ACCESSING the NMR SPECTROMETER: Giving chemistry students a new hands-on tool

Chemistry students will be able to access data directly off our NMR instrument.

The NMR instrument is the key method for determining the structure and identity of organic molecules. Each molecule has a particular signature spectrum which can be interpreted by certain easy-to-learn-rules. All students in CHM235, 238 and 350 learn these rules.

The spectrometer outputs a file which looks like this, called an FID.


The students can access the file in the computer lab and then process it by FT (fourier transform) to this spectrum.


The spectrum can be analyzed off-line by the students in the lab, for example, integrating the peaks to find out more detailed information about the exact structure of the molecule.