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Course Agenda

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Week 0:

Orientation and Pre-Semester Training

These assignments will introduce you to the course structure along with the topic of bioinorganic chemistry and will get you ready for the semester. We have a shorter semester than usual because this course will run only until Easter Break. Expect and prepare to hit the ground running as soon as classes are in session. There will be no ""syllabus week" here, but it will earn you a nice long break in April.

Readings

Worksheets and Writing Assignments
(due before first meeting)

Other Assignments
(due before first meeting)
  • Complete the "Start Here" Module, including all assignments within (at least 6 hours of time).
  • Download Chimera and practice using it (instructions are here).
  • Enroll in our Wikipedia Course (use this link).
  • Complete the pre-semester Wikipedia trainings.

Assumed Prerequisite Knowledge

All material from General Chemistry and Organic Chemistry Courses

  • Atomic Structure (including orbital shapes)
  • Simple Bonding Theory (Lewis structures, skeletal structures, resonance, VSEPR, molecular polarity)
  • Valence Bond Theory
  • Acid-base theories and concepts (especially Lewis Acid-Base, Electrophile/Nucleophile reactivity, how to predict relative acid/base strength)

Week 1: Advanced Analysis of Periodic Trends

Monday, Jan 13

In this introductory meeting, we will introduce ourselves. Students (you) will be chosen randomly to complete problems from the assigned worksheet on the board and explain answers. Worksheets will be handed in after class and graded.

Pre-Meeting Readings Pre-Meeting Assignments Upcoming due dates
  • (see above) Worksheet 0 will be handed in today in class
  • Choose and sign up for WiSEWIKI topic on the WiSEWIKI Course Dashboard before end of day Tuesday.
  • Choose MyMolecule project topic before end of day Tuesday.
  • Essay 1 is due Thursday this week

Wednesday, Jan 15

Pre-Meeting Readings Pre-Meeting Assignments Upcoming due dates

 


Week 2: Introduction to Metal-Ligand Interactions

(No meeting on Monday for MLK Day)

Wednesday, Jan 22

Pre-Meeting Readings Pre-Meeting Assignments Upcoming due dates
  • Essay 2 is due Thursday this week
  • WiSEWIKI add to article due Thursday
  • WiSEWIKI draft of contributions due Sunday

 


Week 3: Thermodynamic Factors that affect M-L interactions, Introduction to MO Theory

Monday, Jan 27

Pre-Meeting Readings Pre-Meeting Assignments Upcoming due dates

Wednesday, Jan 29

Pre-Meeting Readings Pre-Meeting Assignments Upcoming due dates

 


Week 4: Inorganic Chemist's BFF's: Ligand Field Theory and Crystal Field Theory

Monday, Feb 3: Introduction to LFT and CFT

Pre-Meeting Readings Pre-Meeting Assignments Upcoming due dates
  • Essay 4 is due Thursday
  • WiSEWIKI
    • Move work to Wikipedia and Improve due Thursday

Wednesday, Feb 5: Factors that affect d-Orbital Splitting (...focus on octahedral geometry)

Pre-Meeting Readings Pre-Meeting Assignments Upcoming due dates
  • Essay 4 is due Thursday
  • WiSEWIKI
    • Move work to Wikipedia and Improve due Thursday
    • Polish your work due Sunday

 


Week 5:

Monday, Feb 10

Pre-Meeting Readings Pre-Meeting Assignments Upcoming due dates
  • Spend time researching for WiSEWIKI
  • Prepare a presentation about your Scientist for WiSEWIKI Blitz. The presentation should include a brief description of the scientist, the things you were able to contribute to their article, and your experience in learning to use Wikipedia. See the WiseWiki course page for week 5 for additional guiding questions.
  • Please take the Gender-Science IAT Social Attitudes test that is part of Harvard University’s “Project Implicit Social Attitudes”. 
  • Essay 5 due Wed before class!
  • Final WiSEWIKI article due Sunday

Wednesday, Feb 12

Pre-Meeting Readings Pre-Meeting Assignments Upcoming due dates
  • Final WiSEWIKI article due Sunday

 


Week 6: Back to LFT - Ligand Effects on Δ and Other Geometries

Monday, Feb 17

Pre-Meeting Readings Pre-Meeting Assignments Upcoming due dates
  • MyMolecule Paper Draft Due on Saturday, Feb 22
  • Essay 6 is not due this week, but topics are related. Start working on the parts that are relevant.

