Coordination chemistry is a major component of the undergraduate inorganic chemistry curriculum, and yet, the presentation of the material can be cumbersome due to the limitations of the course typically being taught in one semester. Also, because of the large scope of this branch of chemistry encompassing all of the elements, the course design has not been standardized. These factors result in some important coordination chemistry themes being given insufficient development. Herein, we propose a novel activity to formally introduce metal complex aqueous speciation in a holistic active-learning manner that includes a lecture component and a hands-on experience. This topic has real-world relevance and contextualizes many important coordination concepts. It would extend student comprehension about the intricate factors that affect metal complexation in an aqueous solution environment by focusing on the influence of pH. The activity explores the pH dependent speciation of the well-characterized interaction between Fe(III) and 2,3-dihydroxynapthalene-6-sulfonate and reveals the colorful changes in species throughout the pH range 0–13. Students learn how to generate speciation plots and to understand the ultraviolet–visible (UV–Vis) electronic absorption spectroscopy of transition metal compounds to be able to analyze the source of color that they observe. Assessment of the activity was conducted with 24 students who completed a Likert scale survey and responded to open-ended questions. The activity was then applied in actual course settings in which student comprehension was quantitatively evaluated. The activity can be easily adapted to students of different stages of academic development from elementary to college students.

中文翻译：

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通过 UV-Vis 光谱探索金属配合物的 pH 依赖性水形态

配位化学是本科无机化学课程的主要组成部分，然而，由于通常在一个学期内教授的课程的限制，材料的介绍可能很麻烦。此外，由于化学这一分支涵盖所有元素的范围很大，因此课程设计尚未标准化。这些因素导致一些重要的配位化学主题没有得到足够的发展。在此，我们提出了一项新颖的活动，以包括讲座部分和实践经验的整体主动学习方式正式介绍金属络合物水性形态。该主题与现实世界相关，并将许多重要的协调概念置于背景中。通过关注 pH 值的影响，它将扩展学生对影响水溶液环境中金属络合的复杂因素的理解。该活动探索了 Fe(III) 和 2,3-二羟基萘-6-磺酸盐之间充分表征的相互作用的 pH 依赖性物种形成，并揭示了在整个 pH 范围 0-13 中物种的多彩变化。学生将学习如何生成形态图并了解过渡金属化合物的紫外-可见 (UV-Vis) 电子吸收光谱，以便能够分析他们观察到的颜色来源。24 名完成李克特量表调查并回答开放式问题的学生对活动进行了评估。然后将该活动应用到实际课程设置中，对学生的理解能力进行定量评估。该活动可以很容易地适应从小学生到大学生不同学业发展阶段的学生。