Advanced Organic Chemistry: Carbon-13 NMR spectrum of butanoic acid CH3CH2CH2COOH

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Interpreting and explaining the Carbon-13 NMR spectrum of butanoic acid (butyric acid)

[Author © Dr Phil Brown PhD: Doc Brown's advanced level organic chemistry exam revision notes suitable for students of UK A level chemistry courses & US K12 grade 11, grade 12 and AP honors chemistry courses: Molecular spectrometry - analysing the 13C NMR spectra of butanoic acid [spectra page updated April 3rd 2026 *]

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 C-13 NMR spectroscopy - spectra index


Introductory note on the 13C NMR spectrum of butanoic acid

Students and teachers please note that my explanation of the carbon-13 NMR spectrum of butanoic acid is designed for advanced, but pre-university, chemistry courses.

The description does not involve the chemical shift δ spin-spin coupling effects for butanoic acid and the relative size of the carbon-13 NMR shifts does not give the ratio of the carbon atoms in the different non-equivalent chemical environments of the butanoic acid molecule.

The most common solvent used for investigating the 13C NMR spectrum of compounds like butanoic acid, is CDCl3 and other deuterated solvents.

13C nmr spectrum of butanoic acid C4H8O2 CH3CH2CH2COOH analysis of chemical shifts ppm interpretation of C-13 chemical shifts ppm of butyric acid 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 - butanoic acid here.

Butanoic acid (butyric acid(c) doc b  (c) doc b  (c) doc b

a carboxylic acid, see The molecular structure and naming of carboxylic acids and derivatives

Interpreting the C-13 NMR spectrum of butanoic acid

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

CH3CH2CH2COOH

(Note the 4 different colours indicating the 4 different chemical environments of the ? carbon atoms in butanoic acid).

13C chemical shifts (a) to (d) on the C-13 NMR spectrum diagram for butanoic acid.

Note the decreasing effect of the O atoms on the 13C chemical shift as the carbon atom is further from the more electronegative oxygen atoms in butanoic acid.

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


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Links associated with butanoic acid

The chemistry of CARBOXYLIC ACIDS and DERIVATIVES revision notes INDEX

The infrared spectrum of butanoic acid

The mass spectrum of butanoic acid

The H-1 proton NMR spectrum of butanoic acid

C-13 NMR spectroscopy index

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