tooluniverse-inorganic-physical-chemistry

Inorganic chemistry, physical chemistry, and materials science — crystal structures, coordination chemistry, bonding theory (covalency, orbital mixing), symmetry/point groups, thermodynamics, kinetics, spectroscopy interpretation, noble gas compounds, lanthanide/actinide chemistry. Use for questions about crystal systems, unit cells, density calculations, metal complexes, solid-state chemistry, or physical chemistry calculations.

1,202 stars

Best use case

tooluniverse-inorganic-physical-chemistry is best used when you need a repeatable AI agent workflow instead of a one-off prompt.

Inorganic chemistry, physical chemistry, and materials science — crystal structures, coordination chemistry, bonding theory (covalency, orbital mixing), symmetry/point groups, thermodynamics, kinetics, spectroscopy interpretation, noble gas compounds, lanthanide/actinide chemistry. Use for questions about crystal systems, unit cells, density calculations, metal complexes, solid-state chemistry, or physical chemistry calculations.

Teams using tooluniverse-inorganic-physical-chemistry should expect a more consistent output, faster repeated execution, less prompt rewriting.

When to use this skill

  • You want a reusable workflow that can be run more than once with consistent structure.

When not to use this skill

  • You only need a quick one-off answer and do not need a reusable workflow.
  • You cannot install or maintain the underlying files, dependencies, or repository context.

Installation

Claude Code / Cursor / Codex

$curl -o ~/.claude/skills/tooluniverse-inorganic-physical-chemistry/SKILL.md --create-dirs "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/mims-harvard/ToolUniverse/main/skills/tooluniverse-inorganic-physical-chemistry/SKILL.md"

Manual Installation

  1. Download SKILL.md from GitHub
  2. Place it in .claude/skills/tooluniverse-inorganic-physical-chemistry/SKILL.md inside your project
  3. Restart your AI agent — it will auto-discover the skill

How tooluniverse-inorganic-physical-chemistry Compares

Feature / Agenttooluniverse-inorganic-physical-chemistryStandard Approach
Platform SupportNot specifiedLimited / Varies
Context Awareness High Baseline
Installation ComplexityUnknownN/A

Frequently Asked Questions

What does this skill do?

Inorganic chemistry, physical chemistry, and materials science — crystal structures, coordination chemistry, bonding theory (covalency, orbital mixing), symmetry/point groups, thermodynamics, kinetics, spectroscopy interpretation, noble gas compounds, lanthanide/actinide chemistry. Use for questions about crystal systems, unit cells, density calculations, metal complexes, solid-state chemistry, or physical chemistry calculations.

Where can I find the source code?

You can find the source code on GitHub using the link provided at the top of the page.

SKILL.md Source

# Inorganic & Physical Chemistry

## Reasoning Strategy

### 1. Crystal Structure Questions
**When given crystal structure data**, always COMPUTE don't guess:
1. **Calculate unit cell volume** for the crystal system:
   - Cubic: V = a^3
   - Tetragonal: V = a^2 * c
   - Orthorhombic: V = a * b * c
   - Monoclinic: V = a * b * c * sin(beta)
   - Triclinic: V = a*b*c * sqrt(1 - cos^2(alpha) - cos^2(beta) - cos^2(gamma) + 2*cos(alpha)*cos(beta)*cos(gamma))
   - Hexagonal: V = a^2 * c * sqrt(3)/2

2. **Verify density**: d = (Z * M) / (V * Na * 1e-24) where V in ų, M in g/mol, Na = 6.022e23
3. **Preferred**: Use `CrystalStructure_validate` tool (via MCP/SDK). **Fallback**: `python3 skills/tooluniverse-organic-chemistry/scripts/crystal_validator.py --a X --b Y --c Z --alpha A --beta B --gamma G --Z N --MW M --density D`
4. **For batch comparison** (find the wrong dataset): Save datasets as JSON array and use `--datasets path/to/datasets.json`

### 2. Bonding & Covalency Questions
**Key reasoning patterns**:
- **Covalency** = orbital mixing between metal and ligand. Greater overlap = more covalent.
- **Lanthanide/actinide**: 4f orbitals of Ce(IV) typically show ENHANCED covalent mixing vs Ce(III) — more contracted 4f in higher oxidation states increases overlap with ligand orbitals
- **But**: Enhanced covalency does NOT always mean stronger bonds — it depends on the specific orbital interactions
- **d-block vs f-block**: d-orbitals have more radial extension → stronger covalent bonds than f-orbitals
- **Nephelauxetic effect**: Reduced electron-electron repulsion in complexes → indicates covalency. Larger effect = more covalent.

