Determining the structure of compounds | 16–18 years

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Examine data relating to the structure and complexity of compounds, including mass, infrared and ¹ H NMR spectra

Providing concrete examples to your learners helps them make real-world connections to the content they learn in the classroom. Analytical chemistry’s uses in sport and anti-doping can be an engaging hook for your lessons on spectroscopy and structure determination.

In this resource, learners encounter a real-world scenario and mass spectrometry (MS), infrared (IR) and ¹ H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. They are provided with data for seven different compounds of increasing complexity to practise interpreting spectra. The activities will sit well within a series on structure determination, supporting the development of learners’ understanding, or they can be presented as a revision guide.

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