Transition Element Project

Ruth Rand at Albuquerque Academy created this project for her AP students. It is a second semester project designed to review concepts as well as learn new ones. There is a lab component in which students synthesize and analyze complexes and compounds of transition elements. More information is available from Ruth Rand at rand@merlin.aa.edu or Albuquerque Academy 6400 Wyoming Blvd. Albuquerque, N.M., 87109

Procedure:

"Adopt" a transition element. All transition elements are not available for adoption so check with your instructor for availabililty. You will start with an aqueous solution of a soluble salt of your metal. Your will then make at least two changes to this ion. For example, you can make a complex with one ligand followed by repacing that ligand with another one, or with a precipitating agent. Or you can oxidize or reduce your transition element to various oxidation states in sequence.

FOR EACH SUBSTANCE ON YOUR REACTIONS YOU WILL HAVE TO KNOW THE FOLLOWING: Use text, references, and Internet resources such as the Chemistry classes on the Internet. This site contains lecture notes for many different chem courses (organic, analytical, intro, courses for majors and nonmajors) offered at several universities . IMPRESSIVE resource.

World Lecture HallContains lecture notes for various subjects from universities around the world.

Spectroscopy A comprehensive electronic textbook.

Names of all reactants and products
Balanced equations for all reactions
Color of all reactants and products
Absorption spectra of all water soluble reactants and products
Explanation of any changes in solubility from reactants to products
Explanation of any changes in color from reactants to products
Hybridization, shape, and crystal field stabilization energy for all complexes

Number of paired "d" electrons and number of unpaired "d" electron in transition element at each stage of reaction.

Include anything else you feel would be interesting for class members to know. This information, along with demonstrations, will be presented in symposium form. The presentation should take about 10 minues.