Chap 4: Symmetry and Group Theory

Goals: 4.1 and 4.2

Symmetry elements and operations

• Describe the relationship between a symmetry element and a symmetry operation
• Find symmetry elements and operations of a molecule
• Use the symbols associated with symmetry operations
• Perform symmetry operations on molecules and draw before and after views of the molecules molecules

Goals: 4.2

Point Groups

• Determine the point group of a molecule
• Identify the symmetry operations of a molecule

Goals: 4.3.2 and 4.3.3

The symmetry operations of a molecule

• Represent the symmetry operations of a molecules (graphically, as matrix, as a reducible representation, as irreducible representations (for example, of the x, y, and z components of the operations)
• Use the language of the character table (determine its order, describe the difference between a class and a symmetry operation)
• Draw representations of the symmetry elements on the molecules themselves

Goals: 4.4.1

Chirality

• Use character tables to determine whether a molecule is chiral
• Recognize chiral inorganic compounds
• Draw enantiomers of chiral inorganic compounds
• Recognize chiral centers on inorganic compounds
• Recognize diastereomeric inorganic compounds
• Draw diastereomers of inorganic compounds

Goals: 4.4.1

Molecular Vibrations

• Use character tables to determine the total number of vibrational states available to a molecule
• Use character tables to determine the total number of IR active vibrational states

Goals: 4.4.2

Specific Molecular Vibrations

• Use character tables to predict the number of a specific vibration (such as a CO stretch) that will be IR active
• For relatively simple molecules, be able to describe the stretching modes that are IR active and IR inactive (draw vectors on the molecule and explain why a stretch is or is not IR active)