Book: Inorganic Chemistry (Saito)
- Page ID
- 125370
Inorganic chemistry is of fundamental importance not only as a basic science but also as one of the most useful sources for modern technologies. Elementary substances and solid-state inorganic compounds are widely used in the core of information, communication, automotive, aviation and space industries as well as in traditional ones. Inorganic compounds are also indispensable in the frontier chemistry of organic synthesis using metal complexes, homogeneous catalysis, bioinorganic functions, etc. One of the reasons for the rapid progress of inorganic chemistry is the development of the structural determination of compounds by X-ray and other analytical instruments. It has now become possible to account for the structure-function relationships to a considerable extent by the accumulation of structural data on inorganic compounds. It is no exaggeration to say that a revolution of inorganic chemistry is occurring. We look forward to the further development of inorganic chemistry in near future.
This text book describes important compounds systematically along the periodic table, and readers are expected to learn typical ones both in the molecular and solid states. The necessary theories to explain these properties of compounds come from physical chemistry and basic concepts for learning inorganic chemistry are presented in the first three chapters.
- 5: Chemistry of Main-Group Metals
- Metals show metallic luster, are good conductors of electricity and heat, and are very malleable and ductile. Such properties are characteristic of bulk metals, although the definition of metal atoms or ions is not simple. Metallic elements form basic oxides or hydroxides in the +1 or +2 oxidation states, and become cations in aqueous acid solutions.
- 6: Chemistry of Transition Metals
- Simple substances of transition metals have properties characteristic of metals, i.e. they are hard, good conductors of heat and electricity, and melt and evaporate at high temperatures. Although they are used widely as simple substances and alloys, we typically encounter only iron, nickel, copper, silver, gold, platinum, or titanium in everyday life.
- 8: Reaction and Physical Properties
- Organic synthesis using complexes and organometallic compounds, homogeneous catalysis, bioinorganic chemistry to elucidate biological reactions in which metals participate, and studying solid state properties such as solid state catalysis, conductivity, magnetism, optical properties are all important fields of applied inorganic chemistry.
Thumbnail: The ball-and-stick model of diisobutylaluminium hydride, showing aluminium as pink, carbon as black, and hydrogen as white. (Public Domain; Benjah-bmm27).