CHM309

Organic Spectroscopy

Sciences
300 level
2 credit units
124 pages
12 units

This course introduces the principles and applications of various spectroscopic techniques, including UV/Vis, Infrared (IR), Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR), and Mass Spectrometry (MS). Students will learn about the instrumentation involved in these methods, data interpretation, and their applications in solving analytical problems. The course aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of these techniques for structure elucidation and quantitative analysis of organic molecules.

Start reading

About this course

Difficulty: Intermediate
Study hours: 40 hours
Maths: Basic
Content: Theoretical, practical, problem solving
Practical work: Yes

Before you start

CHM201: General Chemistry I
CHM202: General Chemistry II
CHM301: Organic Chemistry I

How it is assessed

Assignments
Tutor marked assignments
Final examination

What you'll read

The real module and unit structure of CHM309, taken from the course material NOUN publishes.

Module 1

Module 2 · MASS SPECTROMETRY

One paragraph, so you can see how it reads

CHM309 · UNIT 2: APPLICATIONS OF ULTRAVIOLET/VISIBLE SPECTROSCOPY

An atom consists of a nucleus surrounded by electrons. Every element has a unique number of electrons, equal to its atomic number for a neutral atom of that element. The electrons are located in atomic orbital of various types and energies and the electronic energy states of atoms are quantised.

Start reading Get the original PDF, if you want it

What you should be able to do

Explain the principles of UV/Visible, Infrared, NMR, and Mass Spectroscopic methods.
Describe the instrumentation involved in UV/Visible, Infrared, NMR, and Mass Spectroscopic methods.
Interpret data generated from UV/Visible, Infrared, NMR, and Mass Spectroscopic instruments.
Apply analytical methods to solve various analytical problems.
Elucidate the structure of organic molecules using spectroscopic data.

What it prepares you for

Careers

Analytical Chemist
Pharmaceutical Scientist
Quality Control Analyst
Research Scientist
Spectroscopist

Where it is applied

Pharmaceutical
Chemical
Environmental Monitoring
Food Science
Forensic Science

Tools

UV/Vis Spectrophotometer
Infrared Spectrometer
Mass Spectrometer
NMR Spectrometer
GC-MS
LC-MS

Where it gets hard

The units students slow down on, and what makes each one heavy.

Module 2: Mass Spectrometry
Unit 3: The Mass Spectrum and Interpretation of a Mass Spectrum
Interpretation of mass spectra requires understanding of complex fragmentation patterns and rearrangement reactions.
Module 3: Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy
Unit 2: Proton (1H)-NMR
Understanding spin-spin coupling patterns and interpreting complex splitting patterns in 1H-NMR spectra can be challenging.

A suggested way through it

Suggested

13 weeks, about 39 hours in total. Yours will differ.

