Introducing materials chemistry into descriptive inorganic chemistry

CHED 115

Karen S. Brewer, kbrewer@hamilton.edu, Department of Chemistry, Hamilton College, 198 College Hill Road, Clinton, NY 13323
Courses in descriptive inorganic chemistry, with their emphasis on solid-state structure and periodic trends, provide an excellent opportunity to introduce materials chemistry topics into both the laboratory and the classroom curriculum. At Hamilton College, we have developed a complete study unit at the end of the course to study topics in magnetic materials (including ferrofluids and the design of computer hard disks), optical materials (light emitting diodes and reading of compact disks), and smart materials (piezoelectrics and shape memory metals). At the same time in the laboratory, students pursue independent projects in materials chemistry ranging from the synthesis and x-ray powder diffraction of nickel nanowires to the synthesis and UV-visible spectroscopy of cadmium selenide. The entire program for the class an the lab will be outlined consideration of how these topics complement the standard topics of descriptive inorganic chemistry.