As Valentine’s Day approaches, I decided to analyze the 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectrum of the main aromatic component of roses, carnations, violets, lilies and chrysanthemums, which were b-damascenone, eugenol, b-ionone, linalool and a-pinene, respectively.

Brucine is a structurally complex molecule, commonly found in the bark and seeds of the Strychnos nux-vomica tree, which is native to India and southeast Asia.1 A toxic alkaloid, brucine is typically present alongside strychnine, a structurally almost identical molecule that is more toxic than brucine.

2D NMR experiments can provide a wealth of information to aid in the structural elucidation of chemical compounds. Of the many 2D NMR experiments available, the homonuclear correlation spectroscopy (COSY) sequence is one of the most popular and is used to identify which spin systems are directly coupled to each other. As an example, the 1H-1H COSY spectrum of 1-propanol recorded on the NMReady-60 is shown below in Figure 1.

NMR spectroscopy is by far the most useful characterization technique in organic chemistry, especially if you have to elucidate the structure or configuration of your products. Arguably, 2D experiments such as COSY, HSQC, and HMBC have simplified this task tremendously. In this post I wanted to highlight the COSY of α-humulene. Read more.

In November 2014 Nanalysis was pleased to announce the expansion of their product line with the NMReady-60PRO.  With this we also extended our experiment library for the NMReady-60e