Carbon-13 NMR
Carbon-13 NMR
- NMR studies how certain nuclei behave in a strong magnetic field.
- In carbon-13 NMR, each different carbon environment gives one peak.
- This tells you about a molecule's carbon skeleton.
Reading a carbon-13 spectrum
- the number of peaks = the number of different carbon environments (equivalent carbons share a peak).
- the position of each peak (its chemical shift) suggests the type of carbon.
- Together these help you deduce possible structures.
Practice
In carbon-13 NMR, the number of peaks tells you:
Each distinct carbon environment gives one peak; equivalent carbons share a peak.
Practice
The chemical shift (position) of a carbon-13 peak suggests:
The shift indicates the kind of carbon, helping to deduce the structure.
Practice
Equivalent carbons (in the same environment) give a single shared peak.
Carbons in identical environments are not distinguished, so they appear as one peak.
You've got it
Key idea
- carbon-13 NMR: each different carbon environment gives one peak
- the number of peaks = the number of carbon environments
- the chemical shift suggests the type of carbon, helping deduce the structure