Course Meeting Times
Lectures: 3 sessions / week, 1 hours / session
Recitations: 1 session / week, 1 hour / session
Overview
This course provides a systematic presentation of the chemical applications of group theory with emphasis on the formal development of the subject and its applications to the physical methods of inorganic chemical compounds. Against the backdrop of electronic structure, the electronic, vibrational, and magnetic properties of transition metal complexes are presented and their investigation by the appropriate spectroscopy described.
Textbook
Required
Cotton, Frank A. Chemical Applications of Group Theory. 3rd ed. New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1990. ISBN: 9780471510949.
Recommended
Albright, Thomas A., Jeremy K. Burdett, and Myung-Hwan Whangbo. Orbital Interactions in Chemistry. New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons, 1985. ISBN: 9780471873938.
Harris, Daniel C., and Michael D. Bertolucci. Symmetry and Spectroscopy: An Introduction to Vibrational and Electronic Spectroscopy. New York, NY: Dover Publications, 1989. ISBN: 9780486661445.
Tsukerblat, Boris S. Group Theory in Chemistry and Spectroscopy: A Simple Guide to Advanced Usage. New York, NY: Dover Publications, 2006. ISBN: 9780486450353.
Assignments
There are 5 problem sets: 4 graded and one optional. They are worth 10% of the final grade, and will be graded on a 0-3 grading scale, with 3 being the highest score.
Exams
There are three exams, two during the semester and one final exam. Each is worth 30% of the final grade.
Grading
| ACTIVITIES | PERCENTAGES |
|---|---|
| Three exams (30% each) | 90% |
| Problem sets | 10% |
Schedule
| LEC # | TOPICS | KEY DATES |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Symmetry elements and operations | |
| 2 | Operator properties and mathematical groups | |
| 3 | Irreducible representations and character tables | |
| 4 | Molecular point groups I | |
| 5 | Molecular point groups II | |
| 6 | LCAO and Hückel theory I | |
| 7 | Hückel theory II | |
| 8 | N-dimensional cyclic systems | Problem set 1 due |
| 9 | Band theory in solids | |
| 10 | General electronic considerations of metal-ligand complexes | |
| 11 | Frontier molecular orbitals of σ-donor, π-donor and π-acceptor ligands | |
| 12 | Octahedral ML6 σ complexes | Problem set 2 due |
| 13 | Octahedral ML6 π complexes | |
| 14 | Angular overlap method and M-L diatomics | |
| 15 | AOM for MLn ligand fields | |
| Exam review | Problem set 3 due | |
| Exam 1 | ||
| 16 | Introduction to spectroscopy | |
| 17 | The weak field | |
| 18 | The strong field | |
| 19 | Tanabe-Sugano diagrams | |
| 20 | Selection rules for electronic spectroscopy | |
| 21 | Descent in symmetry | |
| 22 | Metal-ligand multiple bonds (M=L) | |
| 23 | Metal-ligand multiplebonds (L=M=L) | Problem set 4 due |
| Exam review | ||
| Exam 2 | ||
| 24 | Cyclopentadienyl compounds | |
| 25 | Metal-metal bonded complexes | |
| 26 | Vibrational spectroscopy | |
| 27 | Raman spectroscopy | |
| 28 | Normal coordinate analysis | |
| 29 | Spin orbit coupling, double groups, and ligand fields | |
| 30 | Magnetic susceptibility and the Van Vleck equation | Problem set 5 assigned |
| 31 | Transition metal magnetism | |
| 32 | Transition metal magnetism (cont.) | |
| Exam review | ||
| Exam 3 |