As an organic chemistry student, in addition to studying many reactions and mechanisms you will also be called up on to study the graphs generated by organic compounds using various spectroscopy methods. As part of your course you will be asked to study and interpret the individual graphs to see if you can glean valuable information such as molecular formula, functional groups and even the structure and connectivity of the molecule
The types of spectroscopy studied in a standard organic chemistry course include, but are not limited to the following: Nuclear Magnetic Resonance for both hydrogen atoms and Carbon atoms. These are referred to as H-NMR and C-NMR, Infrared Spectroscopy, and Mass Spectroscopy. While we have computers that can analyze these graphs today, it doesn't hurt to understand the material and how to interpret the data as this will help you understand and appreciate the early scientific work that went into identifying molecular structures prior to computer interpretations
Mass Spectroscopy is quite valuable in helping to identify two aspects of the molecule you are studying. Focusing on the graph more than the science behind the machine, you can learn to identify the molecular peak which represents the largest fragment of the molecule and therefore the molecular weight. This piece of data, along with other information, will help you identify the molecular formula of the molecule in question. The second thing you want to look for is a distinct height ratio difference between the molecular peak and its neighbor as this will help you identify the presence of chlorine or bromine, each of which have very distinct isotopic ratios
Another useful graph that you will come across is that of the infrared spectroscopy often called IR Spec. This graph is one that helps you identify functional groups on the molecule in question. Once again, don't focus too much on the science behind the graph formation, but instead put your energy towards studying various graphs and getting comfortable with the interpretation of groups and types of atoms based on where and how they show up on the graph
And last we have my favorite which is Nuclear Magnetic Resonance or NMR. There are many types of NMR to study, however the most common for the standard Organic Chemistry course are the spectroscopy readouts of C-NMR and H-NMR C-NMR will tell you about the different types of carbon atoms on the molecule, while H-NMR will tell you about the hydrogen atoms and how they interact with other hydrogen atoms in the molecule. This in turn helps you figure out exactly how the various pieces of the molecule are connected to each other, and ultimately helps you figure out the entire molecular structure
The types of spectroscopy studied in a standard organic chemistry course include, but are not limited to the following: Nuclear Magnetic Resonance for both hydrogen atoms and Carbon atoms. These are referred to as H-NMR and C-NMR, Infrared Spectroscopy, and Mass Spectroscopy. While we have computers that can analyze these graphs today, it doesn't hurt to understand the material and how to interpret the data as this will help you understand and appreciate the early scientific work that went into identifying molecular structures prior to computer interpretations
Mass Spectroscopy is quite valuable in helping to identify two aspects of the molecule you are studying. Focusing on the graph more than the science behind the machine, you can learn to identify the molecular peak which represents the largest fragment of the molecule and therefore the molecular weight. This piece of data, along with other information, will help you identify the molecular formula of the molecule in question. The second thing you want to look for is a distinct height ratio difference between the molecular peak and its neighbor as this will help you identify the presence of chlorine or bromine, each of which have very distinct isotopic ratios
Another useful graph that you will come across is that of the infrared spectroscopy often called IR Spec. This graph is one that helps you identify functional groups on the molecule in question. Once again, don't focus too much on the science behind the graph formation, but instead put your energy towards studying various graphs and getting comfortable with the interpretation of groups and types of atoms based on where and how they show up on the graph
And last we have my favorite which is Nuclear Magnetic Resonance or NMR. There are many types of NMR to study, however the most common for the standard Organic Chemistry course are the spectroscopy readouts of C-NMR and H-NMR C-NMR will tell you about the different types of carbon atoms on the molecule, while H-NMR will tell you about the hydrogen atoms and how they interact with other hydrogen atoms in the molecule. This in turn helps you figure out exactly how the various pieces of the molecule are connected to each other, and ultimately helps you figure out the entire molecular structure
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Before you tackle your spectroscopy homework problems, go ahead and watch this Spectroscopy Introductory Video to give you a deeper understanding of the different spectroscopy problem types