CHEM 335
Inorganic/Organometallic Chemistry Fall 2020
Division III

This course covers fundamental aspects of the chemistry of main group elements and transition metals, and highlights how these properties are key to understanding the roles of these elements in a range of applications, from the catalysis of synthetic organic transformations, the functions of enzymatic processes, the production of commodity chemicals such as plastics, to the actions of metal-based drugs such as cis-platin. The course introduces concepts of symmetry and group theory, and their systematic application to the study of the structure, bonding, and spectroscopy of inorganic and coordination compounds. The course also covers the kinetics and mechanism of selected inorganic and organometallic reactions. Through exploration of primary literature and review articles, recent developments and applications in inorganic chemistry, such as finding molecular solutions for the capture of solar energy, to cancer treatments and to optimizing industrial-scale reactions will be discussed.