CHM 236H 2024: INTRODUCTORY INORGANIC CHEMISTRY I

Fall Semester Course Syllabus

I TEACHING TEAM

Prof. Robert H. Morris

[email protected]
Office: Davenport Labs, room 344, 80 Saint George St.
Student hours: 4-5 pm Mondays or by appointment
Research:
https://sites.chem.utoronto.ca/chemistry/staff/rmorris/index.php

Tutor
Name: Pedro Mendez Ocampo
Email: [email protected]
Office: Davenport Labs, room 342, 80 Saint George St.
Student hours:
Research:
https://sites.chem.utoronto.ca/chemistry/staff/DSONG/home.html

II COURSE OVERVIEW
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
Inorganic chemistry is the chemistry of all of the elements of the periodic table and
includes the synthesis of the largest volume chemicals on the earth, coordination
geometries found in enzymes and oxygen carriers, the key energy-generating and
pollution scrubbing reactions and catalysts needed for a green planet, and compounds
with the magnetic and electronic properties that are exploited in modern electronic and
photonic devices. This is the first part (followed by CHM237H and then CHM338H) of a
two-year sequence in Inorganic Chemistry, designed to illustrate and systematize the rich
variety of structures, physical properties, and reactions of compounds of the elements
across and down the Periodic Table. It describes the origins of elements and isotopes, the
structure of the multielectron atom, the periodic trends of element structure and
properties, theories of bonding, acid-base and redox reactions of molecular compounds
and transition metal complexes and applications of this chemistry in the world, ionic,
metallic, semiconducting, and molecular solids, with applications in advanced
technologies. This course is recommended for students interested in learning more
broadly about the chemistry across the periodic table.

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STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES:
Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:
 Identify elements and isotopes account for their abundance.
 Identify and draw orbitals from the quantum numbers
 . Calculating effective nuclear charges and relating these to the periodic properties
of multielectron atoms
 .. Explain the bonding of diatomics using molecular orbital theory.
 Explain the bonding of polyatomic atoms using simple bonding models. Contrast
the valence bond and molecular orbital approaches to bonding.
 Identify from their molecular structure the type of acid or base and its relative
strength
 Identify oxidants and reductants and list factors that determine their reduction
potentials
 Construct thermodynamic cycles that quantify the strength of acids and the lattice
energies of ionic solids
 Identify common acids and bases, oxidants and reductants in industry, in the home
and in research.
 Know and draw the structure of simple ligands and their transition metal
complexes.
 Identify hard and soft acids and bases.
 Identify and draw types of isomers of square planar and octahedral complexes.
 Appreciate and make simple drawings of the structures and energetics of
molecular, semiconducting, and ionic solids.
 Research a topic and present it as a recording
PREREQUISITE COURSE(S):
This course assumes you have a fundamental understanding of content covered in CHM
151Y/(CHM 135H, CHM 136H1) with a minimum grade of 63% in those courses. More
specifically, this includes the following:
 A knowledge of components of matter – atoms and ions, simple molecules and
polyatomic ions and their masses, chemical formulas.
 The nature of light, atomic spectra, the quantum-mechanical model of atoms. An
introduction to the build-up of the period table and the electron configuration of
the elements.
 A knowledge of the basic theories of bonding.
 Shapes of molecules using Lewis structures, valence bond and VSEPR theory.
 Molecular orbital theory of at least dihydrogen and preferably of the 2nd row
element diatomics.
 Writing and balancing chemical equations involving simple acids and bases and
oxidation and reduction reactions in water.
 Introductory equilibria, thermodynamics, kinetics and electrochemistry
 An introduction to the structural features of solids..
This course is a prerequisite for CHM 237H (Introductory Inorganic Chemistry II).

