Department of Chemistry, Unit Catalogue 2008/09 |
CH40163 Advanced f-block chemistry |
| Credits: 3 |
| Level: Masters |
| Semester: 2 |
| Assessment: EX100 |
| Requisites: |
| Before taking this unit you must (take CH10133 and take CH20147) or (take CH10134 and take CH20148) |
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Aims: To provide an understanding of the chemistry of the 4f (lanthanide) and 5f (actinide) elements and their increasingly technologically important compounds. To contrast the chemistry of the lanthanides and actinide elements with each other and with the chemistry of the d-block elements.
Learning Outcomes: At the end of the unit the students will: * understand the influence of the 4f (lanthanide contraction) and 5f valence orbitals upon the chemistry of the lanthanide elements. * know and understand the basic solid state, coordination chemistry and organometallic chemistry of the 4f and 5f elements. * be able to evaluate and predict the differences in the chemistry of lanthanide complexes and actinide complexes in terms of the oxidation states, ionisation energies and redox chemistry. * be able to compare and contrast the chemistry of the f-block element with those of the d-block, identifying differences in the chemistries of the two sets of elements in terms of their oxidation states, redox properties and coordination numbers. Skills: Numeracy (F, A), Problem solving (T, F, A), Scientific writing (F, A), Independent working (F), Group working (F). Content: Introduction to the 4f elements, the lanthanides. Shapes and nature of the f-orbitals. Oxidation states. The lanthanide contraction. Extraction and isolation of the lanthanides. Introduction to lanthanide chemistry. Solid state compounds, halides and oxides. Divalent and tetravalent compounds. Electronic configurations, magnetism and spectroscopy. Lanthanide coordination chemistry and shift reagents. Use in organic synthesis. Organolanthanide chemistry and organometallic catalysis. Actinide occurrence and synthesis. The 5f orbitals; comparison to lanthanide chemistry. Applications of actinide elements. Actinide oxidation states and coordination chemistry. Spectroscopy. Actinide organometallic chemistry. |