CHEMISTRY OF COORDINATION COMPOUNDS
Learning outcomes of the course unit
A good understanding of concepts currently used to describe the metal-ligand interactions in living systems.
Prerequisites
None
Course contents summary
Metal based compounds of biological relevance. Constitution of complexes. Types of central metal atoms and types of ligands. Polymetallic complexes. Structural isomerism and steric isomerism. The electronic specra of atoms. Spectroscopic terms. Microstates and terms allowed. Russel-Saunders coupling. Crystal-field theory. Weak-field and strong-field limits. Tanabe-Sugano diagrams. Ligand-field theory. The electronic spectra of complexes. Charge-transfer bands. Metal-metal bonding and mixed-valence complexes. Correlation theory-experiment: spectroscopic measurements, spectrochemical series, chiroptical measurements, magnetic measurements, electron paramagnetic resonance. Coordination equilibria. Kinetics and reaction mechanism of coordination compounds.
Recommended readings
B. N. Figgis, M. A. Hitchman. Ligand field theory and its applications. 2000. Wiley - VCH, New York.
F. Basolo e r. Johnson. Chimica dei Composti di Coordinazione. Zanichelli, (BO).
Teaching methods
Class lectures.
Oral exam.
