Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Lecture #26, Monday, November 22nd

We started the nuclear chemistry unit as it is a continuation of the alternate energy unit. France uses nuclear power for nearly 80% of their electricity, the highest in the world.

We discussed how Einstein's energy equation can be related to the amount of energy obtained in a nuclear reaction (Section 21.6) then discussed the common radioactive decay associated with nuclear reactions.

Read Sections 21.1 and 21.2 to gain a deeper understanding of the material we covered in lecture.

The Nuclear Chemistry howework will be as follows:
Chapter 21 Pages 925-926:
1-6, 11-16, 19-24, 27-30, and 33-42

Lecture #25, Friday, November 26th

Today we finished our discussion on solar cells by discussing some of the theory behind dye-sensitized solar cells or Gratzel Cells, named after their inventor, Michael Gratzel.

We then went over some helpful hints for how to construct the Gratzel cell you will be creating in lab this week.

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Excellent Leadership Opportunity

The new Strengths-Based Coaching Program is a 10-week program that will help students connect and reflect on your complete Ohio State experience…courses, involvement, personal goals, and professional aspirations. Applications are due November 30 for the winter quarter session, and will be due late February for the spring quarter session. Please consider applying, and feel free to share with your organizations and friends who may also be interested.

Apply for the new Strengths-Based Coaching Program

Applications are available now for the new Strengths-Based Coaching Program through the Center for Student Leadership and Service at the Ohio Union. This program will serve as a vehicle for students to make meaning out of their complete Ohio State experience – personal, academic, social, and professional. Focusing on development at both an individual and group level will allow students to consider their leadership on their own terms within the context of a supportive community. Participants will utilize the StrengthsFinder assessment as part of this program. Although the program is geared towards students in their second and third years, any student is encouraged to apply!

The program will run for 10 weeks during winter quarter, and approximately 30 students will be accepted. Those students who are accepted will attend weekly meetings on Thursdays at 4:30pm from January 6-March 10, 2010.

Applications are available now at http://ohiounion.osu.edu/get_involved/csls/coaching and are due by November 30. Contact Jen Pelletier at Pelletier.17@osu.edu for more information.

Lecture #24, Wednesday, November 17th

Today's lecture was based on content from Dr. Daniel Nocera from MIT. The Nocera group studies the energy conversion in biology and chemistry. Efforts have focused on understanding the reactions of multielectron, proton-coupled transformations of energy poor substrates. From this platform, the group has successfully used solar light to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. Recently, they have realized artificial photosynthesis by the solar splitting of water under benign conditions. In doing so, the Nocera group can now provide solar energy/storage and clean water to the poor and those of the non-legacy world.

I highlighted the key points of one of his lecture and if you were interested in the material, check out his talk about "Personalized Energy." You will notice some of the slides are identical to what I used today.

Inspiration Quote:
"Success seems to be connected with action. Successful people keep moving. They make mistakes but don't quit." -Conrad Hilton

Songs Played Before Class:
Taylor Swift - Mine
Dave Matthews Band - Where Are You Going
Joe Nichols - Gimmie That Girl

Monday, November 15, 2010

Exam #2 Content

*Electrochemistry
*Thermochemistry

Read chapters 19 and 20 of the textbook and work on all the MC homework, the homework sets on Carmen, and all the old exams posted on Carmen.

The equation sheet given with the exam will be exactly the same as the first exam with the addition of the standard cell potential table.

Lecture #24, Monday, November 15th

Today we continued with photovoltaic devices and described how electrons flow through a photovoltaic consisting of silicon doped with boron and phosphorous. P-type and N-type semi-conductors were covered and how they come together to form a PN junction was also discussed (See Figure 12.12 on page 491). We also looked into how the substitution of boron and phosphorous facilitate the flow of electrons in a silicon based material and showed that only 15% of the sun's visible photons are absorbed in a silicon doped photovoltaic device.

Alternate Energy sources and fuel are also discussed on pages 195-198 of the text (note the correct of the page #'s mentioned in lecture) and the first part of this discussion is based on solar energy. Here is a link to a great web-site describing solar cells. We also highlighted the pros and cons of solar cells and indicated what the energy obtained from them depends on.

Inspirational Quote of the Day:
Take a moment to write down the following personal characteristics: confidence, poise, imagination, initiative, tolerance, humility, love, cheerfulness, faith, enthusiasm, courage, honesty, serenity.

Circle all of the characteristics you possess. I hope you circled them all because they are all within us.

Song Played Before Class:
Finger Eleven - Paralyzer

Sunday, November 14, 2010

Quiz #7

As mentioned in class, "Quiz" #7 is a Mastering Chemistry homework assignment and is currently available. Please be sure to set aside a decent portion of time to complete this assignment as it is not a short one and you are allowed 3 attempts to complete it.

Friday, November 12, 2010

Lecture #23, Friday, November 12th

The main objective in today's lecture was to compare and contrast the differences we observe between a molecule and a solid. In molecules we have isolated units giving rise to discreet energy levels we observe in a molecular orbital diagram. In a solid the infinite number of atoms present leads to bands of molecule orbitals, which are wider in energy than the molecular orbitals in molecules.

Many of the physical properties of solids are dictated by the energy gap of the highest energy band containing electrons, which is referred to as the valence band, and the lowest energy band that does not contain electrons, or the conduction band.

The magnitude of the difference in energy between these two bands is referred to the band gap. Band gaps are typically reported in units of electron Volts (eV), so be sure to know how to convert from eV to Joules and vice versa.

At the end of class I briefly discussed photovoltaic devices and what chemists can do to manipulate the band gap and design better materials with more desirable properties. We will pick up with that discussion on Monday. If you want to get a better glimpse of photovoltaic devices and solar cells, here is a neat link.

Inspirational Quote of the Day:
"The time to prepare isn’t after you have been given the opportunity. It’s long before that opportunity arises. Once the opportunity arises, it’s too late to prepare."

Song Played Before Class:
Rascal Flatts - Here's To You

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Lecture #22, Wednesday, November 10th

Today we started the last unit of the quarter, which will cover alternate energy. This topic has gained considerable interest in both the scientific and political communities and is a nice topic to end on as we can combine several topics throughout all of general chemistry to better understand the principles behind alternate energy.

The first look at alternate energy comes in chapter 12 of the text titled modern materials. Many of the technologically relevant materials our society craves come from materials. While it is nice to study the ideal gas laws and properties of solutions, it is materials research that will allow us to argue whether the iPhone 4 is better than the HTC Evo.

Next week in lab you will begin constructing your own solar cell. The idea for this laboratory experiment came from the following youtube video, which you will need to watch in order to complete your pre-lab assignment. Solar Cells are contained in Chapter 12 of the text and we will include it in our alternate energy unit.

Before we dive into the content in Chapter 12, it is relevant to review the material from the transition metal chapter regarding molecular orbital diagrams. The properties of materials are highly dependent upon the energy difference between the energy levels of the molecular obitals containing electrons and the molecular orbitals that are empty.

In molecules this is called the HOMO-LUMO gap and in materials we refer to this energy difference as the band gap. To manipulate these orbital energies changing the transition metal center or the ligand.

We also reviewed the molecular orbital diagram of a hypothetical octahedral complex with titanium at its center containing six oxygen ligands. Next lecture we will see how these orbital energies change as we go from a discrete molecule to an extended solid.

Songs Played Before Class:
Jay Z feat. Rihanna and Kanye West: Run This Town
Michael Jackson-The Way You Make Me Feel

Monday, November 8, 2010

Lectures #20-21: Friday, November 5th & Monday, November 8th

Section 20.9 of the text is titled Electrolysis and we discussed how to relate the electrical charge and quantity of electrolysis. These calculations map up with what was performed on the 2nd day of the Electrochemistry lab.

Section 20.8 was the next part of the lecture discussion covering batteries and fuel cells. You will be responsible for all the lecture material including: Lead-Acid Batteries, Alkaline Batteries, Nickel-Cadmium, Nickel-Metal-Hydride, Lithium-Ion Batteries, and Hydrogen Fuel Cells. Be sure to look over your notes and read Section 20.8

The last section in the electrochemistry unit is Corrosion. Up to this point we discussed various ways to make a spontaneous process even more spontaneous. With corrosion we essentially want to take a process that is spontaneous and try to stop it from happening. Such is the case in the corrosion of iron or the rusting of iron. By utilizing what we know about electrochemical reactions, we can predict which species can prevent the formation of rust.

The 2nd exam will cover content from the Thermochemistry and Electrochemistry units. The content in these two units is vital for many disciplines and many majors require you to take Chem 123 for this content. Be sure to through the homework problems and practice problems in Mastering Chemistry in order to not only obtain the correct answers to these problems, but to know the reasons why we arrive at the correct answers. Right now is the time to start studying for the upcoming exam (actually, you should have already started). I ran across this video clip from the movie "Any Given Sunday," where Al Pacino plays Tony D'Amato, a head football coach of the Miami Sharks. He gives the following motivational speech to his team before their final game. In this speech he discusses the margin of error between winning and losing:

“You find out that life is this game of inches! So’s football. Because the margin for error in either game, football or life, is so small … so small, guys. One half-step too late or too early and you don’t quite make it. One half-second too slow or too fast and you don’t quite catch it ‘cause it’s half a fingertip away. The inches we need are everywhere around us, they’re in every break of the game, every minute, every second.
… On this team we fight for that inch! We tear ourselves and everyone else around us to pieces for that inch! We claw with our fingernails for that inch ‘cause that’s what makes the ******* difference between winning and losing – between living and dying.”

