Teaching

Feel free to use the lecture notes below. Due to developments of our undergraduate programme over the years the content of individual courses has evolved. Some of the lecture notes have overlapping topics. Some courses are now no longer delivered and the content may need updating. Please use as you wish and contact me if you find any mistakes or have suggestions for improvements. 

Metal Ligand Bonding and Inorganic Reaction Mechanisms

A 2nd year undergraduate course. The first pdf contains electron counting, sigma-, pi donor and pi-acceptor ligands; MO's of octahedral complexes; links to the spectrochemical series, trans-effect and catalysis, inorganic reaction mechanisms, inner sphere and outer sphere electron transfer. The second pdf does not contain  inorganic reaction mechanisms or inner sphere and outer sphere electron but includes metal-ligand multiple bonds and bimetallic metal-metal bonding.

Inorganic Mechamisms II

A 3rd year undergraduate course. Part I Electron transfer, inner and outer sphere; Marcus theory: Part II Catalysis, isomerisation, hydrogenation, carbonylation and borylation. These lectures ceased in 2008 and the content moved to other courses.

Inorganic Materials and Nanoparticles

A 3rd year undergraduate course. Synthesis of materials, structural descriptions including dimensionality and defects, magnetic properties, dielectric properties, superconductivity, nanoparticles and some characterisation methods.

Inorganic Polymer Chemistry

Part of a 2nd year option module Materials World that is no longer delivered.  Includes roles of inorganic elements in 'polymer' chemistry. Homogeneous alkene Ziegler-Natta polymerisation, ring-opening metathesis polymerisation, polysiloxanes, polysilanes, polyphosphazenes, organometallic magnets and metal-organic network/framework (coordination polymers). 

Elements and Minerals

Part of a 2nd year option module Dynamic Earth. Includes the 'Big Bang', stars, nucleosynthesis, earth formation/evolution, minerals, gems.