Ian McNeil

Document Type

Honors Project

First Advisor

Dr. Erich Brumbaugh

Degree Award Date

Spring 2008

Keywords

NMR Analysis, Alcohol/Water Mixtures, Alcohol/Alcohol Mixture, hydrogen bondings

Disciplines

Biochemistry | Biology | Molecular Biology

Abstract

Understanding the molecular environment of aqueous solutions is important to both biological and nonbiological systems. The physical characteristics of mixtures such as partial molar volume, density, and heat of mixing have been examined and documented in the past. The effects of hydrogen bonding upon these physical phenomena however are still a mystery. This project used NMR spectra to analyze the change of the electron environment caused by hydrogen bonding of the protons in alcohol/water and alcohol/alcohol mixtures. The solutions analyzed were methanol/water, 1-propanol/water, 2-propanol/water, . 1-propanol/methanol, and 2-propanol/methanol. The results corroborate the literature in that the methyl protons were observed to experience less change in environment than the hydroxyl protons. Also the hydroxyl protons experienced maximum changes most often at around 0.3, 0.5, and 0. 7 mole fraction, which correspond to the stoichiometric ratios of 1 :2, 1 : 1, and 2: 1.

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