This proposal seeks matching funds from the NSF to support modification of a 250 MHz Fourier transform nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer for use in the undergraduate chemistry laboratories at UNM. At the present time there is no NMR instrument available for use by undergraduates in the department of chemistry. The addition of an NMR instrument will impact the educational experience of approximately 350 students per year at the sophomore, junior and senior levels. The four major laboratory courses targeted for immediate introduction to NMR experimentation include organic chemistry, chemistry lab III, synthesis and structure determination and instrumental analysis. The acquisition of an NMR spectrometer for these undergraduate laboratories will benefit students by improving and augmenting existing experiments in the curriculum and by allowing them hands-on experience with a modern, computer based instrument similar to research-grade instrumentation. It will also permit the addition of interesting and challenging experiments that are not implemented because their success and educational value relies heavily on the availability of an NMR.
