NMR Spectroscopy is one of the most widely used characterization techniques in chemistry. Despite pedagogical shifts towards active-learning and guided-inquiry approaches, incorporation of NMR spectrometers directly into undergraduate curriculum has remained largely limited due to mitigating factors of size, cost and availability of high-field spectrometers. As a result, students rarely gain hands-on access to this instrumentation, particularly in the beginning stages of their programs. Moreover, as NMR Spectroscopy is primarily introduced in organic chemistry, the majority of undergraduate exposure is strictly in a structural elucidation 1H/13C NMR context. An emergence of a new class of benchtop NMR spectrometers that are affordable and do not require weekly upkeep or maintenance can facilitate the introduction of this technique into beginning or advanced inorganic chemistry courses. Herein, we describe methods for unique incorporation of the NMReady benchtop spectrometer into inorganic undergraduate laboratory experiments, illustrating how students can learn the proper technique to prepare samples, and use other important NMR nuclei (e.g., 19F, 31P) to monitor and characterize reaction mixtures and products.

Incorporation of benchtop NMR spectroscopy into undergraduate inorganic laboratories: An active-learning approach

252nd National Meeting (2016)

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