Improvement of the Undergraduate Chemistry Laboratory Curriculum with High Field NMR

化学课程是该学院最强大的领域之一，但由于缺乏高场核磁共振（NMR）光谱仪，它的进一步发展受到阻碍。该项目的目标是通过结合高场核磁共振光谱的广泛实践使用，加强化学学生的教学和合作研究。为了实现这一目标，化学专业正在修订六门课程，让学生接触到一系列日益复杂的应用。在大二阶段，核磁共振的引入为学生们提供了更具体的同分异构、构象变化和电负性的例子，并阐明了未知有机化合物和反应产物的结构。在大三和大四，学生探索核磁共振光谱的量子力学基础和基本物理原理，以及结构解析以外的应用。他们还使用核磁共振来确定磁化率，确认多步合成中的中间体，计算反应的非对映体或对映体过量，并观察有趣的配位化学。除了加强实验室指导外，高场核磁共振的获取极大地改善了合成化学的合作研究项目。该项目的主要受益者是每年6门化学课程和8个化学专业的140名学生。其他受益者包括15名大学预科教师，他们参加了学院和一个联盟的成员机构的夏季光谱学研究所，该联盟可以将核磁共振纳入他们的化学课程。

The chemistry program is among the college's strongest areas, but its further progress has been hindered by the lack of a high-field nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectrometer. The objective of this project is to enhance the instruction and collaborative research of chemistry students by incorporating extensive hands-on use of high-field NMR spectroscopy. The chemistry program is revising six courses to accomplish this objective, exposing students to a sequence of applications of increasing sophistication. At the sophomore level, the introduction of NMR gives students more concrete examples of isomerism, conformational changes, and electronegativity, as well as elucidates the structures of unknown organic compounds and reaction products. In the junior and senior years, students explore the quantum mechanical basis and fundamental physical principles of NMR spectroscopy, as well as applications beyond structural elucidation. They also use NMR to determine magnetic susceptibility, to confirm intermediates in multistep synthesis, to calculate the diastereomeric or enantiomeric excess of reactions, and to view interesting coordination chemistry. In addition to enhancing laboratory instruction, the acquisition of a high-field NMR dramatically improves collaborative research projects in synthetic chemistry. The primary beneficiaries of this project are 140 students in six chemistry courses and eight chemistry majors per year. Other beneficiaries include 15 precollege teachers attending a summer institute in spectroscopy at the college and member institutions in a consortium, that can incorporate NMR in their chemistry curriculum.