Professor C. L. Cahill

Contact info:

Dr. Christopher L. Cahill

315 Samson Hall

202-994-6959

cahill@gwu.edu

Office Hours:

Tues/Thurs 3-4 Other times by appointment- please e-mail or call.

Text: Inorganic Chemistry Miessler and Tarr. However, it is strongly suggested that you look at the text and supporting info I have put on reserve in Chemistry Department Office (Corcoran 107). This supporting text, Descriptive Inorganic, Coordination and Solid-State Chemistry by Glen E. Rodgers is a fantastic read and a good source for fundamental information. I plan to supplement the course notes and assign homework problems from these materials.

Prometheus: Use of this resource is strongly encouraged. I will post any updates or messages to this site as well as sample exams and other goodies. It is also a good way for me to know your e-mail addresses. To access this site, go to http://prometheus.gwu.edu and login as a student. Course ID: 62199 Password: vanadium

Overview of the Course: The objective of CHEM 134 is to provide a foundation for Inorganic Chemistry by emphasizing the descriptive chemistry of the elements themselves. In order to accomplish this, we will start with a rigorous treatment of atomic structure in order to explain periodic trends, followed by an examination of bonding models. This foundation will make the ‘descriptive’ material seem more coherent and less random.

Grading: There will be three in-class examinations and one non-cumulative final exam. An occasional homework assignment can be expected. The permissible level of interaction for each homework assignment will be announced in advance. Typically, I will assign several problems and only grade 1-2 to determine your score. A numerical average for the course is determined as follows:

Four Exams 75%

Homework 25%

A standard grading scale will be used (90-100% = A, 80-89% = B, 70-79% = C, 60-69% = D, 59% or below = F). There may be some flexibility on this depending on class averages. Also, +/- modifiers will be in use where appropriate.

NO MAKE UP EXAMS WILL BE GIVEN. You miss the exam- you get a ZERO. Rescheduling will be considered on an individual basis PRIOR to the exam date. The Final Exam will be given sometime between May 5-13. GW has not given us the final schedule yet. Please do not make travel plans until we know the date! Rescheduling of the final exam will not be considered for travel.

Cell Phones: If your cell phone rings during class, one point will be deducted from your final grade. This COULD be the difference between a letter grade and a modifier (i.e. B+ to B).

Academic Integrity: We are all bound by the University Code of Academic Conduct. This is to be taken VERY seriously.

Lecture Schedule

Class #	Date	Topic	Text
1	Jan 14 T	Introduction/ Structure of Atom	B1/MT2
2	Jan 16 R	Structure of atom/Periodic trends	MT2
3	Jan 21 T	Simple Bonding Theory/Symmetry	MT3,4
4	Jan 23 R	Symmetry/group theory	MT4
5	Jan 28 T	Acid-Base	MT6
6	Jan 30 R	Acid Base- Begin Ionic Solids	MT6,7
7	Feb 4 T	Exam I	-
8	Feb 6 R	Ionic solids	MT7
9	Feb 11 T	Ionic Solids	MT7
10	Feb 13 R	Main Group Elements	MT8 + supp.
11	Feb 18 T	Main Group Elements	MT8 + supp.
12	Feb 20 R	Main Group Elements	MT8 + supp.
13	Feb 25 T	Main Group Elements	MT8 + supp.
14	Feb 27 R	Main Group Elements	MT8 + supp.
15	Mar 4 T	Exam II	-
16	Mar 6 R	Intro to Transition Metals	Supp.
17	Mar 11 T	Coordination Chemistry: structure	MT9
18	Mar 13 R	Coordination Chemistry: bonding	MT10
19	Mar 18 T	Spring Break	-
20	Mar 20 R	Spring Break	-
21	Mar 25 T	Coordination Chemistry: bonding	MT 10
22	Mar 27 R	Organometallic Chemistry	MT 13
23	Apr 1 T	Organometallic Chemistry	MT 13
24	Apr 3 R	Organometallic Chemistry	MT13 + supp.
25	Apr 8 T	Exam III	-
26	Apr 10 R	Bioinorganic and Environmental Chem.	MT16
27	Apr 15 T	No Class- Professional Travel	-
28	Apr 17 R	Bioinorganic and Environmental Chem.	MT16
29	Apr 22 T	Nuclear Chemistry/Nuclear Energy	TBA
30	Apr 24 R	Materials Chemistry- electronics	TBA
31	Apr 29 T	Materials Chemistry- zeolites	TBA

The exam dates are fixed. The actual pace of the course may vary and therefore the content of each exam and/or the course material may change slightly.