NMR data informs all aspects of structural chemistry and biochemistry and can be infused into courses to enhance learning, not just in the spectroscopy section of the course which is often near the middle or end of textbooks. A common initial activity in organic chemistry is building plastic molecular models of select organic molecules to enable students to explore the connectivity and spatial orientation of atoms at the same time they encounter condensed and line angle formulas. For the past several years, in three different organic chemistry courses, this first introductory exploration of molecular shape and structure has been combined with carbon -13 NMR spectral data, increasing student interest and engagement with data that is new to them. The addition of carbon-13 NMR spectra to the built structures gives students evidence for classifying various condensed or line angle formulas as the same compound represented differently or as isomers.  As students reconcile the number of carbon-13 absorptions with the number of carbons in a structure, they are introduced to symmetry and equivalent atoms in structures. The inclusion of various alkanes, alkenes, alkynes and arenes allows students to consider different electronic as well as spatial environments, and introduces the importance of the chemical shift of an observed absorption as well as the number of absorptions in the carbon-13 spectra. In addition to the description of the activity, the results of student exit quizzes as well as performance on later class assessments will be presented.

Introducing carbon-13 NMR into the initial molecular model building activities of organic chemistry

255th National Meeting (2018)

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