This is the battle that most students face in general chemistry. The topics we discuss in Chem 121 and Chem 122 start adding up inch by inch to come together to tell a fascinating story. In order to understand the material in this class you need to be able to fight for that inch. A line from the speech says "I can't make you do it." I can't make you open your book or complete your homework assignments, but that is what is going to separate the students who succeed in this course from the ones who do not. Those who are willing to fight and claw for that inch. This is true for this course and will be true when you graduate and find yourself in the workforce.

It's hard to imagine that we are actually in week #8 of the quarter. As everything begins to wind down, I've looked for an idea for a project that will tie many of the concepts learned in general chemistry together. I finally came up with the Solar Cell project as it ties in with Chapter 12 of the text and the transition metal and electrochemistry units in the text. Chapter 12 is titled "Modern Materials" and it touches on many new technologies that are shaping the way we function in our everyday lives. This content will lead us to understand the principles behind the solar cells you will construct in the lab.

Inspiration Quotes:
“A gem cannot be polished without friction, nor man perfected without trials.”
-Chinese Proverb

“Concern for man and his fate must form the chief interest of all technical endeavors… Never forget that in the midst of your diagrams and equations.”
-Albert Einstein

Songs Played Before Class:
Jay-Z - History
Kenny Chesney - We Went Out Last Night
Cali Swag District-Teach Me How To Dougie
Montgomery Gentry - Something To Be Proud Of

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Quiz #6 Material

Quiz #6 will cover sections 20.1-20.6 and 20.9 from the textbook. To better prepare you for the quiz you should complete the Electrochemistry homework set that is posted up on Carmen.

The quiz will take place Mon./Tues. during the first 20 minutes of lab.

Excellent Tutorial Web-Site

I found an excellent tutorial site the other day, which can be found here and it should send you to the link on entropy. It is a great guide and gives useful summaries on topics you may have forgotten from earlier chapters. If you ever find any on-line material useful please let me know as I can take a look at it and if it is useful I can share it with the rest of the class.

Time to get this blog updated!

Wow, there has been a great deal of material covered since the last blog. So let me catch you up on the Thermochemsitry material.

After a brief introduction of thermodynamics, I discussed what thermodynamics can and can't tell us about a reaction mechanism, and then introduced entropy. We discussed the second law of thermodynamics and I gave some guidelines for the entropy of the universe. We can also associate numerical values with entropy and the third law of thermodynamics allows us to do so by defining the entropy of a pure crystal at 0 K. I also performed an example very similar to what we saw in chapter 5, where we had to calculate the standard entropy of a reaction, which is the exact same method used to calculate the standard enthalpy of a reaction.

In the last 5 minutes I put the Gibbs Free Energy equation on the board because you will need it in lab this week.

The last section of the Thermochemistry lecture's focused mainly on Gibbs Free Energy, which is sections 19.5, 19.6, and 19.7 of the textbook. I would read all three of these sections of the text, and after reading those sections, you should have no problem in completing all of the Thermodynamics homework set.

I began the next class by discussing some issues we had in the lab in calculating Ksp. One main idea that I want to emphasize to everyone in this class is to "Think like a chemist." Don't simply go through the motions and calculate numbers in the lab. These numbers have meaning and I want you to see the underlying meaning behind them. Chemistry can be so frustrating because students rarely appreciate where the numbers and formulas come from. I want you to see how everything relates together. The solubility chapter overlaps so much with the Thermochem chapter and has many applications in the transition metal unit.

The numerical results of the Thermodynamics lab were discussed. I gave a powerpoint presentation, which is posted on Carmen. Remember that chemistry is an experimental science and all the theories and equations were developed from experimental data. Today we discussed why the value we obtained for the entropy change for a process in which a slightly soluble salt dissolved was negative. We also analyzed why the same reaction had a negative enthalpy change.

We finished the Thermochem unit by discussing the "Chelate Effect," which takes experimental values obtained in the synthesis of transition metal complexes and relates them to the overall entropy of a particular reaction. This effect is seen in cases where polydentate ligands replace monodentate ligands in transition metal complexes. The "A Closer Look" box on pages 1021-1022 describes this theory into more detail.

The next unit we will discuss is electrochemistry. Electrochemists study and try to manipulate the flow of electrons. This is seen in almost every practical material involving electricity. The main principle I want everyone to keep in the back of their minds is: How can a chemist manipulate the flow of electrons. Once we understand this concept we can then go on to bigger and better problems such as assembling a battery or electrochemical cell to power anything from an electronic device to an automobile.

The electrochemistry lectures focussed on the principles related to the lab and Chapter 20 of the textbook. Thus far, we have covered the content from Sections 20.1 - 20.6 in the textbook. I will finish up this unit soon with section 20.9, which is titled electrolysis and this is the content of the second electrochemistry lab period.

For the time being we will skip over section 20.7, which is batteries and fuel cells, but in our energy unit we will come back to it. The next unit will focus on energy and many of the electrochemical principles will resurface.

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Quiz #4

Quiz #4 will cover material from the transition metal unit and transition metal lab.

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Exam #1 Locations

Your first Chemistry 123 midterm will be from 8:00 to 9:18pm on Wednesday, October 27th at the following sites:

Room 1008, Evans Lab for Laboratory TA's:
Ally Fry,
Shiladitya Sen &
Siyu Tu;

and

Room 1000, McPherson Lab for Laboratory TA's:
Alex Bernard,
Scott Burya,
Hardy Castada,
Ishika Sinha,
Jennifer Soliz &
Pasco Wambua.

Be sure to work on the Homework Sets and Old Exams.

Lecture #13, Wednesday, October 20th

The transition metal unit was completed today by discussing high spin/low spin complexes with a 4d/5d transition metal center (pg 1037). Since 4d/5d orbitals are larger, the overlap with the ligands is greater, and the crystal field splitting becomes very large. Because of this, we observe low spin electron configurations for complexes with a 4d/5d transition metal center.

The next unit to be discussed is Thermochemistry. I discussed a few general Thermochem topics and started to discuss entropy, which is covered in section 19.2. If you read section 19.2-19.5 before Friday's lecture it will make the information in lecture a little more understandable.

I posted the Thermochem homework set on Carmen.

Inspiration Quote:
"Anything easy ain't worth a damn."
-Woody Hayes

Songs played before class:
Stevie Ray Vaughan - Pride and Joy
Sugarland - Stuck Like Glue

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Practice Exams

Several practice exams are posted on Carmen. Be sure to take a look at the study guide indicating which problems to focus on. My best word of advice would be to try and do one practice exam per night from now until the exam.

Lecture #12, Monday, October 18th

For the first time this quarter I used a primarily powerpoint based lecture. This lecture emphasized the key points of molecular orbital theory and showed you the orbital interactions in 3-dimensions. Be sure to be thinking in 3-dimensions when you are visualizing the molecular orbital type concepts. Check out the lecture on Carmen, which is posted in pdf and powerpoint formats.

Inspirational Quote of the Day:
"Promise yourself to think only of the best, to work only for the best, and to expect only the best of yourself and others."

Songs Played Before Class:
Journey - Wheel In The Sky
Oasis - Don't Look Back In Anger

Friday, October 15, 2010

Lecture #11, Friday, October 15th

A point I have been trying to emphasize to everyone this quarter is to think like a chemist. The tough part about chemistry is that in order to excel at it you need excellent critical thinking and problem solving skills. If you have these skills you will not only be able to use them in this class, but also all of your other classes and you future job(s). The rest of this unit in transition metal chemistry will focus on developing your critical thinking skills.

Our eyes are a complex instrument and are able to detect color in the wavelength range of 400 - 700 nm. In reality, this is just a tiny portion of the electromagnetic spectrum, and we can analyze all the other forms of radiation using advanced scientific instrumentation. The instrument we will focus on in this class is the UV-Vis spectrometer, which can detect radiation in the visible and ultra-violet regions in the spectrum. We can then use this information to analyze the electronic structure of molecules and complex ions. And by electronic structure, I mean how the electrons fill their orbitals, and how much energy it takes to excite electrons from orbital to orbital.

In order to interpret UV-Vis spectra properly and analyze electronic excitations between molecular orbitals, we first need to identify thehttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif interactions between orbitals, or how the orbitals overlap. Therefore it is VITAL to know the shapes of the orbitals (in 3-dimensions with phases) and how they are derived. The tutorial shown here will help you do this.

When molecules form they will do anything they can to get all their electrons in the lowest energy possible. To determine the energy, we must analyze the interactions the central atom has with all of its ligands as a unit.

The stronger a bond is, the more stable it is. This lowers the overall energy.

The greater the orbital overlap, the stronger the bond, and the more stable the bonding molecular orbitals become. For a tutorial and overview and a review of what was taught in general chemistry covering molecular orbital theory check this site.

We will be using the topics in those tutorials and taking them one step farther by analyzing the d orbitals in this class. I posted a handout on carmen discussing molecular orbitals, bonding, MO diagrams, and color. Be sure to read through it. It will greatly help your understanding of the content. I discussed the molecular orbital diagrams of H2, O2, and an octahedral complex with Cr has the TM center with six oxygen ligands. We will pick up with this content on Monday in lecture.

