Richard Douthwaite Group

Teaching

Feel free to use the learning resources and lecture notes below. Due to development of our undergraduate programme over the years the content of individual courses has evolved. Some of the lecture notes have overlapping content. 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. 

• Solid state visualisation package

A resource to familiarise students with common structure types. Amongst other useful functions, real time orientation, lattice planes defined by Miller indices are highlighted, and powder patterns can be simulated.

Undergraduate Courses

• Metal-Ligand bonding and Inorganic reaction mechanisms (PDF , 3,403kb)
• Metal-Ligand and Metal-Metal Bonding Lecture Notes (PDF , 1,062kb)

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, inner sphere and outer sphere electron but includes metal-ligand multiple bonds; bimetallic metal-metal bonding.

• Inorganic Mechanisms II Lecture Notes (PDF , 384kb)

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 (PDF , 3,801kb)

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 Lecture Notes (PDF , 530kb)

Part of 2nd year option module Polymeric Materials that no longer exists.  Some 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 Lecture Notes (PDF , 4,054kb)

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