How many signals would be seen in the 1H NMR spectrum of ethyl ethanoate, CH3COOCH2CH3, and which signal is split into a quartet?

Answer and explanation

Correct answer: A. Three signals; the CH2 group is a quartet

  1. Step 1: Hydrogen environments: CH3-C(=O) (1), O-CH2 (2), CH2-CH3 (3), so three signals.
  2. Step 2: The n+1 rule: the CH2 hydrogens have three neighbours on the adjacent CH3, so the signal splits into 3 + 1 = 4 peaks, a quartet.
  3. Step 3: The CH3 of ethanoate has no neighbour hydrogens, so it is a singlet.
Answer
three signals; CH2 is a quartet.
Why not the others: The ethanoate CH3 has no hydrogen neighbours and is a singlet; the two methyls differ; five environments counts every atom separately.

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