Week 1Module 1: Ultraviolet/Visible and Infrared Spectroscopy
- Unit 1: Principles of Ultraviolet/Visible Spectroscopy · 3 hours
  Read Unit 1: Principles of Ultraviolet/Visible Spectroscopy.. Understand the interaction between radiation and matter.. Solve problems related to wavelength, frequency, and energy of photons..
Week 2Module 1: Ultraviolet/Visible and Infrared Spectroscopy
- Unit 2: Applications of Ultraviolet/Visible Spectroscopy · 3 hours
  Study Unit 2: Applications of UV/Visible Spectroscopy.. Learn about quantitative analysis using UV/Vis spectroscopy.. Practice calculations involving Beer-Lambert Law..
Week 3Module 1: Ultraviolet/Visible and Infrared Spectroscopy
- Unit 3: Principles of Infrared Spectroscopy · 3 hours
  Read Unit 3: Principles of Infrared Spectroscopy.. Understand the relationship between molecular vibrations and IR absorption.. Identify factors governing intensity and energy level of absorption in IR spectra..
Week 4Module 1: Ultraviolet/Visible and Infrared Spectroscopy
- Unit 4: Applications of Infrared Spectroscopy · 3 hours
  Study Unit 4: Applications of Infrared Spectroscopy.. Learn about structural elucidation using IR spectroscopy.. Understand the use of IR spectroscopy as a fingerprint technique..
Week 5Module 2: Mass Spectrometry
- Unit 1: Principles of Mass Spectrometry · 3 hours
  Read Unit 1: Principles of Mass Spectrometry.. Understand the basic components of a mass spectrometer.. Learn about molecular ions and mass spectra..
Week 6Module 2: Mass Spectrometry
- Unit 2: Sample Introduction, Ionisation Techniques and Mass Analysers Used in Mass Spectrometry · 3 hours
  Study Unit 2: Sample Introduction, Ionisation Techniques and Mass Analysers Used in Mass Spectrometry.. Understand different sample introduction and ionization techniques.. Learn about various mass analyzers and their features..
Week 7Module 2: Mass Spectrometry
- Unit 3: The Mass Spectrum and Interpretation of a Mass Spectrum · 3 hours
  Read Unit 3: The Mass Spectrum and Interpretation of a Mass Spectrum.. Learn about the rules used in the interpretation of mass spectra.. Understand fragmentation patterns for different functional groups..
Week 8Module 2: Mass Spectrometry
- Unit 4: Applications of Mass Spectrometry · 3 hours
  Study Unit 4: Applications of Mass Spectrometry.. Learn about GC-MS and LC-MS techniques.. Understand the applications of mass spectrometry in drug discovery and metabolic studies..
Week 9Module 3: Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy
- Unit 1: Principles of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy · 3 hours
  Read Unit 1: Principles of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy.. Understand the principles of NMR spectroscopy.. Learn about chemical shift and NMR spectrometers..
Week 10Module 3: Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy
- Unit 2: Proton (1H)-NMR · 3 hours
  Study Unit 2: Proton (1H)-NMR.. Learn about 1H-NMR spectra and spin-spin coupling.. Understand signal intensity and deuterium exchange..
Week 11Module 3: Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy
- Unit 3: Carbon (13C)-NMR · 3 hours
  Read Unit 3: Carbon (13C)-NMR.. Understand 13C-NMR spectra and their interpretation.. Learn about chemical shifts of 13C atoms..
Week 12Module 3: Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy
- Unit 4: Two Dimensional NMR and other Applications of NMR · 3 hours
  Study Unit 4: Two Dimensional NMR and other Applications of NMR.. Learn about two-dimensional NMR spectroscopy.. Understand other applications of NMR, including quantitative analysis..
Week 13Module 3: Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy
- Unit 5: Structure Elucidation of Organic Molecules with Worked Examples · 3 hours
  Read Unit 5: Structure Elucidation of Organic Molecules with Worked Examples.. Understand how to combine information from different spectra.. Practice structure elucidation with worked examples..

Preparing for the exam

What to do

Review the principles of each spectroscopic technique (UV/Vis, IR, NMR, MS).
Practice interpreting spectra from each technique, focusing on key peaks and fragmentation patterns.
Create concept maps linking functional groups to their characteristic spectral features.
Work through example problems involving structure elucidation using combined spectroscopic data.
Focus on understanding the instrumentation and sample preparation techniques for each method.
Practice time management during mock exams to improve speed and accuracy.

Questions students ask about this course

What is CHM309 about?

How many units does CHM309 have?

CHM309, Organic Spectroscopy, has 12 units across 2 modules, over 124 pages of course material. You can read it one unit at a time.

How many credit units is CHM309?

CHM309 carries 2 credit units, at 300 level in Sciences.

Is CHM309 hard?

CHM309 is rated intermediate level, with basic mathematical content. It is mostly theoretical, practical and problem solving work, and it has a practical component.

How long does CHM309 take to study?

About 40 hours of study, spread across its 12 units.

How is CHM309 assessed?

CHM309 is assessed by assignments, tutor marked assignments and final examination.

What do I need before starting CHM309?

CHM201: General Chemistry I CHM202: General Chemistry II CHM301: Organic Chemistry I

What can I do with CHM309?

Analytical Chemist, Pharmaceutical Scientist, Quality Control Analyst, Research Scientist and Spectroscopist.