Students Constructing for Themselves the Concept of Chemical Shift Correlation for Organic Substructures

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy is an indispensable tool for structure analysis. Students traditionally learn to interpret NMR spectra by using correlation tables to connect substructural units to their respective signals. This activity presents a successfully implemented classroom exercise in which students discover for themselves the pattern underlying the chemical shift correlation. To accomplish this goal, students analyze sets of NMR data selected to highlight paradigms of molecular structure on chemical shift, including the effects of electronegative elements, double bonds, and aromatic systems as well as cumulative effects. This approach improved students’ abilities to interpret spectra and use correlation tables.