Advanced Organic Chemistry: Carbon-13 NMR spectrum of butane CH3CH2CH2CH3

SITEMAP * HOME PAGE * SEARCH * GCSE Level Chemistry age ~14-16 * Advanced Level Chemistry age ~16-19

Interpreting the Carbon-13 NMR spectrum of butane CH3CH2CH2CH3

Doc Brown's Chemistry Advanced Level Pre-University Chemistry Revision Study Notes for UK IB KS5 A/AS GCE advanced A level organic chemistry students US K12 grade 11 grade 12 organic chemistry courses involving molecular spectroscopy analysing C-13 NMR spectra of n-butane

Use your mobile phone in 'landscape' mode?

What next? and links associated with butane

C-13 NMR spectroscopy - spectra index

See also comparing the IR, mass, 1H NMR and 13C NMR spectra of 2-methylpropane and butane

13C nmr spectrum of butane C4H10 CH3CH2CH2CH3 analysis of chemical shifts ppm interpretation of C-13 chemical shifts ppm of n-butane C13 13-C nmr doc brown's advanced organic chemistry revision notes 

TMS is the acronym for tetramethylsilane, formula Si(CH3)4, whose 13C atoms are arbitrarily given a chemical shift of 0.0 ppm. This is the 'standard' in 13C NMR spectroscopy and all other 13C resonances, called chemical shifts, are measured with respect to the TMS, and depend on the individual (electronic) chemical environment of the 13C atoms in an organic molecule - butane here.

Butane   C4H10  alkanes structure and naming (c) doc b  alkanes structure and naming (c) doc b  alkanes structure and naming (c) doc b

For more see The molecular structure, classification and naming of alkanes

Interpreting the C-13 NMR spectrum of butane

As you can see from the diagram above there are 2 different chemical shift lines in the C-13 NMR spectrum of butane indicating 2 different chemical environments of the 4 carbon atoms of butane.

CH3CH2CH2CH3

(Note the 2 different colours indicating the 2 different chemical environments of the 2 carbon atoms in butane).

13C chemical shifts (a) to (b) on the C-13 NMR spectrum diagram for butane.

There are only two possible chemical environments for the four carbon atoms because of the symmetry of the butane molecule.

Two pairs of carbon atoms have the same chemical environment, giving a pair of only two C13 chemical shifts.

The carbon-13 NMR spectra provides direct evidence of 2 different carbon atom environments for the 4 carbon atoms in the butane molecule, deduced from the presence of 2 different 13C NMR chemical shifts (ppm).

See also comparing the IR, mass, 1H NMR and 13C NMR spectra of 2-methylpropane and butane

Comparing the infrared, mass, 1H NMR and 13C NMR spectra of the 2 alkane isomers of C4H10

NOTE: The images are linked to their original detailed spectral analysis pages AND can be doubled in size with touch screens to increase the definition to the original butane and 2-methylpropane image sizes.

The infrared spectra of butane and 2-methyl propane are quite similar, mainly due to C-H stretching and deformation vibrations, but you can see significant differences in the fingerprint region at wavenumbers 1500 to 600 cm-1.

The mass spectra of butane and 2-methyl propane are quite similar and both have a base ion peak of m/z 43 [C3H7]+, but here significant differences in the ratios of the m/z ions 27 to 29 [C2H3,4,5]+.

The 1H NMR spectra of butane and 2-methyl propane are quite similar in that both show the 8 hydrogen atoms exist in only 2 different chemical environment. However, they can be distinguished from each other by the different integrated proton ratios. Butane gives a (2) : (3) proton ratio and 2-methylbutane a (1) : (9) proton ratio.

The 13C NMR spectra of butane and 2-methyl propane are quite similar in that both show the 4 carbon atoms exist in only 2 different chemical environments. The two 13C chemical shifts for butane are reliable and much further apart, not sure on the other pair.

Key words & phrases: C4H10 CH3CH2CH2CH3 Interpreting the C-13 NMR spectra of butane, C-13 nmr spectrum of butane, understanding the carbon-13 nmr spectrum of butane, explaining the line pattern in the high resolution C-13 nmr spectra of butane, revising the C-13 nmr spectrum of butane, ppm chemical shifts of the C-13 nmr spectrum of butane, how to construct the diagram of the C-13 nmr spectrum of butane, how to analyse the chemical shifts in the carbon-13 NMR spectrum of butane deducing the chemical environment of all the carbon atoms in butane examining the c13 nmr spectrum of  butane analysing the 13-c nmr spectrum of butane how do you sketch and interpret the C-13 NMR spectrum of butane interpreting interpretation of the C-13 NMR spectrum of butane assignment of chemical shifts in the 13C NMR spectrum of n-butane Molecular structure diagram of the carbon-13 NMR diagram for the 13C NMR spectrum of butane. Deducing the number of different chemical environments of the carbon atoms in the butane molecule from the 13C chemical shifts in the carbon-13 NMR spectrum of butane. Revision notes on the carbon-13 NMR spectrum of butane. Matching and deducing the structure of the butane molecule from its 13C NMR spectrum How do you interpret the chemical shifts of the C-13 NMR spectrum of butane How to interpret the C-13 NMR spectrum of butane Explanatory diagram of the 13C C-13 carbon-13 NMR spectrum of the butane molecule in terms of its molecular structure. Listing data of all the chemical shift peaks in ppm in the carbon-13 NMR spectrum of butane. How to explain the C-13 NMR spectrum of butane. How to deduce the number of different carbon atom environments in the butane molecule from its carbon-13 NMR spectrum to help work out the molecular structure of the butane molecule? The uses and distinctive features of the carbon-13 NMR spectrum of the butane molecule explained. What do the number and values of the chemical shifts from the c-13 carbon-13 NMR spectrum tell us about the butane molecule?


What next? Links associated with butane

The chemistry of ALKANES revision notes INDEX

The infrared spectrum of butane

The mass spectrum of butane

The H-1 NMR spectrum of butane

C-13 NMR spectroscopy index

ALL SPECTROSCOPY INDEXES

All Advanced Organic Chemistry Notes

Use My Google search site box

Email doc b: chem55555@hotmail.com query? comment?

TOP OF PAGE and indexes