Inorganic and Physical Chemistry Laboratory

In this course students will carry out experiments in the field of inorganic and physical chemistry and write journal-style reports on basis of their results. In the first half of the semester students will conduct a multi-step synthesis and characterization of a Mo-Mo complex with a quadruple bond. Students will use a glove box for the synthesis under inert atmosphere. The synthesized Mo-Mo complex will be identified and characterized by spectroscopy (UV-vis, IR, 1H and 31P NMR) and electrochemistry (cyclic voltammetry). In the second half of the semester students will conduct two physical chemistry experiments. First students will obtain the high-resolution IR spectra of acetylene and deuterated acetylene and analyze the rotation-vibration spectra using statistical and quantum mechanics to obtain structural data. Finally, students will carry out a kinetic study of the isomerization of the Mo-Mo Mo (alpha to beta or beta to alpha) complex by UV-vis spectroscopy. (CHEM 0311 and CHEM 0351 and CHEM 0352; CHEM 0352 can be taken concurrently.) 6 hrs. lab