Which type of spectroscopy is used to determine the molecular structure of organic compounds?

Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) Spectroscopy is a powerful analytical technique used to determine the molecular structure of organic compounds. It works by exploiting the magnetic properties of certain atomic nuclei, typically hydrogen (^1H) or carbon (^13C). When placed in a strong magnetic field, these nuclei resonate at specific frequencies, which can be detected and analyzed.

The resulting NMR spectrum provides detailed information about the number of hydrogen or carbon atoms in a compound, as well as their chemical environments. The splitting patterns, chemical shifts, and integration allow chemists to deduce the connectivity of atoms within the molecule, identify functional groups, and distinguish between different structural isomers. This level of detail makes NMR an invaluable tool in organic chemistry for elucidating molecular structures and confirming proposed structural models.

While other techniques such as infrared (IR) spectroscopy can provide information about functional groups and UV-Vis spectroscopy can offer insights into electronic transitions, they do not provide the same comprehensive view of molecular connectivity as NMR. Mass spectrometry is effective for determining molecular weight and fragmentation patterns but lacks the structural information that NMR delivers. Therefore, NMR is specifically utilized for understanding the detailed molecular structure of organic compounds.