Luminescence Screening of Copper and Gold Mixed Ligand Complexes with S-/P-Donor Atoms: An Advanced Multiweek Research Discovery Experiment for the Inorganic Chemistry Laboratory

Abstract

An advanced research discovery laboratory course in inorganic chemistry has been developed to engage undergraduate students in authentic research experiences directly related to concepts and theory taught in the lecture portion of the course. The 12-week laboratory involves an initial 4 weeks of training experiments on inorganic/organometallic synthesis in air and under inert atmosphere, followed by an 8-week series of research discovery experiments designed to mirror research in a graduate- and/or industry-level inorganic chemistry laboratory. Students are first presented with a research problem related to a coinage metal (group 11: copper, silver, or gold). They are then asked to (1) design a synthetic route using peer-reviewed research articles from the literature with some modification as needed; (2) conduct their proposed synthetic reactions; and (3) characterize products to assess purity and determine the molecular structure, as well as screen their properties toward potential applications.