Marymount University recently acquired a Bruker Avance 400 NMR Spectrometer, and to fully integrate it into the laboratory curriculum a new laboratory was developed for general chemistry students. Unlike many published experiments using advanced NMR techniques, which have been developed for upper level courses, this experiment is a simple introduction to NMR for a freshman level general chemistry course. The phosphate concentration was determined for various soft drinks using phosphorous NMR. The students run the samples themselves and perform the Fourier transformation on the Free Induction Decay (FID). After this, the spectra contain only one peak, and if the pH of the samples is the same, the peak also appears at the same position in all of the spectra. The students then integrate the peak and compare the integrated are of the peaks to determine the concentration of phosphate in their samples. The simplicity of the data analysis allow the emphasis of the experiment to be the NMR instrumentation, sample preparation and data processing.

Measurement of phosphates in soft drinks: A general chemistry experiment using NMR

249th National Meeting (2015)

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