how do you read a proton NMR graph?

Question

suppose you are just given a proton NMR graph, how can you identify from the peaks the amt of proton located there in that region. i wonder because i am told the follow the n+1 rule, i.e., if 4 peaks then 3 protons, but i saw one with 5 peaks and they said it had 1 proton.

Answer 1

The problem is that you've confused integration with spin/spin splitting.

To figure out how many protons are in a peak, you take the area under the curve. The most common way to do this is to measure the peak heights and compare the ratios, which are directly proportional t

The n+1 rule means that a peak will be split n+1 times the number of protons near it. This is a simple discussion of coupling, as the splitting can become complex in compounds with more features.

So:

CH3CH2CH3

would yield 2 peaks. 1 peak with an integration of 6 would be a triplet, because there are 2 protons near it (n+1). 1 peak of integration 2 would be a quartet, because 3 protons are near it (both CH3's are chemically equivalent).

Answer 2

integration of the peaks should tell you how many protons that signal is due to.

if a signal has 5 peaks it has 4 protons on neighboring carbons; it can still be due to only one proton itself.

Answer 3

Its proportional to the area under the peaks.