Building on the Inorganic Chemistry module, this module, through a mixture of lectures and practicals, demonstrates how common compounds involving main group elements are prepared, and teaches students to be able to account for the observed reactivity of the elements within an s or p block group. Students will use crystal field theory to account for different geometries adopted by transition metal complexes and will describe and discuss bonding between transition metals and common ligands including organometallics.
Building on earlier practical sessions, students will learn further inorganic chemistry techniques. Practicals include reacting Werner Nobel Prize complexes to form simple octahedral metal complexes; the synthesis of metal acetyl-acetone complexes; and the synthesis and quantitative analysis of polyiodide complexes. As part of the practical work, the molecules synthesised will be characterised via various spectroscopic techniques.