3In
Inorganic Chemistry
The periodic table in depth: bonding, solids, main-group and transition-metal chemistry.
My level
3.1 Atoms and periodicity
- Electron configurationGCSEA-LevelUndergradShells, subshells and orbitals; the aufbau principle and its exceptions.
- Periodic trendsGCSEA-LevelUndergradAtomic radius, ionisation energy, electron affinity and electronegativity across periods and down groups.
3.2 Bonding and structure
- Ionic bonding and lattice energyGCSEA-LevelUndergradIonic lattices, Born-Haber cycles and lattice-energy models.
- Covalent bondingGCSEA-LevelUndergradShared pairs, dative bonds, bond length and bond enthalpy.
- Shapes of molecules (VSEPR)A-LevelUndergradPredicting geometry from electron-pair repulsion.
- Valence bond theory and hybridisationA-LevelUndergradOrbital overlap, sigma and pi bonds and hybrid orbitals.
- Metallic bonding and band theoryGCSEA-LevelUndergradDelocalised electrons, band structure, metals, semiconductors and insulators.
- Solid-state structuresUndergradClose packing, holes, common structure types and radius ratios.
- Defects and semiconductorsUndergradPhDPoint defects, non-stoichiometry, doping and ionic conductivity.
3.3 Symmetry
- Symmetry elements and point groupsUndergradPhDAssigning point groups and using symmetry to classify molecules.
- Symmetry in bonding and spectroscopyUndergradPhDSymmetry-adapted linear combinations and IR/Raman selection rules.
3.4 Acids, bases and redox
- Brønsted, Lewis and HSABA-LevelUndergradProton transfer, electron-pair donation and hard-soft acid-base preferences.
- Latimer, Frost and Pourbaix diagramsUndergradPhDVisualising oxidation-state stability, disproportionation and pH dependence.
- Ellingham diagrams and extractionA-LevelUndergradThermodynamics of reducing ores and choosing a reductant.
3.5 Main-group chemistry
- Groups 1 and 2GCSEA-LevelUndergradAlkali and alkaline-earth metals, their reactions, compounds and trends.
- HydrogenA-LevelUndergradHydrides, hydrogen bonding and hydrogen as a fuel.
- Group 13 and boron clustersUndergradPhDElectron-deficient bonding, boranes and Wade's rules.
- Group 14A-LevelUndergradCarbon, silicon and the inert-pair effect down the group.
- Group 15: nitrogen and phosphorusA-LevelUndergradNitrogen fixation, oxides, ammonia and phosphorus chemistry.
- Group 16: oxygen and sulfurA-LevelUndergradOxides, peroxides, sulfur allotropes and oxoacids.
- Halogens and noble gasesGCSEA-LevelUndergradHalogen reactivity and displacement, interhalogens and xenon compounds.
3.6 Transition metals and coordination chemistry
- Transition-metal characteristicsA-LevelUndergradVariable oxidation states, coloured ions, complex formation and catalytic activity.
- Ligands, nomenclature and isomerismA-LevelUndergradDenticity, coordination numbers, geometric and optical isomers.
- Crystal field theoryA-LevelUndergradd-orbital splitting, high and low spin and crystal field stabilisation energy.
- Ligand field theoryUndergradPhDMO treatment of complexes, π-donor and π-acceptor ligands and the spectrochemical series.
- Magnetic properties of complexesUndergradPhDParamagnetism, spin-only moments and magnetic susceptibility.
- Electronic spectra of complexesUndergradPhDd-d and charge-transfer bands, Tanabe-Sugano diagrams and Racah parameters.
- The Jahn-Teller effectUndergradPhDDistortion of degenerate electronic states and its structural signatures.
- Complex stability and the chelate effectA-LevelUndergradStepwise and overall formation constants, the chelate effect and Irving-Williams series.
- Reaction mechanisms of complexesUndergradPhDLigand substitution (associative, dissociative, interchange), the trans effect and electron transfer.
3.7 f-block
- LanthanidesUndergradPhDThe lanthanide contraction, +3 chemistry and luminescence.
- ActinidesUndergradPhDRadioactivity, multiple oxidation states and nuclear fuel chemistry.
3.8 Organometallic chemistry
- Electron counting and the 18-electron ruleUndergradPhDCovalent and ionic counting, oxidation states and when the rule fails.
- Metal carbonyls and π-acceptor ligandsUndergradPhDσ-donation and π-back-bonding, CO stretching frequencies, phosphines and cone angles.
- Elementary organometallic reactionsUndergradPhDOxidative addition, reductive elimination, migratory insertion and β-hydride elimination.
- Metallocenes and π-complexesUndergradPhDFerrocene and relatives; η-notation and hapticity.
3.9 Bioinorganic and materials
- Bioinorganic chemistryUndergradPhDMetals in biology: oxygen transport, metalloenzymes and metallodrugs.
- Zeolites, MOFs and porous frameworksUndergradPhDFramework structures, porosity and applications in separation and catalysis.