Be sure to read over the transition metal lab sometime this weekend. I am hoping that it will tie all the concepts we discussed together and you will gain a better understanding of the material. Be sure to try to visualize the 3-Dimensional structures in this lab.

Inspirational Quote:
"It takes less time to do things right than to explain why you did it wrong."
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Songs Played Before Class:
Wiz Khalifa - Black And Yellow
Bruce Springsteen - Born To Run

Go Bucks! Beat the Badgers!

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Quiz #3 Content

Quiz #3 will consist of the transition metal complexes concepts covered in lectures 7-10. To better prepare yourself for the quiz complete the following problems on the ungraded Mastering Chemistry assignment:

Electron Configuration and Oxidation #'s
Coordination Complexes
Isomers/Enantiomers
Naming Coordination Compounds
Problems 24.1 - 24.6
Problems 24.9 - 24.16
Problems 24.17 - 24.20
Problems 24.23 - 24.26
Problems 24.27 - 24.32

Lecture #10, Wednesday, October 13th

As you may have noticed, the transition metal unit is much less mathematical and much more concept/theory based than the solubility unit. To better prepare you for this, be sure to read sections 24.1 - 25.5 of the text book.

Section 24.4 covers isomers, so pay particular attention to Figure 24.17 and know how to differentiate between a structural and geometric isomer and be able to identify coordination-sphere, linkage, geometric, and optical isomers. Sample Exercise 24.6 on page 1029 also gives a pictorial example of optical isomer, so be sure to look that over.

Section 25.5 discusses color. Be sure to look at Figure 24.24 and Figure 24.26 on pages 1032-1033. These figures highlight what was emphasized in class regarding how chemists interpret color of transition metal complexes.

We are finally at the point where we can discuss the reasons we observe different colors in transition metal complexes, and it all boils down to the bonding in transition metal complexes.

On Friday, we will discuss molecular orbital theory in pretty great detail. It would be highly beneficial for you to review the shapes of the orbitals before you come to class. Bonds are formed when atomic orbitals overlap. If you do not know the shapes of the atomic orbitals like the back of your hand then you will not be able to visualize how they interact or overlap.

There is an excellent tutorial that can be found on the OSU department of Chemistry web-site highlighting the shapes of the atomic orbitals.

Pay particular attention to the shapes of the dxy, dxz, dyz, dx2-y2, and dz2 as they will be a focal point of Friday's lecture.

When you view these orbital pictures pay special attention to how the orbitals are oriented in 3-Dimensional space. I mentioned that d orbitals have different energies resulting in fascinating physical properties. The reason the energies are different is due to how the orbitals interact with the ligands. In an octahedral molecule all six ligands fall directly along the cartesian axis, so they will form stronger interactions with orbitals orienting themselves along the x, y, and z axis. We will discuss this further on Friday.

If you want to get ahead read the Orbitals, Bonding, MO Diagrams, and Color "Book Chapter" post under the Content -- Lecture Material section on Carmen.

I also mentioned in class that the report questions for the Qualitative Analysis lab will be due October 21st at 10:00 pm.


Inspirational Quote:
14 (The number of days until the first midterm)

Songs Played Before Class:
Eddie Money : Take Me Home Tonight
Uncle Cracker: Smile
The artist formerly known as Prince: Raspberry Beret

Monday, October 11, 2010

Lecture #9, Monday, October 11th

Today we continued to discuss transition metal complexes by determining the oxidation state, coordination number, and geometry of various coordination complexes. We went over the observed geometries and discussed when one geometry would be preferred over another.

Then we went on to talk about nomenclature. Nomenclature of transition metal complexes might be one of the most boring lectures to give (if you have any tips on how to make it more exciting please let me know), and the way in which these complexes are names is pretty bizarre, but you need to know how to name them. I posted the rules on how to name transition metal complexes up on Carmen and they are also included in the lab manual. Part of your lab next week will include nomenclature.

I also emphasized the term ligand. There are two tables in the text: Table 24.3 on page 1019 and Table 24.3 on page 1025, indicating which ligands you will be responsible for on a quiz or exam. Be sure to look those over and if you are keeping up with the material, you should have read Sections 24.1, 24.2, 24.3 and 24.4 by class on Wednesday. I briefly discussed isomers at the end of the class period and will pick up with them on Wednesday.

Inspiration Quote:
"If the game of life ended tonight, would you be a winner?"
-Jim Tressel

Songs Played Before Class:
Taio Cruz - Dynamite
Guns n' Roses - Sweet Child O' Mine

Lecture #8, Friday, October 8th

Transition metal complexes fascinated chemists back to the early ages due to their color. In the transition metal unit we will talk about the bonding theories chemists use to explain the differences in color for the observed transition metal complexes.

Remember that for our eyes to observe color, an electronic transition must be in the visible region of the electromagnetic spectrum. A transition occurs when an electron is excited from the ground state (an orbital of lowest energy containing an electron) to an excited state (an orbital of higher energy that is empty). In order to understand the reason behind the color in these complexes always keep two things in the back of your mind: #1 How many d electrons does a transition metal ion possess, and #2 What is the energy of the orbitals containing the electrons (or more importantly, what is the energy difference between the empty orbitals).

Before we get into the meat and potatoes of transition metal chemistry, and more exciting bonding theories (humor me, I'm a big dork and this stuff is pretty neat to me), we need to discuss some background information on transition metal complexes.

I went over how to properly determine the electron configuration of a transition metal cation. Be sure you are able to do this. We then reviewed the electromagnetic spectrum and I mentioned how unique it is to observe excitations in the visible spectrum since the energy of the visible spectrum takes up such a tiny portion of the visible spectrum.

We then discussed coordination compounds and the early work of Alfred Werner. This led to our modern day notation of transition metal complexes and the term isomer.

Inspiration Quote:
"If you don't have time to do it right, when will you have time to do it over?"
-John Wooden

Songs Played Before Class:
Sum 41 - In Too Deep
Brad Paisley - Water

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Quiz #2 Content

Everything on the Solubility homework set posted on Carmen is fair game. I would focus on the following questions...

*33-46
*47-57
*58-71
*72-79
*Questions 1, 2, and 4 from the Qualitative Analysis Lab

Lecture #7, Wednesday, October 6th

Today I finished the solubility unit by discussing the Group II/Group III selective precipitation by analyzing the pH at which the sulfides precipitate out in solution. The Group II cations precipitate at a low pH, while the Group III cations precipitate out at a higher pH. I performed an example for FeS(s) and the pH at which every other cation in Group II and Group III can be calculated in a similar fashion (see questions 77-79 on the solubility work on Carmen).

The last type of problem I covered in the solubility unit was a problem asking about the order in which precipitate drop out of solution when a precipitating agent is added slowly (or dropwise) to a solution containing more than one cation/anion. This will allow you to complete questions 64-71 on the Carmen homework set.

I started to briefly cover the transition metal unit by looking at the oxidation states and d electron counts of transition metal complexes. If you are rusty in electron configurations be sure to look them over, as they will be vital in understanding transition metal complexes.

Songs Played Before Class:
Counting Crows - Mr. Jones
Eminem feat Rihanna - Love the way you lie

Inspiration Quote of the Day:
“I don’t want to come home and look in the mirror and think the reason I didn’t do well was because I didn’t prepare.”
2008 World Series Champion Chase Utley

Go Phillies!

Monday, October 4, 2010

Ksp Formal Lab Report

The formal lab report for the Ksp lab is due Wed/Thurs this week depending on which day you have lab. In general, lab reports are due one week after you complete the lab. I have been receiving several questions about what to include so here is what I expect for this lab report.

First go to Carmen and look at the Ksp formal lab report guidelines and the Ksp formal lab report grading rubric. The details for what to include in the report are listed there.

Some other words of wisdom for the report:

*It must be typed

*It will be very helpful to get a 123 TA to look over your report. There is a 123 TA present in 160 CE pretty much all day on Tuesdays. They will be your best resource for editing and giving helpful hints for the report because they will be the ones grading it.

*The Report sheet should be attached and all you need to say is something like "The results are displayed on the attached report sheet." In the discussion you need to look up (and be sure to cite your source) the Ksp and compare that to your experimental Ksp. The "critical thinking question" is to properly discuss the error. What I mean by this is to come up with a chemical reason (it is really beneficial to discuss the overall equilibrium expression and what cause this equilibrium to shift to the left or the right) your value is different than the literature value.

*Sometimes students think they can perform 3 trials in the lab and simply give an average Ksp. Whenever you calculate an average value in the lab, you must report a standard deviation (or some sort of error analysis with it). On page 1110 of your textbook it shows how to calculate the standard deviation. Your "reported Ksp for Ca(IO3)2" is your experimental average for the Ksp +/- the standard deviation.

Life Sciences and Physical Sciences Career Fair

Tuesday, October 5th, 2010 10:30 am - 3:30 pm The Ohio Union Performance Space

An outline of the event and all the employers present can be found at this link.

This could be a great opportunity to gain information on internships and a future job. Be sure to check it out if you can.

Lecture #6, Monday, October 4th

Today we nearly completed the solubility unit of the course by wrapping up complex ion formation and amphoterism. Using the examples covered in class you should be able to perform problems 34-46 from the Carmen homework set. Be sure to do these problems over and over and over again, until you have a firm grasp of the underlying concepts in each of these problems.

