CHEM 766/7660 - Organic Spectroscopy
Semester: Fall 2026
Professor: S. Al-Abdul-Wahid | Discipline: Organic | Campus: GuelphDescription
A graduate-level treatment of modern NMR spectroscopy and complementary analytical techniques, with an emphasis on practical structure elucidation of organic molecules.
Synopsis: NMR spectroscopy is among the most powerful tools available for characterising molecular structure, dynamics, and interactions. This course surveys the 1D and 2D NMR experiments commonly used in chemical research, building from a conceptual foundation in nuclear spin, chemical shift, and coupling. Topics include routine NMR experiments, multinuclear NMR, relaxation & molecular dynamics, and diffusion (DOSY), treated at a level appropriate for independent application. IR and mass spectrometry are integrated as complementary tools. Selected advanced topics will also be introduced (e.g. solid-state NMR, quantitative NMR). The focus throughout is on the logic-driven process of structure elucidation, developed through worked examples, case studies, hands-on NMR experience, and integrated problems.
Students completing this course will be expected to have acquired:
- A working knowledge of the theoretical basis of modern NMR spectroscopy at a level required to carry out graduate research in chemistry.
- The ability to select and interpret a suite of 1D and 2D NMR experiments, along with IR and mass spectrometry data, to determine molecular structures.
- Familiarity with multinuclear NMR, solid-state NMR, quantitative NMR, and selected advanced methods, sufficient to evaluate their applicability to research problems.
Materials
Supporting materials (including spectroscopic data and worked examples) will be provided electronically through the course website; no textbook purchase is required.
The following useful supplementary resources; others will be presented as appropriate.
- Claridge, T.D.W. High-Resolution NMR Techniques in Organic Chemistry, 3rd ed. Elsevier, 2016.
- Hornak, J.P. The Basics of NMR, online. https://www.cis.rit.edu/htbooks/nmr/nmr-main.htm
- Reich, H.NMR Info/Data, online. https://organicchemistrydata.org/hansreich/resources/nmr/
Evaluation
The following evaluation scheme will be confirmed in the course syllabus; minor adjustments are possible.
- Assignments — 15%
- Midterm Exam — 20%
- Oral Presentation — 15%
- Hands-on Project — 20%
- Final Exam — 30%
Oral Presentation: 10–15 minutes on an advanced NMR topic or application.
Hands-on Project: structure elucidation of an unknown compound using NMR and complementary techniques.
Lab/Project
Oral Presentation
Each student will select an advanced NMR topic and a journal article in which that topic is applied. Topic selection requires instructor approval. Near the end of the course, students will give a short presentation (10–15 minutes, depending on enrolment) with a brief Q&A afterwards.
Hands-on Project (details to be confirmed)
Students receive an unknown compound, an NMR tube, and a vial of solvent. All subsequent decisions are made by the student: solvent selection, sample preparation, experiment selection, acquisition, and processing. The deliverable is a written report (annotated spectra and a structure proposal with brief reasoning), followed by a one-on-one conversation with the instructor in which students walk through their analysis and reasoning.
Students who are trained on the NMR instrumentation are welcome to acquire their own data. Those without training who would like to gain hands-on experience will receive training in this course. Students without instrument access will provide their experiment specifications to the instructor, who will acquire the data on their behalf.
Schedule
- Wed: 7:00 pm - 9:20 pm in MacN 203