Wednesday, Feb 19

Pre-Meeting Readings Pre-Meeting Assignments Upcoming due dates
  • Worksheet 6.2: Summary of LFT so far / Ligand Field Stabilization Energy
  • MyMolecule Paper Draft Due on Saturday, Feb 22
  • Essay 6 is not due this week, but topics are related. Start working on the parts that are relevant.

 


Week 7: Ligand Field Theory - Other Geometries / Using LFT to predict Kinetics of M-L Exchange

Monday, Feb 24

Pre-Meeting Readings Pre-Meeting Assignments Upcoming due dates

Wednesday, Feb 26

Pre-Meeting Readings Pre-Meeting Assignments Upcoming due dates

 


Week 8: Electronic properties, redox, and electron transfer

Monday, March 2

Pre-Meeting Readings Pre-Meeting Assignments Upcoming due dates

 

Wednesday, March 4

Pre-Meeting Readings Pre-Meeting Assignments Upcoming due dates

 


Week 9: SPRING BREAK

 


Week 10: Writing Workshop and Peer Review

Monday, March 16

Your audience must enjoy reading your work and they must be able to gain knowledge or ideas from it. You can make your writing more enjoyable to read and easier to interpret by using effective  sentence structure.

Pre-Meeting Readings Pre-Meeting Assignments Upcoming due dates
  • Just do the reading and work on your draft -->
  • Complete draft of My Molecule Paper due Wed (Draft 2)

UPDATES due to COVID-19:

  1. We will hold class online at the scheduled time using google hangouts. Please check your email and use google calendar to access our online meetings. The recording and chats from our first meeting is here: Day 1 Writing Workshop
  2. During our online meeting please access the materials for Day 1 of the Writing Workshop (in the Readings Section).
  3. See FAQ about our new format.

Wednesday, March 18

Your audience must be convinced that your writing is worth reading if they are to "buy in" and commit time to keep reading. You can compel your reader to continue reading your work if you have an effective introduction section and effective document structure.

Pre-Meeting Readings Pre-Meeting Assignments Upcoming due dates
  • Just work on reading literature and writing the best draft possible -->
  • Complete draft of My Molecule Paper due before class at 4:15 on Wed March 18 (Draft 2)
  • Final MyMolecule Draft due end of next week.

Meeting Instructions:

  1. We will hold class online on Wed, March 18 at 4:15 PM using Google Hangouts.
  2. During our online meeting please access the materials for Day 2 of the Writing Workshop (in the Readings Section).

 


Week 11: Writing Workshop and Peer Review

Monday, March 23

A picture can say a thousand words...if it is effective! Make your message a thousand times more clear by providing effective visualizations for your reader. During this meeting we will discuss best practices for visual communication of science, and you will have the rest of the period to collaborate in peer review.

Pre-Meeting Readings Pre-Meeting Assignments Upcoming due dates
  • Revise your draft using peer and instructor feedback.
  • Finish Peer review Round 1 (focus on figures) by end of day Monday (today).
  • Final MyMolecule Draft  due Saturday end of day.

Wednesday, March 25

This entire period is dedicated time to get and give final feedback on your entire document before the final deadline for your MyMolecule paper. 

Pre-Meeting Readings Pre-Meeting Assignments Upcoming due dates
 
  • Revise your draft using peer feedback, with a focus on revising figures.
  • Finish Peer Review Round 2 by end of day Wed (today).
  • Final MyMolecule Draft due Saturday end of day.

 


Week 12:

Monday, March 30

Pre-Meeting Readings Pre-Meeting Assignments Upcoming due dates
  • Review feedback from your MyMolecule Final paper. Bring questions to our meeting.
  • Prepare for your presentation (1 week away). Bring questions to this meeting.
  • Presentations are next week. Order will be assigned using random.org.

Wednesday, April 1

Pre-Meeting Readings Pre-Meeting Assignments Upcoming due dates
  • Presentations are next week. Order will be assigned using random.org.

 


Week 13: Presentations

Monday, April 6

Pre-Meeting Readings Pre-Meeting Assignments Upcoming due dates
 
  • All presentation should be deposited in the @GroupShare folder in google drive by 4:15 today.

 

Wednesday, April 8

Pre-Meeting Readings Pre-Meeting Assignments Upcoming due dates
     

 


This page titled Course Agenda is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Kathryn Haas.

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