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READINGS:
Required:
- Inorganic Chemistry, 4th or later edition, C. Housecroft, Pearson, New York (2018
or later). Selected topics and questions from chapters 1-20; 28; also available as ebook
from e.g. https://uoftbookstore.vitalsource.com/products/inorganic-chemistry-
catherine-housecroft-v9781292134161?term=9781292134161
- Course Notes (available on Quercus only)
Supplementary:
- Chemistry: The Molecular Nature of Matter and Change, Silberberg.
INTERCHAPTER.
- Inorganic Chemistry. By Weller, Overton, Rourke and Armstrong. 7th Edition.
Oxford U. Press. 2018.
III COURSE ORGANIZATION
This course is organized by:
 two classes each week (Mon. in MP102 and Wed. MP202) at 3:10 pm starting on
September 4, 2024 (CHM 236H LEC0101) given by Prof. Robert Morris
 one tutorial for each of two sections (TUT0101 Thurs. 1-2 pm BL325; TUT0201
Fri. 11-12 RW117) given by Pedro Mendez Ocampo. In five of these tutorials, an
online quiz through Quercus will be held in the last ten minutes. Please attend
your assigned tutorial!
 The list of topics of lectures in the Course Schedule below is subject to change due
to unforeseen circumstances.
Course Schedule
FALL DATES WEEK TOPICS
Sept. 4 1 Introduction
Sept. 5,6 First tutorial. Choosing presentations. Use of the
library resources
Sept. 9, 11 2 Origin, nature and stability of elements and
isotopes. Atoms and periodic trends
Sept. 12, 13 Tutorial 2. Choosing presentations. Use of library
resources.
Sept. 16, 18 3 Atomic structure. Bonding.
Sept. 19, 20 Tutorial 3. In tutorial quiz 1
Choose your presentation topic before Sept 21
Sept. 23, 25 4 Bonding. Symmetry.
Sept. 26, 27 Tutorial 4. In tutorial quiz 2
Sept 30, Oct 2 5 Symmetry, Molecular orbital theory
Oct. 3, 4 Tutorial 5.
Oct. 7 6 TEST, Oct 7, 5:10-7:00 pm.
Oct. 9 Lecture continued on Molecular orbital theory
Oct. 10, 11 Tutorial 6. In tutorial quiz 3
Oct 14 7 Thanksgiving holiday – no class
Oct. 16 Midterm test answers, bonding
Oct 21, 23 8 Reactions: Acids and bases
Oct. 24, 25 Tutorial 7. In tutorial quiz 4
Oct. 28 -Nov. 1 9 Fall reading week

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 Nov. 4, Nov. 6 10 Transition metals and coordination chemistry.
Nov. 7, 8 Tutorial 8.
Nov. 11, 13 11 Transition metals and coordination chemistry.
Redox reactions and electrochemistry.
Nov. 14, 15 Tutorial 9. In tutorial quiz 5
Nov. 18, 20 10 Redox reactions and electrochemistry. Solids.
Nov. 21, 22 Tutorial 10. Research in our Department.
Nov. 21 Online student presentations due before Nov.
22 and online participation due by Nov. 29
Nov. 25-29 11 Online student discussion of presentations
Nov. 25, 27 Lattices. Structure determination.
Nov. 28, 29 Tutorial 11. Exam preparation
Dec. 2 12 Lattices and materials

Dec. 10-20 Final exam TBA

TUTORIAL OBJECTIVES:
Tutor takes up questions assigned by RHM and provides study help. Questions
will be presented in tutorial and students will submit answers using Quercus Quiz
features (student required to bring personal laptop or mobile device; please contact
instructor beforehand if this is an issue to be accommodated). Midterm/exam
preparation sessions and take-up will also be held for students during this time.

IV EVALUATION/GRADING SCHEME
OVERVIEW:
1. Quizzes in the tutorials to be answered at Quercus website (4 of 5, lowest mark
dropped): 20%
2. Test: 25%
3. Presentation and participation: 25%
4. Final exam 30%

ASSESSMENT DATES & MARK BREAKDOWN:

1. In-tutorial quizzes: 5%* each (*best 4 of 5) = 20% of grade.
 Questions will be posted during last 10 minutes of tutorial, students must submit
the answers online in Quercus Quizzes during their tutorial session to receive
grade. One missed or lowest quiz will be dropped.
2. Test: 25% of grade
 Monday October 7: 60 minutes, to be written at an exam location TBA.
3. Three Minute (no slide limit) Pre-recorded Presentation and Participation: 25% of
grade.
 Choosing your presentation topic: 1%
Choose your topic on Quercus before Sept. 21 (First come, first served, only two
students may choose the same topic).
 Presentation: 20 %
Before Nov. 22 (Deadline Nov. 21), students will upload to Quercus a pre-
recorded video of their PowerPoint presentation, max 3 minutes in length but no
slide limit. A more detailed marking rubric will be provided.
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 
Participation and Discussions: 4% of grade
During the week of Nov 25-29 you are expected to watch at least ten (10) of
your peers’ presentations and post a question on the discussion board to them
(half of the 4% grade). You are expected to respond and address questions posted
to your video (half of the 4% grade).
4. Final exam. 30%.
 3h exam during the exam period Dec. 10-20. Time and place TBA.