### 3. Noble Gas Chemistry
- **Xe compounds**: XeF2 (linear), XeF4 (square planar), XeF6 (distorted octahedral)
- **XeF4 synthesis**: Requires Xe + F2 at elevated temperature (400°C) and pressure. Can also form at lower temperatures with specific methods (UV photolysis, electric discharge)
- **Key**: Temperature thresholds matter for synthesis efficiency. LOOK UP DON'T GUESS — search literature for specific synthesis conditions.

### 4. Symmetry & Point Groups
1. Identify the molecular shape
2. Find symmetry elements: C_n axes, mirror planes (σ_h, σ_v, σ_d), inversion center (i), improper rotation (S_n)
3. Use `python3 skills/tooluniverse-organic-chemistry/scripts/chemistry_facts.py point_groups` for point group lookup
4. **Optical activity**: Requires absence of improper rotation axes (S_n, including σ = S_1 and i = S_2). Chiral point groups: C_1, C_n, D_n, T, O, I
5. **Crystal classes with optical activity**: Piezoelectric non-centrosymmetric classes that lack mirror planes and inversion

### 5. Thermodynamics & Kinetics
**COMPUTE DON'T ESTIMATE** — write Python code for:
- Gibbs free energy: ΔG = ΔH - TΔS
- Equilibrium constant: K = exp(-ΔG/RT)
- Arrhenius equation: k = A * exp(-Ea/RT)
- Nernst equation: E = E° - (RT/nF) * ln(Q)
- Clausius-Clapeyron: ln(P2/P1) = -ΔH_vap/R * (1/T2 - 1/T1)

### 6. Solubility & Equilibrium Calculations

**Preferred**: Use `EquilibriumSolver_calculate` tool (via MCP/SDK) with `type`, `ksp`, `stoich`, and other parameters. Fallback: run `equilibrium_solver.py` directly.

```bash
# Simple Ksp: MaXb(s) <-> aM + bX
python3 skills/tooluniverse-inorganic-physical-chemistry/scripts/equilibrium_solver.py \
  --type ksp_simple --ksp 5.3e-27 --stoich 1:3

# Ksp + complex formation (e.g., Al(OH)3 in water with Al(OH)4- complex)
python3 skills/tooluniverse-inorganic-physical-chemistry/scripts/equilibrium_solver.py \
  --type ksp_kf --ksp 5.3e-27 --kf 1.1e33 --stoich 1:3

# Common ion effect (e.g., AgCl in 0.1M NaCl)
python3 skills/tooluniverse-inorganic-physical-chemistry/scripts/equilibrium_solver.py \
  --type common_ion --ksp 1.77e-10 --stoich 1:1 --common-ion 0.1
```

**Key points**:
- `ksp_kf` mode solves the full charge-balance system numerically (Newton's method) — accounts for free cation, complex anion, and OH-/H+ simultaneously
- For `MX_b + X- <-> MX_(b+1)-`, K_overall = Ksp * Kf
- `common_ion` mode uses bisection to solve the exact Ksp expression with extra ion concentration
- Always specify `--stoich a:b` matching the salt formula (e.g., 1:3 for Al(OH)3, 1:2 for CaF2, 1:1 for AgCl)

### 7. Spectroscopy Interpretation
- **UV-Vis**: d-d transitions (weak, Laporte forbidden), LMCT/MLCT (strong), π→π* (organic)
- **IR**: Functional group region (4000-1500 cm⁻¹), fingerprint (1500-400 cm⁻¹)
- **NMR**: Chemical shift indicates electronic environment. For counting peaks, identify symmetry-equivalent protons.
- **For peak counting**: Draw the structure, identify all symmetry operations, group equivalent H atoms. Use `python3 skills/tooluniverse-organic-chemistry/scripts/chemistry_facts.py` for reference data.

## Available Tools

| Tool | Use For |
|------|---------|
| `PubChem_get_CID_by_compound_name` | Get compound CID from name |
| `PubChem_get_compound_properties_by_CID` | Detailed compound data by CID |
| `ChEMBL_search_molecules` | Bioactive compounds |
| `PubMed_search_articles` | Literature on synthesis conditions, properties |
| `CrystalStructure_validate` tool (or `crystal_validator.py` fallback) | Verify crystal structure data consistency |
| `EquilibriumSolver_calculate` tool (or `equilibrium_solver.py` fallback) | Ksp, complex formation, common-ion solubility |

## LOOK UP DON'T GUESS

- Noble gas compound synthesis conditions vary by method — search literature before answering
- Crystal structure parameters must be computed, not estimated
- Bonding descriptions (covalent vs ionic) require specific orbital considerations — don't generalize from one system to another

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