Inorganic chemistry presents an unusual challenge in the new century. The periodic table, in its continuing expansion, constantly amazes the scientist as new, more complex combinations of its components reveal the hidden secrets of their physical manifestations. Challenges for the new century include integrating new technology and new chemistry into the laboratory and classroom--hands-on and virtual learning.

At the San Diego ACS meeting, members of the academic community came together to share their visions for teaching inorganic chemistry. They discussed new laboratory experiences, virtual textbooks, integration of computers in the laboratory, undergraduate research experiences, and new ways of classifying reactions to enable students to recognize and categorize reaction types. It was clear from the presentations that, while the toolbox of the inorganic chemist is not now as sophisticated as the organic chemist's, that toolbox must evolve (and is evolving) if we are to understand just a fraction of the unique chemistry that is inorganic.