James Cook University Subject Handbook - 2003

CH3022:03

Inorganic Chemistry

Townsville HECS Band 2

30 hours lectures, 6 hours tutorials, 36 hours practicals. Semester 1.

Staff: Professor R Keene.

Organometallic chemistry – bonding, reactions and industrial applications of organometallic compounds. Solid state chemistry – the structure of ionic solids, the defect solid state/nonstoichiometry and their consequences in applications such as photography, semiconductivity, superconductivity, heterogeneous catalysis, corrosion and tarnishing. Bioinorganic chemistry – the involvement of transition metal centres in the oxygen cycle, electron-transfer proteins.

Learning Objectives:

  1. to provide students with a broad knowledge of modern inorganic chemistry;
  2. to provide a suitable background for students who wish to embark in the study of advanced topics in inorganic chemistry either at the final year undergraduate or the postgraduate level;
  3. to provide knowledge of the application of inorganic chemistry in a number of chemical processes and techniques;
  4. to provide insight into the philosophical basis of science as expressed though inorganic chemistry.

Assessment by a three-hour examination (70%); continuous assessment – practical reports (30%).