NMR spectra are usually obtained by dissolving the sample in an appropriate solvent. Because the solvent is present in much higher concentration than the sample, protons in the solvent would overwhelm the resonance peaks for the sample. For this reason, deuterated solvents are used in NMR spectroscopy. Completely deuterated solvents are very difficult to make and expensive. In almost all cases, residual protons in the deuterated solvent will cause a resonance peak (or peaks) to appear in the spectrum. The following table shows the chemical shift values for the more common solvents used for 1H NMR spectroscopy.
Solvent |
d (ppm) |
| acetic acid - d4 | 2.0 (singlet), 11.7(singlet) |
| acetone - d6 | 2.09 (singlet) |
| acetonitrile - d3 | 1.93 (singlet) |
| benzene - d6 | 7.15 (singlet) |
| carbon tetrachloride | none |
| chloroform - d | 7.25 (singlet) |
| dimethylsulfoxide - d6 | 2.49 (singlet) |
| ethanol - d6 | 1.11, 3.56, 5.19 |
| methanol - d4 | 3.31 (singlet), 4.78 (singlet) |
| methylene chloride - d2 | 5.32 (singlet) |
| water - d2 | 4.82 (singlet) |
Return to: NMR Spectroscopy Page