This proposal will fund the purchase of computer and acquisition systems for two JEOL FX90Q nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectrometers for use in undergraduate laboratories in analytical, physical, and polymer chemistry. In analytical chemistry, the labs will focus on a basic familiarity with modern NMR instrumentation. The students will also learn how to acquire and manipulate data using computerized equipment. In physical chemistry, the experiments focus on basic NMR phenomena and second order and exchange effects. In polymers, NMR will be used to determine the stereochemistry, identification, and verification of polymerization through the use of carbon-13 and proton NMR. Students will also determine the distribution of monomer segments in copolymers. The experiments for the understanding of the basic Fourier transform NMR phenomena, as well as those for polymer chemistry, are not generally available for faculty members in these areas. These will be developed and shared with other educators in these fields.
