KJM-MENA5110 – Inorganic Structural Chemistry
Course description
Schedule, syllabus and examination date
Course content
What characterizes the structure of periodic, crystalline materials? How do we describe structure, and what means do we have to understand it? How can structure aid us in the understanding of reactions and phase transitions in functional inorganic materials?
KJM-MENA5110 is an advanced course in inorganic structural chemistry. You will build a fundamental understanding of crystallography as a field, and how diffraction as a technique is used to determine the structure of periodic inorganic compounds. We investigate and describe important inorganic structure types. We use structural topology and the bond valence method to understand the formation of the structures we investigate. Finally, you get an introduction in visualization of structures and structural relationships, based on relevant databases and software.
The course gives a foundation in the understanding in the chemistry of inorganic solid compounds, which enables you to follow the state of the art in the field.
Learning outcome
After completing the course, you:
- Understand how we can use databases (International Tables for Crystallography) to collect information about structure and symmetry
- Have obtained fundamental knowledge on powder diffraction and how we use diffraction angles and intensity to determine simple crystal structures
- Understand how you can describe connectivity patterns between atoms and their coordination polyhedra chemically, mathematically and graphically
- Have obtained knowledge on valence rules to predict bonding patterns in structures of elements and binary compounds
- Understand how to identify close-packed arrangements of atoms or molecules, and how to recognize polytypes. You also know how to use this to identify patterns of hole-filling in close-packed binary compounds, and how to identify structural series in light of their composition
- Have obtained fundamental understanding on the origin of ionic radii as a concept, and how this can be used to predict structures. You also know how when this concept does not provide reasonable predictions.
- Know how you can use bond valence to analyze and predict crystal structures
- Can analyze variations in composition and structure in important complex structure types, using the perovskite structure as the archetypical example.
Admission to the course
Students admitted at UiO must?apply for courses?in Studentweb. Students enrolled in other Master's Degree Programmes can, on application, be admitted to the course if this is cleared by their own study programme.
Nordic citizens and applicants residing in the Nordic countries may?apply to take this course as a single course student.
If you are not already enrolled as a student at UiO, please see our information about?admission requirements and procedures for international applicants.
Recommended previous knowledge
KJM1121 – Inorganic Chemistry, 2500,?KJM3120 – Inorganic Materials Chemistry (discontinued), MENA1001 – Materials, Energy and Nanotechnology,?MENA2000 – Fundamental structure of solid materials and MENA3100 – Characterization of Materials or equivalent courses
Overlapping courses
- 10 credits overlap with KJM5110 – Inorganic Structural Chemistry (continued).
- 10 credits overlap with KJM-MENA9110 – Inorganic Structure Chemistry.
- 10 credits overlap with KJM9110 – Inorganic Structural Chemistry (continued).
- 9 credits overlap with KJ-MV413.
Teaching
The teaching includes 36 hours of lectures and 24 hours of seminars.
Attendance at the first lecture is mandatory. If you are unable to attend, the Department of Chemistry has to be informed in advance.?If you fail to register as an active student for the course in either of these ways, you will lose access to the course for the given semester.
Examination
- Final written exam which counts 100 % towards the final grade.
It will also be counted as one of the three attempts to pass the exam for this course, if you take the exam for one of the following courses: KJM-MENA9110 – Inorganic Structure Chemistry, KJM5110 – Inorganic Structural Chemistry (continued), KJM9110 – Inorganic Structural Chemistry (continued)
Language of examination
The examination text is given in English. You may submit your response in Norwegian, Swedish, Danish or English.
Grading scale
Grades are awarded on a scale from A to F, where A is the best grade and F is a fail. Read more about the grading system.
Resit an examination
Students who can document a valid reason for absence from the regular examination are offered a?postponed exam?at the beginning of the next semester.
New examinations?are offered at the beginning of the next semester for students who do not successfully complete the exam during the previous semester.
We do not offer a re-scheduled exam for students who withdraw during the exam.
More about examinations at UiO
- Use of sources and citations
- Special exam arrangements due to individual needs
- Withdrawal from an exam
- Illness at exams / postponed exams
- Explanation of grades and appeals
- Resitting an exam
- Cheating/attempted cheating
You will find further guides and resources at the web page on examinations at UiO.