Accommodations will be made for students who miss tests for valid reasons. Please email
the instructors immediately.

Notice: if an unexpected technical issue occurs with a university system (e.g., Quercus
services, network outage) that affects availability or functionality, it may be necessary to
revise the timing or weighting of the quizzes/term tests.

V COURSE POLICIES
 Each member of this course is expected to maintain a:

(i) professional and respectful attitude during all course activities, including classes,
tutorials, and online activity.
(ii) personal calendar/schedule/organizer to ensure that all course activities are
completed, and due dates are met.
(iii) collection of notes recorded independently based on concepts covered in course
activities (students registered with Accessibility Services requiring a class note-
taker will have access to this accommodation)
(iv) familiarity with the university policy on Academic Integrity (overleaf)

 The University of Toronto is committed to equity, human rights, and respect for
diversity. All members of the learning environment in this course should strive to
create an atmosphere of mutual respect where all members of our community
can express themselves, engage with each other, and respect one another’s
differences. As a Course Instructor, I will neither condone nor tolerate behaviour
that undermines the dignity or self-esteem of any individual in this course and
wish to be alerted to any attempt to create an intimidating or hostile environment.
It is our collective responsibility to create a space that is inclusive and welcomes
discussion. Discrimination, harassment and hate speech will not be tolerated. If
you have any questions, comments, or concerns, we encourage you to reach out to
the staff in our Equity Offices.

If you are absent from your studies due to illness or other reasons and unable to
complete course work (e.g., a term test or an assignment) then a piece of written
documentation is required. The following four items are the recognized forms of
documentation:
1. Absence Declaration via ACORN (https://registrar.utoronto.ca/policies-and-
guidelines/absence-declaration/) (please note the circumstances under which an
absence declaration can and cannot be submitted)

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 2. U of T Verification of Illness or Injury Form:
(https://registrar.utoronto.ca/policies-and-guidelines/verification-of-illness-or-
injury/)
3. College Registrar’s letter
4. Letter of Academic Accommodation from Accessibility Services

Students who complete the ACORN Absence Declaration form must additionally
contact the course coordinators to discuss their situation within five business days
of the missed piece of work. This is essential action for any consideration to be
granted.

For extended absences and for absences due to non-medical reasons, make sure to
contact your College Registrar’s Office
(https://www.artsci.utoronto.ca/current/academic-advising-and-
support/college-registrars-offices). They can help you decide between a request
for an extension or other types of academic consideration.

If you suspect or know that you have a disability that is affecting your studies,
learn about the services and supports available through Accessibility Services
(https://sidneysmithcommons.artsci.utoronto.ca/can-accessibility-services-help-
me/). A disability can be physical disability, sensory disability, a learning
disability, mental health disorder or a short-term disability like an injury. If you
are not sure whether you have a disability, you can confidentially contact
Accessibility Services with your questions.

 Regarding the Use of Generative AI: Students may use artificial intelligence tools
as an organizational and grammar aid, but all final submitted work must be
original produced by the individual student alone. Students are ultimately
accountable for the work they submit and subject to academic integrity policies.

 Communication with instructor (I will respond to email within 24 hrs. on

weekdays).

 Privacy language and appropriate use of course materials: For additional

information, see the “Copyright” section of this syllabus.

 Policy for late assignment submissions:10% will be deducted daily. Quizzes cannot
be retaken if missed.

 Policy for reweighting due to missed pieces of academic work (for valid reason).
The average of marks for the other assignments of the course will be used to
determine the mark for the missed work. Contact Prof. Morris by email
immediately if you miss assigned work.

 Submission methods: Tutorial quiz questions will be posted during tutorial and
answers submitted through the Quercus Quiz feature. Presentation assessment
will also be submitted as a pre-recorded video through Quercus.
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 Process for requesting re-grading of course work. Contact Prof. Morris
immediately if you wish to request regrading.

VI TECHNOLOGY REQUIREMENTS
 Specific guidance from the U of T Vice-Provost, Students regarding student
technology requirements is available here:
https://www.viceprovoststudents.utoronto.ca/student-policies-guidelines/tech-
requirements-online-learning/

 Advice for students writing online assessments (quizzes etc.):

https://studentlife.utoronto.ca/task/online-exams-and-tests/

 This course requires the use of computers, and technical issues are possible. When
working on a piece of academic work, students are responsible for scheduling
enough time to allow for reasonable delays due to technical difficulties to be
overcome, so such issues will not be acceptable grounds for deadline extension.
Particularly, maintaining an up-to-date independent backup copy of your work is
strongly recommended to guard against hard-drive failures, corrupted files, lost
computers, etc.

