Skip To Content

ACD/Labs Blog

Arvin Moser
Coupling patterns can be deceptively simple. For an unknown compound, the expanded region of a 1H NMR spectrum below shows a signal at 3.39 ppm for a CH2 group. Is the coupling pattern for this two spin system a ‘true’ first-order singlet?

Arvin Moser
Part of the process of interpreting data from 2D NMR spectra is to adjust the intensity threshold in order to differentiate visually the signals from the noise. A certain level of cautious peak picking is needed so not to overlook a weak signal nor confuse a noisy region for a real signal. For an unknown...

Arvin Moser
Spectral data that exhibit weak signals (low S/N) can easily be misinterpreted. A good approach is to check the data against other data to confirm whether the signal is real or an artefact. For an unknown compound, the 1H -13C HSQC spectrum below is shown at two different intensity thresholds. The aromatic protons at 6.97...

Arvin Moser
With deuterated chloroform, the signals from the solvent can overlap with the signals from the unknown of interest. The following spectra are some examples one may encounter. In the expanded regions for each 13C NMR spectrum, Cases 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 display a weak signal at ~76.8, 77.3, 77.5, 77.5, 77.5 ppm, respectively....

Arvin Moser
Solvent signals that overlap with signals from the unknown can be a hurdle in an elucidation. The energy wasted when misidentifying a signal can make an elucidation attempt wearisome and frustrating to put it mildly. Several 13C NMR spectra were collected in deuterated chloroform for a set of unknown compounds. Are any non-solvent signals evident...

Arvin Moser
Given a set of data points, the elucidator aims to conjure up a variety of scenarios that are consistent with the data at hand. This puzzle aims to draw out an unlikely, but worth considering, scenario that needs to be verified. The expanded region for the 1H-13C HSQC-DEPT spectrum presents two scenarios that are consistent...

Arvin Moser
For this puzzle, the objective is to extract structural information from the NMR data. However, the underlying message is to check all possible atomic combinations so that no plausible fragment gets overlooked. For an unknown compound, an expanded region of the 1H-13C HSQC-DEPT spectrum below shows two 1H multiplets and two negatively-phased correlations (blue). The...

Arvin Moser
For the past decade, I had the privilege to be involved in a global project aimed at elucidating unknowns from a variety of clients. The purpose of this project was to explore and expand the utility of a Computer-Assisted Structure Elucidation (CASE) software. It is because of this project that the idea for the blog...

Arvin Moser
The results for calculating the empirical formula for an unknown compound using data from elemental analysis are presented. An elemental analysis was collected for an unknown organic compound. A 0.30 g sample of the unknown was burned to completion and it gave 59.6 % C, 6.9 % H and 8.7 % N. The results are...

Arvin Moser
Elemental analysis is an experiment used to determine the elemental composition of an unknown compound. The purpose of this puzzle is to use the percentage composition data from elemental analysis to deduce an empirical formula. An elemental analysis was collected for an unknown organic compound. A 0.30 g sample of the unknown was burned to...