Course overview
This course covers a range of topics to highlight the importance of Inorganic Chemistry in the world today and provide graduates with relevant job-ready skills. It covers aspects of the chemistry of metals from different parts of the periodic table including the heavy transition metals, lanthanides (rare earth metals) and main group metals. Included are applications of these metal complexes in medicine (e.g. those used as anti-cancer drugs and for medical imaging) and catalysis (e.g. enantioselective drug synthesis and petrochemicals). The course will also provide an in depth understanding of the analytical techniques used to interrogate the properties and structures of these metallodrugs and catalysts including vibrational and optical spectroscopy, magnetism, nuclear magnetic resonance and X-ray diffraction.
Course learning outcomes
- Describe and compare the distinct properties of different elements from all areas of the periodic table and how these properties are used to develop and design applications for metal-containing complexes.
- understand the thermodynamic and kinetic properties of the reactions of metal complexes and the importance of these properties in designing metal-containing drugs, imaging agents and catalysts.
- understand the fundamental and applied aspects of different inorganic species and the analytical techniques used to interrogate metal-ligand complexes and other inorganic species
- demonstrate proficiency in undertaking individual and/or team-based laboratory investigations using appropriate apparatus and safe laboratory practices, including the collection, analysis, interpretation and communication of results of an experiment.
- apply an integrated knowledge of various of molecular structure determination techniques to identify and/or characterise chemical compounds from experimental data.