Tuesday, October 30, 2012

New NMR

After struggling with a 60-MHz instrument with a problematic magnet for many years the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry eagerly welcomes its new 90-MHz instrument.  It was purchased from Anasazi Instruments, Inc., and features a permanent magnet. 
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This new spectrometer easily runs proton and C-13 spectra and - give it a moment - it can analyze other nuclei as well. Students will soon become adept at the DEPT procedure to distinguish carbon atoms of different degree of substitution. They will be cozy at interpreting two-dimensional spectra from COSY experiments.  Students are introduced to NMR theory and operation in the sophomore level organic chemistry course and continue using it in upper -level chemistry courses.  Perhaps the person most excited about this new instrument is Professor McMillen, who spent countless hours preparing our previous unstable machine each week before heavy use in the student labs.