Now that we have discussed all the effects of solubility, questions 47-55 can be answered. In each of these problems be sure to start by writing out the equilibrium expression and decide what effect each reagent has on the concentrations of the ions in solution. By changing the concentration of either ion in solution, the solubility will change. Be sure to keep in mind complex ion formation and amphoteric effects. A complex ion will form if there is a reported Kf value associated with the transition metal cation and its ligands.

At the end of lecture I discussed the Group II/Group III separation and we will discuss the solubility of metal sulfides and the Group III separations on Wed. Be sure you read through your lab manual to get a more in depth analysis of all the reactions that occur in aqueous solution in the qualitative analysis scheme.

Inspiration Quote of the Day:
"Most all good things come through adversity.

Looking back it seems to me,
All the grief that had to be
Left me when the pain was o’er
Stronger than I was before.
- Unknown

We get stronger when we test ourselves. Adversity can make us better. We must challenge to improve, and adversity is the challenger."

Songs Played Before Class
blink-182 - Man Overboard
Journey - Don't Stop Believing

Kappa Dog Night Information
Kappa Dog Night is semi-annual fundraiser hosted by the women of Kappa Kappa Gamma. Between the hours of 12:00am and 3:00am we invite fellow students to join us in raising money for Kappa Kidney Camp, a juvenile camp for those affected by kidney disease. Hot dogs and soda will be sold for $1.50. There will be a HOT DOG EATING contest again this year. It is $10 to participate and the person to eat the most hot dogs in 2 minutes will be named this year's "Kappa Dog Man"! The contest will take place at 1:30am, so come out and cheer on the contestants! We look forward to seeing you all on Thursday!

Friday, October 1, 2010

Lecture #5, Friday, October 1st

We continued to discuss solubility by analyzing the effect pH has on solubility. Acids and bases neutralize each other and in the process the concentration of [H+] and [OH-] will either increase or decrease causing the equilibrium to shift. A shift in this equilibrium influences the solubility.

In order for an acid to neutralize a base or for a base to neutralize an acid, a species in the solution must be either acidic or basic. After writing out the equilibrium expression for the slightly soluble salt of interest, we need to determine if the cations/anions in solution are acidic or basic.

The conjugate acid of a weak base is considered to be acidic.

The conjugate base of a weak acid is considered to be basic.

The conjugate acid of a strong base is considered to be neutral.

The conjugate base of a strong acid is considered to be neutral.


In order to determine if the cation/anion of interest is acidic or basic, you need to be able to rattle off all of the strong acids and strong bases off the top of your head.

Strong Acids: HCl, HBr, HI, HClO3, HClO4, HNO3, and H2SO4.

Strong Bases: LiOH, NaOH, KOH, RbOH, CsOH, Ca(OH)2, Sr(OH)2, Ba(OH)2

I went through a few examples of how varying the pH can influence the solubility. Be sure to write out your solubility equilibrium expression as the first step to each problem.

We found that 8.27 x 10-7 grams of Fe(OH)2 will dissolve in 4 mL of water at a pH = 7, but when a solution is buffered to a pH = 6, the solubility dramatically increases to 0.175 grams in 4 mL.

Based on what we discussed up to this point, when we add a base, such as ammonia, to Zn(OH)2 we would expect its solubility to decrease. But experimentally we find that when concentrated ammonia is added the solubility increases. We now need to come up with a reason for why this happens. Chemists in the early 1900's were able to determine this increase in solubility was due to complex ion formation.

A complex ion contains a central metal ion surrounded by a number of ligands which are held together by coordinate covalent bonds. A ligand is a surrounding anion or molecule containing an unshared pair of electrons. Common ligands are NH3, Cl-, H2O, OH- among others

An example problem was performed showing how the formation of the Zn(NH3)42+ increases the solubility of Zn(OH)2.

On Monday we will pick up with this example and discuss a special case of the effect of complex ion formation referred to as amphoterism.

Quote of the Day:
"Failure to change is often just stubbornness that comes from an unwillingness to learn, an inability to realize you’re not perfect. There cannot be progress without change – even though not all change is progress."

Songs Played Before Class:
Tom Petty- Free Falling
Kenney Chesney - This is Our Time

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Quiz #1 Content

The following content is fair game for Quiz #1. I would highly suggest working out these problems before you attempt the quiz:

*Every topic covered in lecture up to and including the Common Ion Effect

*Material from the "Developing a Mastery of the Solubility Product Constant Lab"

*Problems 1-27 and 58-63 from the Homework Set posted on Carmen

*The Ungraded Practice Ksp practice problems on Mastering Chemistry

Lecture #4, Wednesday, September 29th

In the "Clueless" episode of House, Dr. House was able to prove one of his patients was being poisoned by his fiance by using a confirmation reagent. And similar to a qualitative analysis scheme, he was able to identify that gold was present on a person's hands. Similarly, chemists use a qualitative analysis scheme to identify which ions are present in a solution.

In lab next week you will be given a solution containing Ag+, Pb2+, Cu2+, Ni2+, Al3+, and Bi3+/5+. You will need to follow a scheme outlined in the manual and design your own procedure that will allow you to determine which ions are present in an unknown solution. You will have 3 lab periods to experiment and in the 4th lab period you will be given your unknown to identify.

The scheme we use to identify the ions utilizes differences in solubility and we classify the ions into groups based on their solubility. I outlined the Group I separation, which precipitates out AgCl and PbCl2.

The separations of the ions we will analyze depend on four main effects:

1. Common Ion
2. pH
3. Complex Ion Formation
4. Ampoterism

I discussed the Common Ion Effect today, as it follows Le Chatlier's Principle. I performed a few calculations illustrating the dramatic effect the Common Ion effect can have on solubility.

We will continue with pH effects on Friday and it would be good to look over the strong acids and strong bases, because you will need to know them off the top of your head.

Quote of the Day:
"Why is it so difficult to motivate ourselves when we know that results come only through motivation?'

Songs Played Before Class:
Nelly - Just A Dream
The Killers - All These Things That I've Done

Monday, September 27, 2010

Lecture #3, Monday, September 27th

Today I started off by quickly reviewing the example problem given at the end of lecture on Friday and then looked at the Ksp of Cadmium Hydroxide and discussed why we might see different reported Ksp for this substance.

We then skipped ahead to Section 17.6 in the text, which allows us to calculate if a precipitate will form when two (or more) solutions of known concentrations are added together. I performed two examples based on this concept and chemists can use these principles to separate or remove a desired ion from a solution containing many other ions.

We can selectively separate ions in solution by manipulating the concentrations of precipitating agents that are mixed together. The reaction quotient, Q, is obtained when concentrations of reactants are inserted into an equilibrium expression. If we are at equilibrium we have a special case of Q that we refer to as K. I performed an example of Q vs. K by analyzing solutions of silver nitrate and potassium chloride.

If you are asked to predict if a precipitate will form you need to calculate Q and compare it to K. In general, if:

Q < K no precipitate forms

Q = K the solution is at equilibrium

Q > K a precipitate will form

I then introduced Qualitative Analysis. A qual. scheme is designed to answer the question "What is present?" The "Clueless" episode from the second season of the hit TV show House, which premiered on the FOX network on March 28, 2006, has a "real world" application of the qualitative analysis scheme. House was certain that his patient was being poisoned by a heavy metal toxin. His intuition tells him that this toxin is gold and he sets out to prove that he is right.

He heads back to his house and grabs a vial of stannous chloride and after he applies the solution to the suspects hands it turns purple, confirming gold is present.

In Experiment #25 and #26 you get to act as a "detective" in the same manner House did and will need to identify which cations are present in an unknown sample. You will spend three lab periods analyzing the known solution and you will have one lab period to identify unknown cations present in your sample. The sole part of your grade will depend on if you properly identify the ions in your unknown solution.

I will do my best to explain the fundamental concepts in this lab and relate them to solubility.

If you are keeping up with the material so far you should be able to complete problems 1-18 and 58-63 on the homework set posted on Carmen. I would encourage you to work out the problems first without looking at the worked out solutions, then checking the key to be sure your work is complete.

Today's inspirational quote was submitted by Dina Yacoub
"Take the first step in faith. You don't have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step."
Martin Luther King, Jr.

Song Played Before Class:
Kanye West ft. Dwele - Power

Practice Mastering Chemistry Assignments

To access the ungraded optional assignments on Mastering Chemistry, click on the assignments tab and a window should open up and look like this.

I would highly suggest that you start working on these problems before the quiz on Friday and before the Ksp lab report questions. Be sure to utilize the tutorial problems and use the hints if you are struggling to find the correct answers.

Sunday, September 26, 2010

Lecture #2, Friday, September 24th

Lab #2 "Developing a Mastery of the Solubility Product Constant," introduces an experimental way to determine the Ksp for Ca(IO3)2. Remember that chemistry is an experimental science where measurements are made. The Ksp Tables you see in the textbook have been crafted from experimental data, and proper interpretation of these values can tell a chemist a great deal about solubility.

Experimentally we can consider solubility equilibria to make predictions about the amount of a given compound that will dissolve. As we progress through the solubility unit we will then discuss various ways to manipulate the solubility of various salts.

Be sure to have a grasp of what an equilibrium constant tells you. A large value for k favors the products, and a small value of k favors reactants. If you have the experimental value for the Ksp you can calculate the molar solubility for a slightly soluble salt. I ended class with several calculations of how to determine the molar solubility of a list of slightly soluble salts and will sontinue with that discussion on Monday.

