Improving the Chemistry Curriculum Through NMR Spectroscopy

该大学的化学和生物化学系正在开发一个基于项目的化学课程。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，更好地为工业，研究生和专业学校的学生做好准备。为了加强这一计划，学生使用300 MHz FTNMR光谱仪单独和与其他仪器在部门内完成项目，从天然产物的表征和合成分析在大二有机实验室，以确定物理化学中的聚合物相平衡，仪器分析中复杂结构的确定和生物化学中三级肽结构的研究。 实验改编自研究文献和化学教育杂志，以创建这些旨在促进学生独立思考和解决问题的项目，并说明NMR技术在广泛的化学领域的全部力量，同时保持一个学期的课程可行。我们的许多学生选择完成他们的化学教育与研究项目。在这里，光谱仪在中间体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%的本科科学专业是女性，20%是少数民族成员。我们希望该计划的实施将继续改善我们的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。

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.