CHM345A - Inorganic Chemistry I

1. Representative Chemistry of Main-Group Elements (15)
(a) Organometallic Chemistry of Lithium and Magnesium: synthesis, structure and reactivity
(b) Chemistry of Boron: boranes, bonding in boranes, topology of boranes, synthesis and reactivity, carboranes and metallacarboranes. New Lewis acids based on boron; polymer-supported Lewis acids
(c) Chemistry of Aluminum: Aluminum alkyls, use of aluminum alkyls in polymerization of olefins
(d) C60 and carbon nanotubes: discovery, preparation and selected reactions
(e) Chemistry of Silicon: organosilicon compounds, silicates and aluminosilicates

2. Unusual Compounds of Main-Group Elements (10)
(a) Multiple bonding in heavier main-group elements, unusual compounds of main-group elements: (i) Si-Si double bond, Si-Si triple bond, P-P double bond, Bi-Bi double bond, synthesis, structure and reactivity
(b) Chemistry of low-valent compounds: Synthesis, structure and bonding models and reactivity of Al(I), Si(II) low-valent compounds
(c) Chemistry of stable N-heterocyclic carbenes, use of carbenes in catalysis
(d) Inorganic rings and polymers: cyclo and heterocyclophosphazenes, polysilanes, borazine and boron nitride
3. Chemistry of halogens and noble gases: recent trends, CFC’s and ozone layer (2) 
4. Organometallic Chemistry (15) (a) σ–bonded systems: metal-alkyls, -aryls and -hydrides, stability, preparation and reactivity, metal-carbonyls, metal-phosphines, metal-nitrosyls, metal-isocyanides: structures, reactivity and bonding, Metal-carbenes, metal-carbynes, Fischer carbenes, Schrock carbenes, complexes with N-heterocyclic carbenes, olefin metathesis   (b)π-bonded systems: metal-olefins, -alkyls, -alkynes, -dienes, Cp and Cp*, structure, bonding and reactivity (c) Applications of organometallics in organic synthesis: C-C bond coupling reactions (Heck, Sonogashira, Suzuki), reduction using transition metal hydrides, asymmetric hydrogenation