Inorganic Chemistry Lecture Notes

Introduction to Inorganic Chemistry

• Inorganic chemistry involves the synthesis and behavior of inorganic and organometallic compounds.
• Focuses on non-carbon-based compounds, differing from organic chemistry.
• Overlaps with organometallic chemistry, which involves metal-carbon bonds.
• Applications in:
  • Catalysis
  • Materials science
  • Pigments
  • Surfactants
  • Coatings
  • Medications
  • Fuels
  • Agriculture

Occurrence of Inorganic Compounds

• Found naturally as minerals, e.g., iron sulfide (pyrite) and calcium sulfate (gypsum).
• In biological roles:
  • Electrolytes such as sodium chloride
  • Energy storage like ATP
  • Structural roles in DNA (e.g., polyphosphate backbone)

Bonding in Inorganic Compounds

• Ionic Compounds: Formed from cations and anions (e.g., NaCl, MgCl2).
• Covalent Compounds: Highly covalent nature (e.g., sulfur dioxide).
• Polar covalent bonding common in oxides, carbonates, and halides.
• Inorganic compounds often have high melting points and solubility in water.

Acid-Base Chemistry

• Involves exchange of protons where compounds can act as Lewis acids or bases.
• HSAB theory considers polarizability and size of ions in interactions.

Subdivisions of Inorganic Chemistry

• Organometallic Chemistry: Metal-carbon bonds.
• Cluster Chemistry: Compounds with metal-metal bonds or bridging ligands.
• Bioinorganic Chemistry: Biomolecules with metals with medicinal chemistry applications.
• Materials and Solid State Chemistry: Extended solids, ceramics.

Industrial Inorganic Chemistry

• A measure of a nation's productivity by sulfuric acid production.
• Ammonium Nitrate: Key for fertilization, synthesized via the Haber process.
• Catalysts: Vanadium(V) oxide, titanium(III) chloride.

Descriptive Inorganic Chemistry

• Classification based on properties and periodic table position.

Coordination Compounds

• Metals bound to ligands (e.g., EDTA chelating Co3+).
• Varying structures: tetrahedral, square planar, octahedral.

Main Group Compounds

• Includes elements from periodic table groups I-VII.
• Common examples: SiO2, SnCl4, N2O.
  • Also includes organometallic examples like B(CH3)3.

Organometallic Compounds

• Contain M-C-H group, often require special preparative methods.
• Examples: Ferrocene, molybdenum hexacarbonyl.

Bioinorganic Compounds

• Naturally occurring, but include pollutants and drugs.
• Focus on electron and energy transfer in proteins.

Solid State Compounds

• Focus on structure and bonding.
• Examples: Silicon chips, zeolites, superconductors.

Spectroscopy and Magnetism

• Inorganic compounds often magnetic or colored, aiding in structural analysis.

Qualitative Theories

• Theories like VSEPR and crystal field theory help predict structures and magnetism.

Molecular Symmetry Group Theory

• Uses group theory to describe molecular shapes and predict spectroscopic features.

Thermodynamics and Inorganic Chemistry

• Focuses on energies of reactions, including redox potential and phase changes.

Mechanistic Inorganic Chemistry

• Focuses on reaction pathways and mechanisms.
• Main Group Elements: Often form hypervalent compounds.
• Transition Metal Complexes: Unique due to d-orbital involvement.

Characterization Techniques

• Methods include X-ray crystallography and various spectroscopies (UV-visible, NMR, infrared).

Synthetic Inorganic Chemistry

• Many inorganic species are synthesized in labs or plants.
• Techniques vary by volatility and solubility of reactants.