notes
Topics reflect common inorganic chemistry syllabi at US colleges and universities. Descriptive chemistry depth and lab emphasis vary by program. Prior general and organic chemistry background expected.