− | * Yep, there's no 'D' on the periodic table. When you see a 'D' in a chemical formula, it is [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deuterium Hydrogen-2. When this form of hydrogen is used in a compound, it is often referred to as being "Deuterated". This is a form in which the hydrogen atoms are replaced with a more rare (but stable) isotope of hydrogen. The reason for doing this is that this form of hydrogen is not "NMR Active". Normally, a strong hydrogen signal (from say, plain water) would overwhelm the incoming NMR signal, thus making it harder to see small peaks. Deuterated solvents are used because they are not NMR active and so would not contribute to the spectrum. | + | * Yep, there's no 'D' on the periodic table. When you see a 'D' in a chemical formula, it is [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deuterium Hydrogen-2 or Deuterium]. When this form of hydrogen is used in a compound, it is often referred to as being "Deuterated". This is a form in which the hydrogen atoms are replaced with a more rare (but stable) isotope of hydrogen. The reason for doing this is that this form of hydrogen is not "NMR Active". Normally, a strong hydrogen signal (from say, plain water) would overwhelm the incoming NMR signal, thus making it harder to see small peaks. Deuterated solvents are used because they are not NMR active and so would not contribute to the spectrum. |