The Department of Chemistry of Thiel College upgraded an existing Varian EM360 continuous wave nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer to a pulsed Fourier transform instrument capable of doing carbon-13, fluorine-l9 and phosphorus-31 spectra as well as proton spectra. The ease of use and increased flexibility of the upgraded instrument makes it possible for students to have hands-on use of NMR throughout the chemistry curriculum starting in the freshman year and culminating in a research project in the senior year. The FTNMR is an integral part of the laboratory program of a multi-track chemistry major in which students can choose a biochemistry track or an environmental chemistry track instead of the normal chemistry major.
