MEKELLE UNIVERSITY

COLLEGE OF NATURAL AND COMPUTATIONAL SCIENCES

DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY
INORGANIC CHEMISTRY COURE PLAN
(This document is updated on: September 30, 2009)

1. IDENTIFYING INFORMATION
Course Title: Fundamentals of Inorganic Chemistry
Course code Chem 210
Credit hours: 3
Contact hours: LEC. HR/WEEK
Course offered to Biology (year II, semester I) and Heritage con Year I semseter I
Prerequisites: -

Course team leader: Gebrekidan Mebrahtu

Office location: Mgt building (No. 14)
Telephone 0344414785
Email: geb_meb@yahoo.com, gebrekidan.mebrahtu@mu.et.edu
Teaching team members & their e-mail:
• Berhane atsbeha email: beremi1@yahoo.com
• Eyob G/yesus: eyobish@yahoo.com, 0914745525
• G/mariam Mesfin: -

2. COURSE OBJECTIVE

Upon completion of this course the students would be able to:

• discuss the current view of atomic structure;

• relate electronic configuration to the classification of elements in the periodic
table and their properties;
• explain the basic concepts of chemical bonding;
• describe acid-base concepts based on different theories; and
• have the general overview of the descriptive chemistry of hydrogen, main group
elements and organometallic compounds;
• Have the general overview of the descriptive chemistry of transition metals, inner
transition elements and name coordination compounds.

3. COURSE RATIONALE

This course will help learners to have a deep understanding of their area of specialization by
providing basic knowledge of structure of atoms and molecules, basic knowledge of all elements and
their compounds.

4. COURSE DESCRIPTION

Review on the Electronic structure of the atom; an overview of the periodic table; structure and
bonding in molecules (Bonding Theories); ionic solids; metallic bonding; hydrogen and hydrides;
acid-base theories and the solvent system; Oxidation and reduction. Overview of descriptive
chemistry of the representative elements (Groups 1, 2 and 13-18) with reference to: electronic
structures, general properties, oxidation states, occurrences, extractions, reactivities, common uses of
the elements and their simple compounds; bonding and reactions of their hydrides, oxides,
hydroxides, oxyacids, halides; introduction to transition metal chemistry and coordination
compounds.
5. COURSE CONTENT AND SCHEDULE OF ACTIVITIES

Week Content Lectures, Tutorials, tests, assignments

and date etc
Week 1 1. Introduction (lecture one and two) • Lectures 1 & 2
1.1. Atomic theory (DAT) • Tutorial 1
1.2. Law of chemical combination • Assignment 1 (3%)
1.2.1. Conservation of mass
1.2.2. Definite composition
1.2.3. Multiple proportion
Week 2 2. Structure of ionic solids • Lecture 3 and 4
2.1. Radius ratio rules • Tutorial 2
2.2. Close packing • Test 1, ch.1 and 2 (5%)
2.3. Classification of ionic structures (AX, AX2)
Week 3 3. Acid-base theories and the solvent system • Lectures 5 and 6
• Tutorial 3
• Assign2 (3%)
Weak 4 4. Atomic structure • Lectures 7, 8, 9 and 10
&5 4.1. Atomic spectra of hydrogen • Tutorial 4 and 5
4.2. Atomic model (Bohr model of the atom) • Assign. 3 (5%)
4.3. Bohr Theory • Test 2, ch.3 &4 (10 %)
4.4. Quantum numbers
Week 6, 5. Chemical bonding and structure • Lecture 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 and 16
7, 8 5.1. Introduction to bonding • Tutorial 6, 7, 8
5.2. Purpose of bond formation • Assign 4 (5%)
5.3. Types of bonds
• Test 3, ch.5
5.3.1. The ionic bond
(10 %)
5.3.2. The covalent bonds
5.3.2.1. Lewis theory
5.3.2.2. Sidwick-Powell theory
5.3.2.3. Valence shell electron pair
repulsion (VSEPR) theory
5.3.2.4. Valence bond theory
5.3.2.5. Molecular orbital theory
5.3.2.5.1. LCAO method
5.3.2.5.2. Rules for LCAOs
5.3.2.5.3. MO treatment for
homonuclear &
heteronuclear diatomic
molecules
5.3.3. The metallic bond
5.3.3.1. General properties of metals
5.3.3.2. Metallic bonding
Week 9, 6. Chemistry of main group elements • Lecture 17, 18, 19, 20, 21 and 22
10, 11 6.1. Chemistry of hydrogen • Tutorial 9, 10 & 11
6.2. General properties of the elements • Assign 5 (5%)
6.2.1. Size, Ionization energies, • Test 4, ch.6, (5%)
Electronaffinity, Electronegativity,
Polarizing power
6.2.2. Polarizability-Fajan’s rule, Metallic
character, Variable valency
6.2.3. Diagonal relation ships in the periodic
table
 6.3. Descriptive chemistry of representative
elements
6.3.1. S-block elements
6.3.2. P-block elements
Week 12, 7. The Chemistry of transition elements • Lecture 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28
13 and 7.1. Physical and chemical properties • Tutorial 12, 13 and 14
14 7.2. Size, Melting & boiling point, Ionization • Assign 6 (5%)
energy, Oxidation state, Color, Magnetic • Test 5 (5%)
property, Catalytic property, Ability to form
compounds
7.3. Bonding in transition metal complexes
7.3.1. Crystal field theory (CFT)
7.3.2. Octahedral complexes
7.3.3. Tetrahedral complexes
7.3.4. Color of transition metal compounds
7.3.5. Nomenclature of coordination
compounds
7.3.6. Isomerism
7.4. Descriptive chemistry selected transition
elements
Week 15 Revision of the whole course • Lecture 29, 30, 31 and 32
and 16 • Tutorial 15 and 16

6. TEACHING METHODS AND ORGANIZATION

A combination of lectures 32 lectures in total (approximately 2 hours per week),

tutorials/problem classes 16 tutorial/problem solving hrs in total (approximately 1 hour per
week). Additional support will be given based on the progress of students. Special remedial
programs will be arranged to low performing students depending on their interest. All course
team members will participate on supporting students and remedial programs.

