Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry

Inorganic Chemistry

The term inorganic chemistry originally described the chemistry of things that were not derived from living things such as minerals and ores, and organic chemistry referred to the chemistry of life (i.e. carbon based compounds). But the definition of inorganic chemistry has become more encompassing especially since biological systems need metals for survival. This field of study can be divided into 5 major subdivisions: Organometallic (carbon atoms bonded to metals), Bioinorganic (metals in biology), Solid State/Materials (polymers, alloys, superconductors, etc.), Coordination Chemistry, and Main Group chemistry. Although there are many areas that overlap with these disciplines, at the heart of inorganic chemistry is the study of the structure and bonding of the elements and their compounds through trends in reactivity and properties.

Table 1: Inorganic Chemistry Faculty
Name	Rank	Discipline(s)
Melissa L. Garrett, Ph.D.	Associate Professor	Inorganic
Masaki Uchida, Ph.D.	Assistant Professor	Inorganic
Saeed Attar, Ph.D.	Professor	Organometallic

The inorganic chemistry faculty is responsible for teaching the following departmental courses as well as general chemistry courses.

Table 2: Inorganic Chemistry Courses
Course Number	Course Name
CHEM 123	Advanced Inorganic Chemistry
CHEM 124	Synthesis and Characterization
CHEM 220	Theoretical Inorganic Chemistry
CHEM 222	Advances in Inorganic Chemistry