Thursday, November 4, 2010

Do You Want to Know More About Chemistry 386?

Chemistry 386: Advanced Inorganic Chemistry

Instructor: Gary Miessler

Offered: Spring Semester

Counts toward Chemistry major, required for ACS major

Chem 386 can be called “the course that covers the rest of the periodic table” since it focuses primarily on elements other than carbon. In Chem 386 much emphasis is given to molecular symmetry and how it can be used to understand chemical bonding, IR spectra, electronic spectra, and other characteristics of molecules. We will consider all the elements—and carbon will by no means be ignored! For example, we will spend several weeks on organometallic chemistry (focusing on compounds that have metal­–carbon bonds) and will examine recent developments in the realm of newer forms of carbon (nanoribbons, graphene, carbon peapods, etc.) that have intriguing structures and potential wide-ranging applications in nanoelectronics, medicine, and other realms. In addition, students taking Chem 386 will have an opportunity to prepare and present at least one paper based on current developments in inorganic chemistry and related fields.

Chem 386 should be taken by all students planning graduate study in chemistry, preferably during the junior year; inorganic chemistry is included in the Graduate Record Exam in chemistry (best taken in the fall of the senior year) and is expected background for students entering grad school.

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