2023 Faculty Courses School of Science Undergraduate major in Earth and Planetary Sciences
Inorganic Chemistry (EPS course)
- Academic unit or major
- Undergraduate major in Earth and Planetary Sciences
- Instructor(s)
- Tetsuya Yokoyama / Makiko Haba
- Class Format
- Lecture (Face-to-face)
- Media-enhanced courses
- -
- Day of week/Period
(Classrooms) - 5-6 Mon (理学院 地球惑星科学系, 石川台2号館, 318室) / 5-6 Thu (理学院 地球惑星科学系, 石川台2号館, 318室)
- Class
- -
- Course Code
- EPS.B211
- Number of credits
- 200
- Course offered
- 2023
- Offered quarter
- 3Q
- Syllabus updated
- Jul 8, 2025
- Language
- Japanese
Syllabus
Course overview and goals
Materials in the universe, from stars to our bodies, are all composed of various elements. This course focuses on the understanding of the structure of atoms and the nature of elements that produced the diversity of materials constituting the earth and planets. The course also covers analytical techniques that provide useful geochemical data including classical and recent ones.
Course description and aims
At the end of this course, students will be able to understand:
1) the fundamental knowledge about inroganic chemistry and analytical chemistry that are required for studying earth and planetary sciences
2) the structure of atoms and nature of elements
3) distribution of elements in various earth's materials
4) analytical techniques for geosciences
Keywords
Atoms, Molecules, Nature of elements, Elemental abundances, Analytical chemistry
Competencies
- Specialist skills
- Intercultural skills
- Communication skills
- Critical thinking skills
- Practical and/or problem-solving skills
Class flow
Before coming to class, students should read the course schedule and prepare for the topics with handouts and references.
Course schedule/Objectives
| Course schedule | Objectives | |
|---|---|---|
| Class 1 | Structure of neclei |
Understanding of elements, atoms, and atomic mass |
| Class 2 | Wave–particle duality |
Understanding of black-body radiation and photoelectric effect |
| Class 3 | Schrödinger equation |
Derive Schrödinger equation for hydrogenic atom |
| Class 4 | Atomic orbital, electron configuration of multielectron atoms and periodic table |
Understanding of electronic structure of atoms and the principle of the periodic table |
| Class 5 | Atomic radius and ionization energy |
Understanding of the electron configuration and the size of atoms |
| Class 6 | Structure of molecules, hybrid orbital |
Understanding of valence-bond theory and molecular orbital theory, sigma-bond, pi-bond, and sp3, sp2, and sp hybrid orbitals |
| Class 7 | Crystals |
Understanding of Bravais lattices |
| Class 8 | Geochemical classification of elements |
Understanding of lithophile, siderophile, chalcophile, and atomosphile elements |
| Class 9 | Distribution of elements in the Earth |
Understanding of distribution of elements to minerals and partition coefficients |
| Class 10 | Earth's formation and its chemical composition |
Understanding of formation of the core, mantle, and crust and the distribution of elements |
| Class 11 | Distribution of elements in the Solar System |
Understanding the condensation process of elements from the primordial solar nebula |
| Class 12 | Planetary formation and elemental composition |
Understanding of formation and chemical characteristics of asteroids, Mars and Moon |
| Class 13 | Spectroscopic analysis and mass spectrometry |
Understanding of atomic absorption spectroscopy, atomic emission spectroscopy, and mass spectrometry |
| Class 14 | Ion exchange method for separating elements |
Understanding of principles of ion exchange methods for separating elements |
Study advice (preparation and review)
To enhance effective learning, students are encouraged to spend approximately 100 minutes preparing for class and another 100 minutes reviewing class content afterwards (including assignments) for each class.
They should do so by referring to textbooks and other course material.
Textbook(s)
Handouts will be provided during the class
Reference books, course materials, etc.
P.W. Atkins "Atkins' Physical chemistry 10th edition" Oxford University Press
F.A. Cotton, G. Wilkinson, P.L. Gaus, "Basic Inorganic chemistry, 3rd edition" Wiley
Y. Sano, Y. Takahashi "Geochemistry" Kyoritsu Shuppan (In Japanese)
Evaluation methods and criteria
Students will be assessed on their understanding of basic inorganic chemistry and analytical chemistry that are required for studying earth and planetary sciences.
Students' course scores are based on final exam (100%).
Related courses
- EPS.B202 ： Thermodynamics (EPS course)
- EPS.A330 ： Geochemistry and Cosmochemistry
- LAS.A101 ： Earth and Space Sciences A
- LAS.A102 ： Earth and Space Sciences B
Prerequisites
No prerequisites