NMR spectroscopy is one of the modern methods in chemistry utilized for structure identification of organic molecules. Two experiments using a 45-MHz picoSpin NMR spectrometer were performed by undergraduate biology students taking second-semester organic chemistry laboratory course. The first experiment involves a free-radical bromination of ethylbenzene which produced two products quantified by NMR methods. Students collected the NMR spectrum, assigned the peaks and determined product composition based on a standard peak with known concentration. The second experiment involves molecular structure identification of an unknown liquid sample using NMR and IR spectroscopic methods. Students again acquired and analyzed the NMR spectral data together with IR data using a Nicolet iS10 spectrophotometer equipped with an ATR accessory. These simple experiments using a low-cost low-maintenance NMR spectrometer are designed for non-Chemistry students in a predominantly undergraduate institution with insufficient resources to maintain high-field NMR instrumentation. Students learn the basic concepts of nuclear magnetic resonance, acquire FID, process the data, interpret, assign peaks, and determine product composition of a reaction. Hands-on experience with a miniature spectrometer provided undergraduate students with confidence to perform an NMR experiment.

Use of 45-MHz NMR spectrometer for the undergraduate organic chemistry laboratory: Analysis of product composition and molecular structure identification

246th National Meeting (2013)

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