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This lesson covers the main analytical techniques used to identify organic compounds: mass spectrometry, infrared (IR) spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy (both ¹H and ¹³C), chromatography, and elemental analysis. You will learn how to use each technique individually and, crucially, how to combine data from multiple techniques to identify an unknown compound systematically. This material aligns with the AQA and OCR A specifications for A-Level Chemistry.
A mass spectrometer ionises molecules, separates the resulting ions by their mass-to-charge ratio (m/z), and detects them. The output is a mass spectrum.
Key Definition: The molecular ion (M⁺) is formed when a molecule loses one electron. Its m/z value gives the relative molecular mass of the compound.
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