Past exam of the chemistry course of the year 1 of the natural sciences course of the University of Cambridge / 2021 / Paper 1 / 1 / c / iii / Solution

A: ethoxy CH${}_2$ ↔ CH${}_3$, $J\simeq 7\mathrm{Hz}$; vinyl CH ↔ each alkene methyl, small ${}^{4}J\simeq 1$–$1.5\mathrm{Hz}$.

C: ethoxy CH${}_2$ ↔ CH${}_3$, about $7\mathrm{Hz}$; the two OCH${}_2$ proton types have a geminal coupling of about $9$–$10\mathrm{Hz}$; acetal CH ↔ C≡CH has ${}^{4}J\simeq 2\mathrm{Hz}$.

B: internal vinyl CH ↔ trans terminal H, about $17\mathrm{Hz}$; ↔ cis terminal H, about $10\mathrm{Hz}$; terminal CH${}_2$ geminal coupling about $1$–$2\mathrm{Hz}$. Vinyl CH ↔ OCH${}_2$ is about $6\mathrm{Hz}$. Both vicinal links along the butanoate alkyl chain are about $7$–$8\mathrm{Hz}$.

Use $J=300\Delta \delta$ when a separation is measured in ppm. Thus $0.057\mathrm{ppm}$ corresponds to about $17\mathrm{Hz}$, whereas $0.023\mathrm{ppm}$ corresponds to about $7\mathrm{Hz}$. These are approximate readings, not a fitted spin simulation.

The small four-bond splittings illustrate allylic scalar coupling and acetal-alkyne long-range coupling.