Department of Biological and Chemical Sciences

Coordination complexes

Bonding in inorganic compounds

Research In Progress:

Electronegativity and its applications, with particular reference to: Quantification of the Van Arkel - Ketalaar bond triangle,

Evaluation of group electronegativities

Estimation of partial charges on atoms in molecules, complex ions and polymeric solids.

Correlation of experimental (spectroscopic) electronegativities with potential energies calculated from effective nuclear charges.

Investigation of the dependence (if any) of configuration energy on oxidation state.

Investigation of periodic patterns caused by configuration energies

Description of bonding in hypervalent molecules.

Selected Publications:

"Configuration Irregularities: Deviations from the Madelung Rule and Inversion of Orbital Energy Levels", with L. C. Allen, Chem. Phys. Letters. (in press).

"Evaluation and Test of Pauling’s Electronegativity Scale"(with L.R. Murphy, A.L.Allred and L.C.Allen), Journal of Physical Chemistry A, 2000, 104, 5867-5871.

"Configuration Energies of the d-Block Elements"(with J.B.Mann, E.H.Knight, J.F.Capitani and L.C.Allen), Journal of the American Chemical Society 2000, 122, 5132-5137.

"Configuration Energies of the Main Group Elements"(with J.B.Mann and L.C.Allen), Journal of the American Chemical Society, 2000, 122, 2780-2783.

"Electronegativities of the Noble Gases", Journal of Chemical Education 1995, 72, 17-18.

"Estimation of (sp³d¹) Valence State Electronegativities for Elements of Groups V-O", Journal of Chemical Education 1993, 70, 799-804.

"Acidities of Oxoacids: Correlation with Charge Distribution", Journal of Chemical Education 1992, 69, 270-273.

"An Introduction to Spectroscopy, Atomic Structure and Chemical Bonding": A textbook for first-year University chemistry, 212 pages, The Press University of the West Indies, 1998.