VII INSTITUTIONAL POLICIES & SUPPORT

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY
Academic integrity is essential to the pursuit of learning and scholarship in a university,
and to ensuring that a degree from the University of Toronto is a strong signal of each
student’s individual academic achievement. As a result, the University treats cases of
cheating and plagiarism very seriously. The University of Toronto’s Code of Behaviour on
Academic Matters (https://governingcouncil.utoronto.ca/secretariat/policies/code-
behaviour-academic-matters-july-1-2019) outlines the behaviours that constitute
academic dishonesty and the processes for addressing academic offences. Potential
offences include, but are not limited to:

In presentations and assignments:

1. Using someone else’s ideas or words without appropriate acknowledgement.
2. Submitting your own work in more than one course without the permission of the
instructor.
3. Making up sources or facts.
4. Obtaining or providing unauthorized assistance on any report. Please note that
the use of websites (such as Chegg.com or the course discussion board) to
post virtual laboratory report material/questions or to post/access answers
to questions is an academic offence under the University of Toronto’s Code
of Behaviour on Academic Matters. Alleged instances of this nature are
forwarded to the Faculty of Arts & Science Student Academic Integrity office.

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On quizzes and term tests:
1. Using or possessing unauthorized aids. Please note that the use of websites
(such as Chegg.com or the course discussion board) to post quiz/term test
questions or to post/access answers to questions is an academic offence
under the University of Toronto’s Code of Behaviour on Academic Matters.
Alleged instances of this nature are forwarded to the Faculty of Arts &
Science Student Academic Integrity office.
2. Looking at someone else’s answers or collaborating/discussing answers during a
quiz or term test.
3. Misrepresenting your identity.

In general, academic work:

1. Falsifying institutional documents or grades.
2. Falsifying or altering any documentation required by the University.

All suspected cases of academic dishonesty will be investigated following procedures

outlined in the Code of Behaviour on Academic Matters. If you have questions or concerns
about what constitutes appropriate academic behaviour or appropriate research and
citation methods, you are expected to seek out additional information on academic
integrity from your instructor or from other institutional resources (see
https://www.academicintegrity.utoronto.ca/).

COPYRIGHT

If a student wishes to copy or reproduce class presentations, course notes or other

similar materials provided by instructors, he or she must obtain the instructor's written
consent beforehand. Otherwise, all such reproduction is an infringement of copyright and
is absolutely prohibited.

ACCESSIBILITY NEEDS
Students with diverse learning styles and needs are welcome in this course. The
University of Toronto is committed to accessibility: if you require accommodations for a
disability, or have any other accessibility concerns about the course, please contact
Accessibility Services (https://studentlife.utoronto.ca/department/accessibility-
services/) as soon as possible.

ACCOMMODATIONS FOR RELIGIOUS OBSERVANCES

Following the University's policies, reasonable accommodations will be made for
students who observe religious holy days that coincide with the due date/time of an
assignment, tutorial, class or laboratory session. Students must inform the instructor
before the session/assignment date to arrange accommodations.

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ADDITIONAL SERVICES & SUPPORT
The following are some important links to help you with academic and/or technical
service and support:

 General student services and resources at Student Life

(https://studentlife.utoronto.ca/)
 Full library service through University of Toronto Libraries
(https://onesearch.library.utoronto.ca/)
 Resources on conducting online research through University Libraries Research
(https://onesearch.library.utoronto.ca/research)
 Resources on academic support from the Academic Success Centre
(https://studentlife.utoronto.ca/department/centre-for-learning-strategy-
support/)
 Learner support at the Writing Centre (https://writing.utoronto.ca/)
 Information for Quercus Support (https://learn.utoronto.ca/help/quercus-
support)

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF TRADITIONAL LANDS

We wish to acknowledge this land on which the University of Toronto operates. For
thousands of years, it has been the traditional land of the Huron-Wendat, the Seneca and,
most recently, the Mississaugas of the Credit River. Today, this meeting place is still the
home to many Indigenous people from across Turtle Island and we are grateful to have
the opportunity to work on this land.