Today's inspirational quote was submitted by Erin Riley
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act, but a habit."
-Aristotle

Songs Played Before Class
Bruce Springsteen - Glory Days
Mase - Welcome Back

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Mastering Chemistry Registration

Be sure to register for Mastering Chemistry ASAP. Your first assignment is due Monday morning at 8:30 am and we currently have 151 out of 225 students signed up. If you click the following link it will give you all the information you need to properly login.

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Welcome Back!

To all the returning students welcome back! And to all the freshman welcome to campus. It is great to see the halls full of bright young minds eager to learn. I'll kick of the quarter with a quote from President Gee's address to the incoming freshman.

"Make the most of this time; it will not come again … make each day count. This is the place to expand your horizons to any and all opportunities.”

E. Gordon Gee

I'd also like to post an inspirational quote each day before class starts, so please e-mail any of your favorites.

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Lectures #21 and 22, Friday May 14th and Monday, May 17th

The last two lectures dealt with electrochemistry and how chemists seek to convert chemical energy into electrical energy.

So far we have discussed the topics covered in sections 20.1 - 20.4 of the textbook. I know we havn't emphasized this nearly enough this quarter, but it is vital that you read the book for this chapter.

I also posted the homework set for electrochemistry and you should be working on it right away.

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Lecture #20, Wednesday, May 12th

Today I finished the Thermochemistry unit by discussing the chelate effect and the content of experiment #32.

The chelate effect was determined based on the increased stability of a transition metal complex when a multi-dentate ligand is attached to it. When this happens, the entropy of the system increases, making the reaction more spontaneous. This is experimentally observed by the large increase in the formation constant of complex ions containing multi-dentate ligands.

Experiment #32 shows how you can experimentally determine thermodynamic quantities. In this particular experiment, the Gibbs Free Energy is calculated from the Ksp at two different temperatures, which will allow us to calculate the entropy and enthalpy.

I ended with a very brief intro on Electrochemistry. I will pick up with the rules for assigning oxidation numbers on Friday.

If you are keeping up with the material you should have the Thermochemistry homework set complete.

The exam next week will cover the material from REEL labs 3-6 and the Thermodymanics unit. If you have a conflict with the exam please fill out the conflict form posted on Carmen.

Song Played Before Class:
Kenny Chesney - This is Our Moment

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Lecture #18 Friday, May 7th and Lecture #19 Monday, May 10th

The content of the past two lectures has been on thermodynamic principles. We have discussed the first, second, and third laws of Thermodynamics, entropy and spontaneous processes, free energy, the thermodynamic equilibrium constant, and ways to make a reaction more spontaneous.

The quiz this week will cover everything we have currently discussed about the Thermochem unit. Do all the homework posted on Carmen as well as reading Chapter 19 of the textbook.

Songs Played Before Class:
Friday: Purple Glove Dance - Ohio State
Monday: Third Eye Blind I'll Never Let You Go

Thursday, May 6, 2010

Excellent Tutorial Web-Site

I found an excellent tutorial site the other day, which can be found here and it should send you to the link on entropy. It is a great guide and gives useful summaries on topics you may have forgotten from earlier chapters. If you ever find any on-line material useful please let me know as I can take a look at it and if it is useful I can share it with the rest of the class.

Lecture #16 Monday, May 3rd and Lecture #17 Wednesday, May 4th

In Monday's lecture and at the beginning of Wednesday I finished the content of the REEL labs and instructed you what to focus on in the REEL final project. In the first phases of the REEL project you will look at various properties of some common commercial pigments and you will focus on how to manipulate the color and possibly come up with some new pigments.

We are now going to switch gears and move on the the next unit, which is Thermochemistry. I talked about the first Law of Thermodynamics and spontaneous processes today as well as introducing Entropy. The Thermochem homework set is posted on Carmen and we will continue with the Thermochemistry unit, which is Chapter 19 in our textbook. Please start reading through Chapter 19.

Song Played Before Class:
Flash Mob at the Ohio Union 5/3/2010 - The Ohio State University

Friday, April 30, 2010

Lecture #15, Friday, April 30th

I started lecture today by asking everyone to discuss the following questions:

"Why do we observe a peak in a UV-Vis pattern?"

How did it get there? How can we change its energy? These are the questions we will need to focus on in our research project and they basically boil down to two things: The oxidation state (or # of d electrons on the transition metal) and the overlap of the atomic orbitals interacting to form molecular orbitals.

In order to analyze transition metal complexes you will need to be able to determine the oxidation state and resulting electron configuration of each transition metal cation. When a transition metal forms a complex the d orbitals are lower in energy than the s orbitals and they will always be populated first. So ions, such as Ni2+ have an electron configuration of [Ar] 3d8.

I continued with the MO diagram powerpoint and we observed that when you change the ligand the energy difference between the anti-bonding d orbitals changes, and as a consequence the color changes.

In transition metal complexes two main types of excitations occur. The first is d to d transitions and the second is charge transfer excitations. We will start Monday's class discussing the similarities and differences between these two types of excitations and lead right into the bulk of the material to be covered in the REEL final project. Be sure to read REEL 5 and 6 before Monday's class to give you an edge in understanding the lecture material.

At the end of class there was a pop quiz.

Can you believe that we are half-way through the quarter already?

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Lecture #14, Wednesday, April 28th

The lecture notes from today's powerpoint lecture are posted on Carmen. Please read over them and play around with the powerpoint so you can see how the molecular orbitals are generated from the orbital overlap of the atomic orbitals. In order to understand the content of your REEL project you will need to have a firm understanding of Molecular Orbital diagrams and how they will relate to a UV-Vis spectrum.

A UV-Vis spectrometer measures the energy at which electronic excitations occur. We can analyze the spectra generated from these instruments in order to rationalize why certain solutions or materials exhibit the colors they do. We will focus on two main factors influencing color: the central transition metal atom and the choice of ligand. Lecture will start up on Friday talking about what happens to the color when we replace one ligand with another, and how we go about arranging the ligands in order of how they split the d orbitals. This is the main topic of REEL Lab 3 and 4. The understanding of this material is vital for your research project so be sure to read over the labs. I know several students expressed frustration that some of this material is not in the book, so in order to help out I plan to post supplemental reading material on Carmen for you to read. In the Content section of Carmen in Section F. titled REEL Supplemental Information I have posted a "chapter" that I wrote on Orbitals, Bonding, MO Diagrams, and Color. Please read through the reading as I hope it will solidify your knowledge on Molecular Orbital Diagrams.

I have also posted pdf versions of all the REEL labs and their report sheets on Carmen. Feel free to read them and start working on them before labs start to get a head start on learning the material.

Song Played Before Class:
Uncle Kracker - Smile

Monday, April 26, 2010

Lecture #13, Monday, April 26th

At the end of lecture on Friday I reviewed some concepts pertaining to molecular orbital theory, which is covered in general chemistry classes at Ohio State in Chapter 9 of the textbook. Here are a few key points you need to consider when you are dealing with molecular orbital theory.

*It's all about the orbital overlap and the electrons residing in the orbitals.

Know the shapes of all the orbitals. If you can't draw the d orbitals like the back of your hand you will fail the 2nd midterm.

Know how to determine the oxidation state and d electron count for the transition metals in transition metal complexes (we will discuss this soon). If you can't do this by the time you get to the 2nd midterm you are in really bad shape.

*The better the orbital overlap the stronger the bond.

*Orbital overlap depends not only whether an orbital is s, p, or d, but also on how those orbitals are oriented in space.

*Before you come to class on Wed, know the shapes of the d orbitals.

*When orbitals of the same phase overlap, they form a bonding interaction which lowers the overall energy of the atomic orbitals interacting making them more stable.

*When orbitals of opposite phases overlap they form an anti-bonding interaction which raises the overall energy of the atomic orbitals interacting, making them less stable

*When you construct a molecular orbital diagram, the total number of all the molecular orbitals must be equal to the sum of all the atomic orbitals. Molecular orbitals can be bonding, anti-bonding, or non-bonding.

Song Played Before Lecture:
Bruce Springsteen - Born To Run

Lecture #12, Friday, April 23rd

The lecture on Friday covered the last few slides of the REEL 1 and 2 content. This is where the cut off is for the content of the first exam. Be sure you know how to work through example problems covering all of this content. Any powerpoint lecture slides are posted on Carmen.

The next unit focuses on color, or more importantly how our eyes detect color. In an atom or molecule electrons reside in orbitals. In an atom the electrons can be found in atomic orbitals, and in a molecule they reside in molecular orbitals. If the energy difference between the highest occupied orbital and the lowest unoccupied orbital falls in the visible region of the electromagnetic spectrum, our eyes will observe color. In class I discussed the relationship between the wavelengths of light these materials absorb and the color we observe with our eyes.

A UV-Vis spectrometer is the instrument we use to collect the absorption spectra for transition metal complexes and we will discuss and interpret them in the REEL labs as well as in class.

Thanks for singing Happy Birthday to me in class.

Song Played Before Lecture:
Trey Songz ft. Fabolous - Say Ahh

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Exam #1 Content

I just finished up putting together the content of the first exam and it is broken down as follows:

Questions #1-15: Solubility

Questions #16-25: XRD, Solids, and REEL Labs #1 & #2


This gives 25 questions worth 7 points each for a total of 175 points. You will be given an hour and eighteen minutes to complete the exam.

