This project is incorporating hands-on NMR spectroscopy at every level of undergraduate coursework. The objectives of the project are to excite students about chemistry by exposing them early to this powerful structural method; to train them thoroughly in the methods and applications of modern NMR spectroscopy in preparation for undergraduate research; and to prepare them to successfully pursue graduate degrees. Students are introduced to simple applications of 13C and 1H NMR as early as the fourth week of the first year. Working in groups, they are instructed in NMR operation and perform NMR structural analyses of unknowns. In several second-year courses, students use NMR to analyze product mixtures, reveal stereochemical aspects of reactions, probe the conformations of biomolecules, and determine solution magnetic susceptibilities. They also have the opportunity to take an NMR projects course that provides instruction in additional aspects of NMR. In the third year, students learn advanced multidimensional techniques in a course that provides extensive hands-on training to prepare students to use NMR in their Major Qualifying Project research. The state-of-the-art NMR instrumentation provides students with an exciting, high level, hands-on, and modern laboratory experience across the entire 4-year program.
