Improving the Chemistry Curriculum Through NMR Spectroscopy

该大学化学与生物化学系正在开发一门以项目为基础的化学课程。这种化学教育方法通过在化学环境中培养独立推理和解决问题的能力，为学生进入工业、研究生和专业学校做好了更好的准备。提高这个项目,学生使用的是300 MHz FTNMR光谱仪孤独和与部门内的其他仪器完成项目从天然产物的表征和分析在大二有机合成实验室、聚合物相平衡的决心在物理化学,仪器分析复杂结构的测定和调查三级肽在生物化学结构。实验改编自研究文献和化学教育杂志，旨在促进学生的独立思考和解决问题的能力，并说明核磁共振技术在广泛化学领域的全部力量，同时在一个学期的课程中仍然可行。我们的许多学生选择用一个研究项目来完成他们的化学教育。在这里，分光仪在中间产物的表征和结果的证明方面特别有用。该大学致力于少数民族和妇女的教育。目前，大约65%的本科理科生是女性，20%是少数族裔。我们期望这项计划的实施将继续改善我国少数民族本科生的教育，并继续吸引少数民族和妇女进入化学科学领域。

The Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University is developing a project-based curriculum in chemistry. Such an approach to chemical education better prepares students for industry, graduate and professional schools by developing independent reasoning and problem solving skills in a chemical environment. To enhance this program, students are using a 300 MHz FTNMR spectrometer alone and in conjunction with the other instrumentation within the department to complete projects ranging from characterization of natural products and the analysis of syntheses in sophomore organic laboratories, to the determination of polymer phase equilibria in physical chemistry, the determination of complex structures in instrumental analysis and the investigation of tertiary peptide structure in biochemistry. Experiments are adapted from the research literature and from the Journal of Chemical Education to create these projects that are designed to promote independent thinking and problem solving by the students, and to illustrate the full power of NMR techniques in a broad spectrum of chemical fields while remaining feasible for a one-semester course. Many of our students choose to complete their chemical education with a research project. Here the spectrometer is especially useful in the characterization of intermediates and the proof of results.The University has a commitment to the education of minorities and women. Currently approximately 65% of our undergraduate science majors are female, and 20% are members of minority groups. We expect the implementation of this program to continue to improve the education of our minority undergraduates and to continue to attract minorities and women into the chemical sciences.