Have you ever wondered how chemists, with the vast array of pharmaceuticals and other chemicals we use every day, know what they are making? Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectroscopy (NMR), more than any other technique, has allowed chemists to identify the thousands of compounds produced every day. The results of this work have been everything from Prozac® to Nutrasweet® to Viagra®.
Introduction to NMR Spectroscopy
Chemical
Case Study: NMR Spectra of Ethanol Past and Present.
An NMR spectrum of ethanol, published by Stanford University in 1951, began to show the power of the technique. Today, that spectrum looks remarkably plain and information-poor, but for the time it was an exciting indication of the potential of NMR spectroscopy.
NMR spectroscopy provides a unique combination of information about the identity and quantity of almost any chemical, making it one of the most valuable tools to structural, synthetic organic, and synthetic inorganic chemists today.
Landmark Instrument: Varian A-60
Varian Instruments introduced NMR spectroscopy to the world; even the common acronym "NMR" was their invention. The A-60 made NMR spectroscopy a universal technique, and NMR has remained one of the cornerstones of organic chemistry ever since.
Click here or the picture for more information about the history of the Varian A-60.
The Varian A-60 introduced NMR spectroscopy to non-spectroscopists. This step was the key to making NMR the powerful, ubiquitous tool it is today. The A-60 was popular with other types of chemists Because of a combination of price, availability, and well-developed electronics.
Click here to learn how the Varian A-60 works.
NMR spectroscopy went through a revolution with the introduction of Fourier Transform NMR spectroscopy. Modern NMR spectrometers continue to increase in proton field ratings every year, giving more resolution and structural data in the same amount of time.