Students in the first semester of organic chemistry at Columbia College investigate the dehydration of 1-methylcyclohexanol in an experiment which incorporates molecular modeling to predict the reaction product and then decoupled 13C NMR and DEPT spectra to determine whether the prediction is correct.  Additionally, the procedure students follow for this experiment is one they must adapt and rescale from a similar dehydration in their lab textbook.  This experiment serves as the place where NMR spectroscopy is first introduced into the organic curriculum.  The students are provided with little theoretical background on the technique at this point but are given instruction on how to interpret these relatively simple spectra.  This experiment also serves as a glimpse at how organic synthesis research is often carried out with computer modeling being used to assess possible products, adaptation of published reaction procedures and, finally, spectral analysis of reaction products.

Investigating the dehydration of 1-methylcyclohexanol using molecular modeling and decoupled <sup>13</sup>C NMR and DEPT spectra

247th National Meeting (2014)

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Investigating the dehydration of 1-methylcyclohexanol using molecular modeling and decoupled 13C NMR and DEPT spectra

Investigating the dehydration of 1-methylcyclohexanol using molecular modeling and decoupled ¹³C NMR and DEPT spectra