Students should read the relevant sections in the textbook and the notes before the lectures.
Students are also expected to have worked through the problems in the tutorial sheets before
the tutorial sessions. Attendance at lectures and tutorials is expected for all students.
Attendance records will be taken at all times

7. RATIONALE FOR TEACHING METHODS

The lectures deliver the key course material in a concise and consistent format. The tutorials
provide students with the opportunity to work through set problems related to the course
material as well as further discussion of any problems and difficulties encountered in the
course content. The special remedial programs are intended to support students with special
interests/difficulties. This includes further support on the course contents through provision
of additional assignments, suggesting additional reading materials, providing modular
handouts, academic advising on how to study the course and related issues etc).

8. ASSESSMENT
Assessment consists of end-of-chapter assessable assignments and teststs and problem sheets
(50%) and a two to three hour end of semester summative examination (50%).

9. RATIONALE FOR ASSESSMENT

The examinations test the student’s individual abilities to recall information, understand
chemical concepts and apply this knowledge and understanding to problem solving.
10. GRADING & GRADING SCALE
Students will be graded using criteria referenced and fixed scale grading. Letter grades are
assigned as indicated below.
Grade Interval for Interpretation
grading
A [85,100) Excellent
A- [80,85) Excellent
B+ [75,80) Very good
B [65,75) Very good
B- [61.25,65) Good
C+ [57.5,61.25) Satisfactory
C [50,57.5) Satisfactory
C- [46.25,50) Poor
D+ [42.5,46.25) Poor
D [35,42.5) Poor
F Below 35 Failed
11. TEXTS AND SUPPORTING MATERIALS
Text book
1. J.D. Lee, A new concise inorganic chemistry, 3rd or 5th Ed.,
References
2. K.N. Upadhyaya, A text book of inorganic chemistry, 3rd Ed.,
3. A.G. Sharpe, Inorganic chemistry, 3rd Ed.,
4. J.E. Huheey, Inorganic chemistry principles of structure and reactivity
5. G.I. Brown, Introduction to inorganic chemistry
6. R. Kapoor, S.K. Vasisht and R.S. Chopra, Inorganic chemistry

12. COURSE PROGRESS EVALUATION FOCUS

Course evaluation will be through feedback received from students in the lecture, tutorial
programmes; examination and test results and through an anonymous student survey which
will be conducted every month.

13. KEY UNIVERSITY INFORMATION

ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT
Students must conduct their studies at the University honestly, ethically and in accordance
with accepted standards of academic conduct. Any form of academic conduct that is contrary
to these standards is academic misconduct and is unacceptable. Some students engage
deliberately in academic misconduct, with intent to deceive. This conscious, premeditated
form of cheating is one of the worst forms of fraudulent academic behaviour, for which the
University has zero tolerance and for which penalties, including exclusion from the
University, will be applied. However the University recognises many students commit
academic misconduct without intent to deceive. These students may be required to undertake
additional educational activities to remediate their behaviour. Specifically it is academic
misconduct for a student to:
a. Cheat in examinations and tests by communicating, or attempting to
communicate, with a fellow individual who is neither an invigilator or member of
staff; by copying, or attempting to copy from a fellow candidate; attempting to
introduce or consult during the examination, any unauthorised printed or written
material, or electronic calculating or information storage device; or mobile phones
or other communication device, or impersonates another.
 b. Fabricate results by claiming to have carried out tests, experiments or
observations that have not taken place or by presenting results not supported by
the evidence with the object of obtaining an unfair advantage.
c. Misrepresent themselves by presenting an untrue statement or not disclosing
where there is a duty to disclose in order to create a false appearance or identity.
d. Plagiarise by representing the work of another as their own original work, without
appropriate acknowledgement of the author or the source. This category of
cheating includes the following:
• collusion, where a piece of work prepared by a group is represented as if it
were the student's own;
• acquiring or commissioning a piece of work, which is not his/her own and
representing it as if it were, by
o purchasing a paper from a commercial service, including internet
sites, whether pre-written or specially prepared for the student
concerned
o submitting a paper written by another person, either by a fellow
student or a person who is not a member of the University;
• duplication of the same or almost identical work for more than one
assessment item;
• copying ideas, concepts, research data, images, sounds or text;
• paraphrasing a paper from a source text, whether in manuscript, printed or
electronic form, without appropriate acknowledgement;
• cutting or pasting statements from multiple sources or piecing together
work of others and representing them as original work;
• submitting, as one own work, all or part of another student's work, even
with the student's knowledge or consent.
A student who willingly assists another student to plagiarise (for example by willingly giving
them their own work to copy from) is also breaching academic integrity, and may be subject
to disciplinary action.

14. KEY STUDENT-RELATED POLICIES

All University policy documents are accessible to students via the University’s website at:
www.mu.edu.et

15. Name and Signature

Name of Course team leader GEBREKIDAN MEBRAHTU TESFAMARIAM
sign___________________________________ date _______________________________
Name of department head _____________________________________________________
Sign _________________________________ date _________________________________