9452527 Moore A 200 MHz FT NMR spectrometer/system is being used in our undergraduate laboratories in basic organic chemistry, where we teach large numbers of science and engineering students. At the same time, this instrument is being heavily utilized by students (mostly majors) in more advanced laboratory courses in structure elucidation, organic and inorganic synthesis, physical chemistry and undergraduate research. One instrument is meeting the differing needs of students in these courses because modern FT NMR spectrometers are so flexible. They can be programmed to permit the fast turnover needed to obtain many "routine" spectra while retaining all of the potential needed for the full range of experiments needed in more advanced work. In the basic ("sophomore") organic laboratory, we are able to give students the opportunity to apply NMR to their own laboratory work, which increasingly involves an "investigative" approach. The logistics of handling large numbers of students on one instrument are not trivial. In the advanced courses, where we deal with smaller numbers, students have adequate instrument time, including "off-hours", not only to obtain high-resolution spectra, but also to do many other sophisticated experiments, including double resonance decoupling, l3C-off resonance, NOE, 2D-NMR, variable temperature and relaxation phenomena, etc. In addition, we provide students with our own library of spectra, recorded on "their" instrument, to be used in lectures and associated study. This instrument is having a major impact on the education of many students - several hundred per year - by giving them access to a modern FT NMR system.