The best way to study for these exams is to complete the Solubility and REEL XRD and Solids homework sets. After you have completed these and feel comfortable with the problems you should then go to the appropriate practice exam questions.

Exam #1 Review Sessions

There are two class sections participating in the REEL Pigment Module this quarter. One is my class, and the other is taught by Dr. Ricciardo. Our exams will be practically identical and we have been using the same problem sets and practice exams so attending either review session will be equally beneficial.

Riccirado Review Session: Sunday, April 25th at 7:00 pm in 1008 Evans Lab

Fus Review Session: Monday, April 26th at 8:00 pm in 1000 McPherson


Don't think of the review session as a place to come to learn new material. My review sessions are run solely as a Question/Answer session. If you do not have any questions, the review session will be fairly boring. So come with your questions and hopefully these sessions will help put on the finishing touches to your studying.

Exam #1: Tuesday, April 27th 6:30 pm

Your first Chemistry 123 midterm will be from 6:30 to 7:48pm on Tuesday, April 27th at the following sites:

Room 0021, Lazenby Hall for Laboratory TA's:
Dan Hyatt &
Bryan Sears;

and

Room 0014, University Hall for Laboratory TA's:
Scott Burya,
Yujie Sun &
Amy Tucker.

Lecture #11, Wednesday, April 21st

Today I covered pretty much all of the material up to and including REEL Labs #1 and #2. I still have a few more slides to cover pertaining to phase diagrams, but they should only take a few minutes at the beginning of class. The powerpoint lectures are posted in the content section on Carmen.

The REEL labs seem to have went very well this week with the exception of a few small glitches. I am hoping that from the time you walked into the door to the time you leave the lab you actually have a better grasp of the material. If we can accomplish that then we are doing our job as educators. If we are not accomplishing this please let me know as we will have to make some changes.

The next portion of the material will focus on color in transition metal complexes. We will discuss how our eyes detect color and what excitations are responsible for the color in various complexes such as complex ions and charge transfer salts.

Song Played Before Class:
Kevin Rudolf - I Made It (Ft. Birdman, Jay Sean & Lil Wayne) Cash Money Heroes

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Lecture #10, Monday, April 19th

Today in class I went into detail about various principles of X-ray diffraction. I used powerpoint and posted the lecture up on Carmen. On Wednesday we will finish up XRD and then cover solid solutions and either at the end of the lecture on Friday/Monday we will cover the next topic in the REEL labs, which will deal with how electronic excitations can be related to color. In order to do that we will review molecular orbital theory.

Quiz #3 Study Guide

The quiz this week will cover fractional/selective precipitation as well as the REEL material you covered this week. The REEL material includes the pre-lab for REEL 5 and the lab you completed this week (1 if you are in 210 CE and 2 if you are in 220 CE).

Friday, April 16, 2010

Lecture #9, Friday, April 16th

Today's lecture was entirely devoted to the content of REEL Lab #1. This lab has three main parts:

A. Lattices and Unit Cells
B. Optical Diffraction
C. X-ray Powder Diffraction

The concept of diffraction is typically introduced in physics classes, but in order to solve the problems we are faced with today, we need to combine concepts from various disciplines. X-ray diffraction is the key tool used by chemists to determine the structures of crystalline solids. To learn a little bit more about the concept of diffraction, check out this youtube link featuring University of Minnesota physics professor Jim Kakalious, who was a science consultant for the Warner Brothers film Watchmen. In Watchman Dr. Manhattan has amazing super powers. Dr. Kakalious outlines which physics phenomena are responsible for these super powers. In the movie Dr. Manhattan can appear in more than one place at once and Kakalious asks how he could possible do this. This can be explained by discussing diffraction. At the 2 min 10 sec mark in the clip diffraction is discussed, which is a signature of the wave phenomena of light.

The one thing I want to emphasize is how on earth can a collection of dots from a diffraction pattern relate to the structure of a solid? Diffraction can tell us the similarities and differences on the slides we used in the optical diffraction part of REEL Lab 1. X-rays can be used to measure the same thing in a crystal structure. Since a bond length is on the Angstrom length scale, we need to use electromagnetic radiation of the same magnitude, or X-rays, to determine the arrangement of atoms in a crystal. In my lectures I have been trying to capture the perspective of the Bragg's as they were trying to determine structures of crystals. I found an article from the research Journal Nature that I posted on Carmen and I think it gives an excellent background for what they were trying to study at the time and will give you a good idea of what to keep in mind as you are performing the labs.

On Monday I will discuss how we can use diffraction to identify the structures of solids and if multiple phases are present in our sample. This is the content of REEL Lab #2.

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

USG Elections: April 15-16

I wanted to take a moment to encourage everyone to vote in this year's elections for Undergraduate Student Government, starting Wednesday night at midnight at USG.OSU.EDU. I have done my best to be actively involved in student life, serving as the adviser of various campus clubs/organizations. Through this involvement, I have had the privilege of working with one of the presidential candidates, Jordan Davis, and several of her senatorial candidates on the "Keepin' it Fresh" team. From what I understand, they have the most experience coupled with the most creative and realistic ideas about how to solve the critical problems most Ohio State students face today, such as: improving student safety, expanding career development opportunities, stopping additional mandatory fees, and ensuring that when we transition to semesters no freshmen or sophomores caught in the middle will fall behind. I also know they are serious about developing more tutoring programs on campus and are heavily in favor of creating more research opportunities. You can obtain more specific information about their campaign at voteJORDANandASHLEY.com.

Lecture #8, Wednesday, April 14th

Today the last topic in the solubility unit was covered, which was Fractional/Selective Precipitation. After this topic is covered you should be able to perform all the problems in the solubility homework set and the first exam will mainly be made up of problems similar in nature to that homework set.

The next unit we will cover in class will deal with concepts discussed in the REEL labs. You will be given an incredible opportunity to use advanced instrumentation and investigate relationships requiring critical thinking skills. The only drawback is that this material is not covered in most general chemistry text books, so if you are a student who relies heavily on your text book it may cause some frustration. The REEL lab handouts are designed to contain the material you would typically read from a text (this is one of the reasons the labs are so long).

For Friday's class please try to read through REEL Lab 1, which is titled Diffraction and Crystal Lattices and we will pick up on that material on Friday.

Song Played Before Class:
Kanye West - Amazing ft. Young Jeezy
There's your Kayne Premal :)And if anyone else has requests let me know as I walk through lab.

Monday, April 12, 2010

Lecture #7, Monday, April 12th

Today I all but finished up the solubility unit by discussing examples involving the pH effects in the separation of Group II and Group III cations and the "special case" of complex ion formation we refer to as amphoterism.

These two topics are fairly complex, but are very doable after you work through the homework set. Not that we have covered all the factors influencing solubility, you should be able to complete problems 24-57 in the homework set.

At this point the entire solubility homework set can be competed and Quiz II will focus on problems 24-57 and 72-84.

Friday, April 9, 2010

Study Habits

On the first day of class I stated that my goals as your professor was to make you a better chemist, a better student, and a better person. Part of being the best student that you can be is to develop good study habits. This week in lab all of you took a quiz. It is shocking to me that only 27 of you took a look at the answer key to the quiz posted on Carmen. Looking at the answer key and working out the problems you got wrong is a vital part of the quiz/exam taking process and it is an integral part of the learning process. It might be a pain in the ass to look these problems over, but just do it!

In order to facilitate this process I will definitely give a "pop quiz" shortly after the first exam to be sure you are looking over the problems the class is having trouble with.

Lecture #6, Friday, April 9th

Today I covered two concepts that are arguably the most difficult topics students have in the solubility unit. Complex ion equilibria involve more than one equilibrium expression and tend to take multiple steps to calculate. It is VITAL for the complex ion problems that you get plenty of practice. You need to be able to perform problems 24-46 on the problem set for next week's quiz and you will definitely be responsible for these problems on the exam. Remember that all the problems posted on Carmen are taken from old exams, so this is the best way for you to prepare for the exam.

In addition to the complex ion problem, I covered the equilibrium expressions that allow us to analyze the separation between the Group II and Group III cations. These questions have definitely worked their way into the list of my favorites to ask on exams as they contain concepts learned from multiple sections of this course as well as 122. After today's lecture you should be able to handle questions 72-84 in the homework set and they will definitely show up on the quiz as well.

I hope everyone has a great weekend and I will see you in class on Monday :)

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Lecture #5, Wednesday, April 7th

Lecture started off by continuing with the influence of pH on the solubility of slightly soluble salts. By adjusting the pH, chemists have an excellent way to manipulate the solubility.

If you are asked if HCl (or any other reagent) would increase, decrease, or have no effect on the solubility of say, zinc hydroxide, the very first and most important thing you want to do is WRITE OUT THE SOLUBILITY EQUILIBRIUM. Remember, we are trying to manipulate the equilibrium, so it makes sense to write out the balanced equation first.

The second step is to identify if any of the cations/anions dissolved are acidic or basic. This requires a knowledge of the strong acids and strong bases. Remember from Chem 122 that the conjugate acid of a strong base is neutral and the conjugate base of a strong acid is also neutral. The general rule of thumb is: "The stronger the acid, the weaker the conjugate base and the stronger the base, the weaker the conjugate acid."

