Descriptive llnwgnic Chemistry

rn -who, What, When, Where and How

The 39th summer conference of the New England Associ- ation of Chemistry Teachers held at Farmington, Maine, from August 1$19 had a panel discussion on the ahove topic and many opinions were voiced about the importance of descrip- tive inorganic chemistry, but many problems were encoun- tered about the ahove five questions.

With the advances made in chemistry there has been a pronounced shift towards a physical-theoretical and mathe- matical orientation of the first-year "general' chemistry course. Many felt that the pendulum has swung too far this way and that students have problems coping with these con- cepts (in particular molecular orbital theory) and relating these concepts to everyday life (sodium chloride is a green gas!!!). The high school teachers find that their course mirrors ;he freshman &rse in subject matter and topin and have also found that there isaomuch tocover they have vew little time to introduce any interesting descriptive aspects-of chemis- try.

What is descriptive inorganic chemistry? and How and What should be taught? are key questions which were not answered. A definition of descriptive inorganic chemistry depends on the background of the individual and can en- compass such wide areas as: qualitative and quantitative analysis of inorganic anions and cations, geology, environ- mental science, solid state physics, metallurgy, catalysis, or- ganometallic chemistry and bio-inorganic chemistry as well as what could be thought of as descriptive inorganic chemistry (periodicity; trends up, down, diagonally, and across the pe- riodic table; the changes in electronegativitv, atomic radii and - . electronic configuration, the sources and occurrence of com- pounds in nature and their industrial use and importance).

Very rarely is there an undergraduate or graduate course in descriptive inorganic chemistry; instead there are courses in ligand field theory, molecular orbital theory, group theory, kinetics and mechanisms organometallic chemistry, etciThis leaves us with teachers and eraduate students who know theory, but are unable ( I ) tu rerate it tothe periodic tableand (2) to oredict ~ r o ~ e r t i e s of the elements with which thev are . . . not familiar. ljescriptive inorganic chemistry can be reiated to theory, and should he, hut unfortunately too often is not.

Many high school teachers expressed misgivings about teaching descriptive inorganic chemistry because they felt uuaualified to do so as thev didn't have the ~rofessional background or expertise to i h t r a t e theory with fact.

The actual com~osition of a descri~tivr inorranic module and the incorporation of it into the eurriculu& would he a topic in which we should all get involved. Students are not passive but nre actively ques&ning the importance and rel- evance of chemistry and I'm afraid we often don't show or emphasize it in our teaching of chemistry. How much de- scriptive chemistry should be added and when and where in the education of students (hoth high school and university (undergraduate and graduate)) should be a topic of discussion in the future.

I would suggest the following points as worthy of consid- eration:

1) The high school curriculum in many ways reproduces topic for topic the first year undergraduate curriculum. Should it? Should some topics he covered only at one level (gas laws), at hoth levels (equilibrium), at neither level (molecular orhital theory)?

2) Is the list of topics in freshman chemistry dated and should certain topics be changed and shifted elsewhere (to physics, to high school chemistry, and to other advanced chemistry courses) to incorporate more chemistry of the pe- riodic table and the properties of compounds of the ele- ments.

3) Should we introduce and emphasize once again quali- tative inorganic analysis in the freshman laboratory?

4) If descriptive inorganic chemistry (and we have not strictly defined what it is) is not introduced a t the freshman level, is it important enough to he introduced as a separate course later?

5) Can we help those who feel inadequate and unqualified in these areas?

Fred H. Walters Quinnipiac College

Hamden, Connecticut 06518

104 1 Journal of Chemical Education