Basic Concepts of Organic Chemistry II

Academic unit or major

Graduate major in Chemistry

Instructor(s)

Makoto Yamashita

Class Format

Lecture (Livestream)

Media-enhanced courses

-

Day of week/Period
(Classrooms)

3-4 Thu

Class

-

Course Code

CHM.D402

Number of credits

100

Course offered

2026

Offered quarter

1Q

Syllabus updated

Mar 5, 2026

Language

English

Syllabus

Course overview and goals

In this course, we will learn about popular analytical methods in organic chemistry and build the ability to perform structural characterization of organic molecules ourselves.

Course description and aims

UV-vis spectroscopy: understanding principle, Lambert-Beer law, dyes, and their interactions
IR spectroscopy: understanding principle, characteristic absorptions of each functional group, reading the spectrum
NMR spectroscopy: understanding principle, vector model, relaxation, chemical shift, gyromagnetic ratio, NMR active nuclei, spin-spin coupling, coupling constants, multiplicity, dynamic motion of molecules, decoupling, multinuclear NMR, 1H and 13C NMR, reading spectrum
mass spectrometry: understanding principle, ionization, molecular ion, fragmentation, isotopic ratio, reading spectrum
X-ray crystallographic analysis: understanding principle, method to read crystallographic data

Keywords

UV-vis spectroscopy, IR spectroscopy, NMR spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, X-ray crystallographic analysis

Competencies

• Specialist skills
• Intercultural skills
• Communication skills
• Critical thinking skills
• Practical and/or problem-solving skills

Class flow

Most course contents and topics are given in person.

Course schedule/Objectives

Study advice (preparation and review)

To enhance effective learning, students are encouraged to spend approximately 100 minutes preparing for class and another 100 minutes reviewing class content afterwards (including assignments) for each class.
They should do so by referring to the course material.

Textbook(s)

Spectrometric Identification of Organic Compounds, 8th Edition, Robert M. Silverstein, Francis X. Webster, David J. Kiemle, David L. Bryce, ISBN: 978-0-470-61637-6, John Wiley & Sons
Spectroscopic Methods in Organic Chemistry, Ian Fleming, Dudley Williams, ISBN: 978-3-030-18251-9 (softcover), 978-3-030-18252-6 (ebook), Springer Cham

Reference books, course materials, etc.

The course material are provided.

Evaluation methods and criteria

Quiz in the class (20%) and term-end exam (80%, you can take all materials in the classes for this test), for a total of 100 points; over 60 points are required to earn credit.
Criteria: All participants should understand the principles, features, and relationships between measurement conditions and observable data, and should be able to analyze the structures of organic compounds based on multiple measurements.

Related courses

• CHM.D201 ： Organic Chemistry I
• CHM.D202 ： Organic Chemistry II
• CHM.D301 ： Organic Chemistry III
• CHM.D331 ： Organic Synthesis
• CHM.D333 ： Organic Reactions

Prerequisites

The lectures mainly cover basic topics. The quickest way to master analytical methods in organic chemistry is to analyze various spectra and other data independently in actual research activities. Improve your skills by discussing with your seniors and teachers every day, and use reference books in addition to textbooks to understand content beyond that covered in class. This is the quickest, steadiest step toward becoming a professional in organic chemistry. Questions about the lecture content are always welcome.