To a first approximation we can use Le Chatlier's principle to determine how an equilibrium will shift upon the addition of an acid or base. Acids neutralize bases (lower the hydroxide concentration) and bases neutralize acids (lower the hydrogen ion concentration). This can have a dramatic effect on the molar solubility. The calculations in class showed that at a pH = 7.0, the solubility of zinc hydroxide is 8.9 x 10-7 grams in 4 mL of solution. But if the pH is adjusted to 6.0 then we can dissolve 0.0179 grams of zinc hydroxide in 4 mL of this solution. The take home message here is that pH plays a huge role in the solubility of slightly soluble salts and with this knowledge at our disposal, we can manipulate the solubility equilibrium by adding acidic or basic reagents.

Notice that in the previous paragraph I used the phrase "to a first approximation." Sometimes, based on fundamental principles, things happen that we do not expect. For example if you add concentrated ammonia (a base) to zinc hydroxide, Le Chatlier's principle would predict that the equilibrium will shift to make the zinc hydroxide less soluble. Experimentally, when ammonia is added to zinc hydroxide we observe a large increase in solubility.

Initially this was frustrating to chemists as they tried to come up with a theory for why this was happening. The theory we can use to explain this observation is "complex ion formation." If you have been paying attention you will have heard this term mentioned several times this quarter, but now we will investigate how and why complex ions form.

This opened up a whole new branch of chemistry as complex ions are sometimes referred to as coordination compounds, which involve a transition metal center attached to ligands (surrounding atoms/ions/molecules). This branch of chemistry dealing with transition metal, or coordination complexes, is inorganic chemistry (which is my favorite of all the chemistry subdivisions if you happen to be scoring at home).

We will go over several examples in lecture talking about coordination complexes and how complex ion formation shifts the resulting equilibrium expressions.

Monday, April 5, 2010

Quiz I Study Guide

In preparation for Quiz I, you should know how to perform the following:

*Calculate the Ksp from titration data and know how to do all the example problems from the first two lab periods.

*Given Ksp calculate molar solubility

*Given molar solubility calculate the Ksp

*Convert between molar solubility and the amount in grams that could dissolve in a given volume.

*All the separations from Exp. #25 I discussed in class.

*Know how the Ksp tables relate to the solubility rules and how they are both used to determine if a precipitate will form.

*Know how to predict if a precipitate will form or not form when two reagents are added together.

*Anything from the the notes from Lectures #1-4 will be fair game.

*Be sure you know how to perform the following questions from the solubility homework set: 1-18, 19-22, and 58-71.

Lecture #4, Monday, April 5th

Today I went over the concepts behind the separations in Exp #25 Group I. This content serves two purposes: #1. To get you to understand the concepts behind the lab you are performing, and #2. To set the stage and introduce some concepts such as the common ion effect, which will enable us to manipulate solubility.

After describing the separations from Group I, I calculated the molar solubility of Cd(OH)2 given the amount (in grams) that dissolved per liter. I then used this example to tie into the common ion effect, which directly ties into Le Chatlier's principle to predict the solubility of a slightly soluble salt.

The four main factors influencing solubility that we will look over in class are:

1. Common Ion Effect
2. pH
3. Complex Ion Formation
4. Amphoterism

I did a calculation of the common ion effect today and briefly introduced the strong acids and bases. The following link shows the complete list of strong acids and strong bases. Everything else is weak. You will need to know this list in order to determine how acidic/basic the salts of conjugate acids/bases are. We will start class on Wed. covering how pH influences solubility.

Song played before class:
Rihanna - Umbrella

Friday, April 2, 2010

Lecture #3, Friday, April 2nd

Today's class started with me performing a calculation to determine if a particular precipitate will form when you are given the concentrations and volumes of various reagents. Remember that Q can be any concentration you want it to be, and the K, or Ksp, is the concentrations at equilibrium.

I then introduced Qualitative Analysis. A qual. scheme is designed to answer the question "What is present?" The "Clueless" episode from the second season of the hit TV show House, which premiered on the FOX network on March 28, 2006, has a "real world" application of the qualitative analysis scheme. House was certain that his patient was being poisoned by a heavy metal toxin. His intuition tells him that this toxin is gold and he sets out to prove that he is right.

He heads back to his house and grabs a vial of stannous chloride and after he applies the solution to the suspects hands it turns purple, confirming gold is present.

In Experiment #25 you get to act as a "detective" in the same manner House did and will need to identify which cations are present in an unknown sample. You will have four lab periods to identify unknowns from Group I, II, and III. Be sure to read pages 35-37 of the lab manual as it describes how the ions are separated into groups. These grouping are based on solubility, and as I showed in class, to a first approximation we can use the Ksp table to see which ions will precipitate when we add a particular reagent.

I will do my best to explain the fundamental concepts in this lab and relate them to solubility. For instance, Ag+ and Pb2+ are both contained in group I, but Pb2+ is also present in trace amounts in Group II, but Ag+ never is. The reagent used to isolate the Ag+ and Pb2+ ions from the other cations is cold, dilute HCl. I did a calculation relating the Ksp to the molar solubility then calculated the amount of AgCl and PbCl2 that will dissolve in 4 mL of water.

We will discuss more on the experimental conditions of Exp. #25 Group I and introduce the concept of complex ion to start on Monday.

Over the weekend you should be sure to have the Ksp report question quiz finished by 10:00 pm tonight and you should work on the pre-lab for Exp #25.

If you have been keeping up with the material, you should have read sections 17.4, 17.6, 17.7 and you should be able to handle homework questions 1-18, 19-23, and 58-71.

I hope everyone has a Happy Easter!

Songs played before class:
Kenny Chesney - Summertime
Jay Sean - Down (ft. Lil Wayne)

Thursday, April 1, 2010

Lecture #2, Wednesday, March 31st

Today in lecture I started on our first "unit," which is SOLUBILITY. Solubility was first introduced to us back in Chapter 4 of the textbook and we were only given a chart of "solubility guidelines" telling us if an ionic substance is "soluble" or "insoluble" in aqueous solution. This table is a way to represent solubility in a qualitative sense, but in this course we will look at solubility in a quantitative sense, or we will determine the exact amount of a substance that dissolves.

To determine just how much solute will dissolve in an aqueous solution, chemists can analyze the equilibrium constant, or Ksp. The Ksp is a measure of how much of a solid dissolves to form a saturated solution.

Typically Ksp tables are generated for various inorganic compounds. The chart listed here is shown in the appendix of the lab manual. There is a relationship between these two tables. Focus a minute on the chlorides in the solubility rules table. All chlorides are soluble with the exception of Ag+, Pb2+, and Hg22+ . These are all insoluble, or will form precipitates. All other chlorides will remain in solution. This can now be used as an effective separation technique if we want to isolate Ag+, Pb2+, and Hg22+ from any other cations. This is exactly the case for Exp #25 Group I in the qualitative analysis. If you look at the following figure you can now start to see the relationship between these two tables. If a compound is "insoluble," or more accurately, "slightly soluble" there will be a Ksp value associated with it. The smaller the value for the Ksp, the less soluble a substance is. Let me reiterate that The Ksp is a measure of how much of a solid dissolves to form a saturated solution.

I also discussed Molar Solubility and started class giving you a list of five compounds and asked which one had the largest molar solubility. This is a very common question you will encounter on my quizzes/exams and it will definitely show up on standardized exams such as the MCAT.

Remember that the solubility of a substance is the quantity that dissolves to form a saturated solution, while the the Ksp is the equilibrium constant established and its magnitude can be used to make predictions about solubility. We can directly relate the solubility of compounds with the same ratio of cation:anion, but if two compounds have a different ratio of cation:anion you must perform a calculation using an ICE table in order to predict which compound is more (or less) soluble.

Chemists love the fact that they can predict what will happen in the lab before it even happens. The question we want to ask ourselves now is how can we predict whether a precipitate forms when we add two solutions together? In chemistry 121 the solubility rules were our guide for this, but these guidelines were not very specific about what concentration must be used to facilitate a precipitation reaction. We can selectively separate when various precipitates form by manipulating the concentrations of ions that are mixed together. The reaction quotient, Q, is obtained when concentrations of reactants are inserted into an equilibrium expression. If we are at equilibrium we have a special case of Q that we refer to as K. I performed an example of Q vs. K by analyzing solutions of silver nitrate and potassium chloride.

If you are asked to predict if a precipitate will form you need to calculate Q and compare it to K. In general, if:

Q < K no precipitate forms

Q = K the solution is at equilibrium

Q > K a precipitate will form

We will use these same concepts of solubility to discuss the Qualitative Analysis scheme in Exp. #25 in class on Friday.

I will try my best to keep this blog updated after every lecture and I will post the materials you will be responsible for on the quizzes and exams on here as well. As always I would appreciate any comments or suggestions as to how to make this resource more valuable to you as a student.

To be keeping up with the material up to this point you should do the following:

*Go to Carmen and read the entire syllabus and know what your expectations and responsibilities are for this course.

*Read Section 17.4, 17.6, and 17.7 in the textbook.

*Read pages 35-37 and 39-45 of the lab manual and start working on the pre-lab for Exp #25 Group I.

*Complete problems 1-18 on the solubility homework set.

Song Played Before Class:
The Who: Baba O'Riley

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Lecture #1 Course Material and Syllabus Overview

Today in lecture I went over the course details from the syllabus, shared a few inspirational quotes, and emphasized that understanding the concepts in the homework sets will be the key to success in this course. Take note that I said "understanding the concepts" in the homework sets, not simply "completing" the homework sets.

