Inorganic chemistry laboratory
Undergraduate · Chemistry
Syllabus focus
Topics typically covered
Standard syllabus
Inorganic lab safety and inert techniques (intro)
- Handling air-sensitive or moisture-sensitive reagents (as available)
- Schlenk / nitrogen-line awareness at teaching-lab level
- Waste streams for heavy metals and transition-metal salts
- Notebook standards for colored complexes and yields
- SDS habits for oxidizers and cyanide-adjacent hazards (policy-aware)
Coordination complex synthesis
- Synthesis of classic Werner-type or teaching complexes
- Isomerism observations (geometric/linkage where accessible)
- Color, magnetism, and ligand-field discussion from data
- Yield, purity, and recrystallization of coordination compounds
- Linking lecture crystal-field ideas to spectra/colors
Characterization of inorganic compounds
- UV-Vis of d–d and charge-transfer bands
- IR of ligands and coordination shifts
- Conductivity and electrolyte type tests
- Magnetic susceptibility (intro, if equipment available)
- Reporting formulas for complex ions carefully
Main-group and solid-state teaching labs
- Main-group synthesis or qualitative descriptive labs
- Solid-state/materials preparation demos (as scheduled)
- Acid–base chemistry of oxides and oxoacids in lab
- Periodicity-driven property comparisons
- Connecting periodic trends to experimental outcomes
Bioinorganic and catalysis labs (intro)
- Metal–ligand binding demonstration labs
- Simple catalytic cycle teaching experiments
- Environmental inorganic analysis (metals in water) intro
- Green inorganic synthesis alternatives
- Discussing mechanism only to the level supported by data
Inorganic lab reporting
- Experimental sections for air-free or aqueous inorganic work
- Error and purity analysis for colored products
- Literature comparison to reported complex properties
- Safety incident near-miss reflection (training)
- Techniques inventory for research inorganic labs
STEM / applied
Applied inorganic projects
- Multi-week complex synthesis + full characterization package
- Unknown complex identification from a data suite
- Group presentation on an application (catalysis, materials, bioinorganic)
- Peer review of experimental reproducibility
- Bridge from teaching lab to undergraduate research expectations
Study units
Each unit includes a study guide, worksheets, review, practice test, and answer key. One unit is free; subscribe for the full class.
- Inorganic lab safety and inert techniques (intro)
Handling air-sensitive or moisture-sensitive reagents (as available)
Coming soon - Coordination complex synthesis
Synthesis of classic Werner-type or teaching complexes
Coming soon - Characterization of inorganic compounds
UV-Vis of d–d and charge-transfer bands
Coming soon - Main-group and solid-state teaching labs
Main-group synthesis or qualitative descriptive labs
Coming soon - Bioinorganic and catalysis labs (intro)
Metal–ligand binding demonstration labs
Coming soon - Inorganic lab reporting
Experimental sections for air-free or aqueous inorganic work
Coming soon
Notes
Companion lab to undergraduate inorganic chemistry lecture. Complements—not replaces—general and organic lab technique courses.