Spring 2014

YBCO

Chem 641 --- SOLID STATE CHEMISTRY Dr. G. L. R. Weatherspoon
Tuesday, 4:30 p.m. - 7:10 p.m. Office Hours:  Thursday,   3:00 - 4:00 p.m or by appointment
Planetary Hall -- Rm 310 Planetary Hall -- Rm 301B

The text for this course will be Basic Solid State Chemistry, by Anthony R. West.

Supplementary reference materials can be found at the Johnson Center Library and Fenwick Library. The course will consist of lectures, ungraded problem sets, in-class presentation, a research paper, current literature reviews, a midterm examination and a final examination.  Some of the tentative topics to be covered are:  trends in the periodic table, synthetic routes to solid state materials, characterization techniques, electrical, magnetic and optical properties of materials.

   

 Grades will be determined as follows:  (point distribution is tentative; refer to Blackboard for additional information); updated Wednesday, March 26, 2014 10:22 AM

Presentation 16.25%   065 points
Research paper 16.25%  065 points
Midterm Exam  33.75%    135 points
Final Exam 33.75%    135 points
Total 100.00%    400 points

 

Positive classroom participation will be considered during tabulation of final grades, with the firm expectation that all aspects of the class will be conducted with civility and respect for differing ideas, perspectives, and traditions. Students should come to class prepared.

The successful student will make use of the many learning aids available: discussions, study groups and work sessions with fellow students, actively participating in class, etc.
Students enrolled in this course must activate their GMU email accounts to receive important University information, including messages related to this class. I will only reply to email received from students using their GMU email accounts

Departmental seminars are usually held at 4:30 p.m. each Thursday.  Speakers and locations will be posted throughout Planetary Hall.  Attendance is strongly recommended.  Chemistry and biochemistry majors should also consider joining the local student affiliate chapter of the ACS (GMU Chemistry Club) as well as ACS.

Maintain Your Records:  It is your responsibility to maintain records of all graded materials.  For your reference, I will regularlyy post scores on Blackboard, giving you an opportunity to double-check the scores in case of recording errors.  Recording errors are to be cleared up prior to the last day of lab.  Requests for re-grades and total points adjustment (due to addition errors, etc.) will not be entertained after the class officially ends (the date of the lab final exam).

Grading Policies:  All students enrolled in the course are expected to abide by the honor code.  The instructor reserves the right to award a grade of zero for any plagiarized work.  This includes any work that is not your own, i.e., it has been copied from the internet or another classmate or used during the previous time that you took the course.  Work that has been copied cannot be submitted for credit.  In other words, copying another person’s lab report will result in the lab instructor filing an honor code violation with the Office of Academic Integrity.  It is your responsibility to be familiar with the GMU Honor Code and have a working knowledge of activities that are considered honor code violations:  http://oai.gmu.edu/honor-code/

  • First time offenders will receive a grade of ZERO for the exam/paper.
  • Second time/repeat offenders will receive a grade of “F” for the course.  (If a student has previously been reprimanded for honor code violations in other courses at the university, the recommendation will be for a grade of “F” for course as well as expulsion from the university.)

RESOURCES

  1. OFFICE OF DISABILITY SERVICES --- If you are a student with a disability and need academic accommodations, please see me and contact the Office of Disability Services (ODS) at (703) 993-2474. All academic accommodations must be arranged through the ODS. Refer to http://ods.gmu.edu
  2. WRITING CENTER --- A114 Robinson Hall; (703) 993-1200; http://writingcenter.gmu.edu
  3. UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES ---"Ask a Librarian"; http://library.gmu.edu/mudge/IM/IMRef.html
  4. COUNSELING AND PSYCHOLOGICAL SERVICES (CAPS) --- (703) 993-2380; http://caps.gmu.edu
  5. UNIVERSITY POLICIES --- The University Catalog, http://catalog.gmu.edu , is the central resource for university policies affecting student, faculty, and staff conduct in university affairs.

 

 

 

Book Reserve List:

Title Author
Solid State Chemistry:  Techniques Cheetham and Day
Solid State Chemistry:   Compounds Cheetham and Day
Chemical Applications of Group Theory Cotton
Structural Inorganic Chemistry Wells
X-ray Structure Determination Stout and Jensen
Solid State Chemistry Smart and Moore
Solid State Physics Ashcroft and Mermin
Solid State Physics Kittel

Other worthwhile resources

Title Author
Inorganic Structural Chemistry U. Müller
Electronic Properties of Materials R. Hummel
Inorganic Crystal Structures Hyde and Andersson
Physical Chem. of Inorg. Crystalline Solids Franzen
Solids and Surfaces:   A Chemist's View of Bonding R. Hoffmann
   

LAST LECTURE MEETS APRIL 29th.  Final exam is May 13th ; 4:30 p.m- 6:30 p.m; 2hr time block allotted by University due to snow cancellations and makeup days at the end of the semester. Info updated Thursday, February 13, 2014 at 5:06 p.m.

TENTATIVE Course Outline CHEM 641-001                     Spring 2014 updated Wednesday, March 26, 2014 10:22 AM

Lect. #

 Subject 
Week 1

Introduction/ Review of Inorganic Chemistry concepts and theories
Week 2/3

Synthetic Routes
Week 4 Bonding in Solids
Week 5/6

Crystal structure and systems

Crystallography and Diffraction Techniques
Week 6/7

Crystal Structure (Space Groups & their uses)
Week 7/8

Other Characterization Techniques

Magnetic Properties
Week 8 Midterm Examination
Week 9 Magnetic Properties
Week 10 Electrical Properties
Week 11 Optical Properties
Week 12 Other Spectroscopic Techniques
Week 13 Phase Diagrams
Week 14 Papers due/ presentations

Return to Chemistry Department Homepage

Materials Research Bulletin

Materials Research Society Bulletin (MRS Bulletin)

Journal of Solid State Chemistry

Solid State Communications