Some students get the idea that chemistry professors ask "tricky" questions on exams. We ask questions to see if students understand the material. At The Ohio State University we have a standard of excellence that we must maintain. Part of this is that the A students know the material inside and out. In order to evaluate your knowledge, and separate the A students from the rest of the pack, we need to ask challenging questions involving multiple concepts on the quizzes and exams. I always say that a perfectly written exam will end up with one student getting a 100% and will also separate all the students and give a nice distribution. If this is your definition of "tricky" questions, then yes, expect to see plenty of them on the exams.

I briefly touched over Ksp in the first lecture, but it is a concept that is nearly identical to the concepts covered in chemistry 122, so the lab example problems should have been easy to handle. If you want to get a jump on the material, you should have no problem completing problems 1-18 from the solubility homework set by the end of lecture tomorrow.

I was very happy to see some great evaluation comments from everyone and will post a detailed description of them later tonight. I hope everyone enjoyed the first day of class and had a great start to spring quarter :)

Songs Before Class:
Bruce Springsteen: Glory Days
Mase: Welcome Back

Friday, March 12, 2010

Last Lecture

A few quick announcements:

Final Solar Cell Lab Report due at 5:00 pm today on the Carmen drop box.

Final Exam Review session is at 7:00 pm on Sunday in 1015 McPherson.

The equations/constants given on the final are posted on Carmen.

If you have an issue with grades please send me an e-mail. I will be spending all day Monday grading the Solar Cell lab final reports and getting all grades in order.

Now on to lecture, today I finished the nuclear chemistry unit by briefly performing a half-life calculation and discussing medicinal uses of nuclear chemistry in cancer treatments.

I then discussed the general chemistry concepts we learned this quarter that are involved in cancer research.

Finally, I shared some details from the life of my mother and her battle with cancer. I more detailed description of how things went down can be found here.

For the first time giving this lecture I wrote down the final message I wanted to give and honestly, it never comes out right because I talk too much before hand and run out of time. But basically, I want each of you to think about what Jimmy V said in his ESPY speech about knowing where you came from, where you are, and where you wanna be. Thank those who allowed you to get where you are today. Work hard right now to get where you wanna be.

I would like nothing more than for everyone in class to be successful, both in their academic/professional and personal lives. It takes hard work to get to that point. My last challenge is to #1 Be sure to thank everyone who allowed you to get where you are today. Tell your parents you love them every chance you get because you never know when your last opportunity will be to do so. #2. Don't let anyone outwork you. #3. Dream big and set your goals high and don't let anyone tell you that you cannot accomplish the things you can set your mind to.

At The Ohio State University they say "Amazing Happens." The reason "amazing" happens is because students and administration work hard to get where they are. They didn't just let things happen they made things happen. I want all of you to make it happen.

I wish everyone in here can accomplish their dreams. By being able to teach each and every one of you, I am living mine.

I wish you nothing but the best in the future. Be sure to study your ass off for the final :)

God Bless, Dr. Fus

P.S. Thank you Evan "The Villian" Turner GO BUCKS!

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Solar Cell Voltage Readings

Grace Mbogo
Top Gun: 320 mV
No Name: 270 mV
Pomegranaters: 306 mV
The Blue Barracudas: 323 mV

Yujie Sun
Good Guys: 291 mV
SJWL: 170 mV
Berry Cell: 331 mV
Darkwing Ducks: 458 mV
Group 1: 225 mV; 350 mV
Rocket Power: 92 mV

Andrew Zane

Fantastic Six: 312 mV
The Fusinators: 259 mV
Momo: 330 mV
Team K: 245 mV
Nord: 89 mV

Alex Bernard
1337: 347 mV; 295 mV; 311 mV
Team Sufficient: 4449 mV; 332 mV
2nd Row Dragons: 275 mV
Purple Chokeberries: 214 mV; 340 mV
No Name: 356 mV
Group Voltage: 236 mV; 256 mV

Simon Pondaven
JABS: 285 mV; 146 mV
Team Awesome: 280 mV
Doll: 271 mV; 250 mV
GAV: 371 mV; 286 mV
Phillips: 109 mV; 220 mV
The Back Corner Group: 129 mV; 234 mV

Grace Mbogo
Night Watchmen: 206 mV
Team Anything Cool: 239 mV
We Love Donuts: 69 mV
Outlaws: 395 mV
No Name: 302 mV
Earthworm: 327 mV

Scott Burya
Team Tricx: 331 mV; 372 mV
Team Mangosteen: 415 mV
Group #1: 294 mV
Team America: 197 mV
The Champs: 272 mV

Tamara Beilke
Bad Asses: 350 mV; 247 mV
Gryffindor: 248 mV
Jack Bauer: 265 mV
Dr. Fus Beaters: 200 mV
The Stainers: 368 mV

Ishika Sinha
Jamesha and the Mavericks: 309 mV; 321 mV
Unununium: 180 mV; 286 mV; 26 mV
Purple Carrots: 260 mV; 83 mV; 150 mV
Team Domination: 230 mV; 85 mV
No Name: 96 mV; 362 mV
Very Berry: 269 mV; 179 mV

Kevin Cassidy
Team Testosterone: 312 mV; 280 mV; 249 mV
Team Muhammad!!!: 122 mV; 56 mV
Team Nasty: 269 mV
3 Dudes and a Chick: 93 mV
Thundercats!: 27 mV
No Name: 61 mV; 182 mV

Thi Trinh

The Biscuit Eaters: 352 mV
Team Peter North: 330 mV
12: 324 mV
Team Odwalla: 301 mV; 219 mV
The Three Best Friends That Anyone Could Have: 333 mV
Electric Slide: 255 mV; 438 mV

Lecture #29, Wednesday, March 10th

Today I continued with the last part of the alternate energy unit, which consists of topics from nuclear chemistry. I began lecture by stating that chemistry is an experimental science where measurements are made. Chemists observe reactions in the lab and then put together theories and equations based on these observations. I listed various observations on the stability of various isotopes and also showed an example of alpha and beta emissions and ended on the topic of half-life.

On Friday I will finish the nuclear chemistry section and discuss the evaluation comments.

Monday, March 8, 2010

Make-Up Quiz

If you happened to miss one of the report question quizzes on Carmen, there is a make-up quiz posted. It is due at the time of the final and there are absolutely no exceptions to the cut off date.

Lecture #28, Monday, March 8th

Today in class I started with Nuclear Chemistry. Nuclear chemistry has become increasingly popular in recent years due to its applications in medicinal chemistry as well as an alternate energy source.

Continuing with our alternate energy theme, Einstein's famous equation, E = mc2, allows us to calculate the energy we can gain from nuclear reactions.

There are some key differences between chemical and nuclear reactions. They are...

*In a chemical reaction the electrons react outside the nucleus, while in a nuclear reaction, the protons and neutrons react inside the nucleus.

*In a chemical reaction the same number of each kind of of atom appear in the products and reactants, while in a nuclear reaction, elements transmute into other elements.

*In a chemical isotopes react in the same manner, while in a nuclear reaction, the isotopes react differently.

*Chemical reactions depend on the chemical combination of the reactants, while nuclear reactions are independent of chemical combination.

*In a chemical reaction mass is conserved, while in a nuclear reaction, mass changes are detectable.

*In a chemical reaction the energy changes due to mass are relatively equal, while in a chemical reaction the energy changes due to mass are on the order of 108 Joules.

Be sure to review isotopes and how we write chemical symbols for isotopes and know what a radioisotope is. I also went over alpha, beta, and gamma decay. Be able to identify any missing reactants and/or products in each of these nuclear reactions and we will discuss more detailed nuclear reactions, and the relative stability of radioisotopes in class on Wed.

Sunday, March 7, 2010

Final Exam Material

The final exam will be worth 250 points and it will consist of 42 questions each worth 6 points each. The relative breakdown will be something like this:

10 Questions
: Electrochemistry

10 Questions: Thermochemistry

10 Questions: Solubility

5 Questions
: Transition Metal Chemistry

3 Questions: Nuclear Chemistry

3 Questions: Modern Materials

1 Question: Material Taken from the Last Lecture of the year

There is a little flexibility as I can try to make questions around multiple topics, but that will be the general break-down. Let me know if you have any questions.

Friday, March 5, 2010

Lecture #27, Friday, March 5th

Today we discussed the theory of how a dye sensitized solar cell works, particularly the one we constructed in class using titanium dioxide. TiO2 by itself cannot conduct electricity and neither can the dye you chose. But if you combine them together and use a redox couple, we can make a Gratzel cell.

After discussing the theory of how our "Donut Solar Cells" operate, I went over the breakdown of the 250 points for the Solar Cell lab. They will be as follows:

25 pts: Relative Amount of TiO2 extracted from the donut

25 pts: Uniform thickness of TiO2 film deposited on conducting glass

100 pts: Rational explanation for choice of dye

100 pts: Final Report

If you want to get a head start on the final report, you will need to write up what you did, similar to a procedure, but it needs to be written in a scientific manner. I would first suggest writing out a step by step numerical procedure, then put everything in paragraph form.

I also briefly discussed an overview of the contents of a research paper and will start with that on Monday.

Next week we will conclude our alternate energy unit (and the class in general, which is so sad that we only have three lectures left :( by looking at nuclear chemistry. If you want to get ahead of the material, read the first part of 21.6 and all of sections 21.1 - 21.4.