http://worldcat.org/entity/work/id/1539926

An introduction to the analysis of spin-spin splitting in high resolution nuclear magnetic resonance spectra

To learn to apply the methods of wave mechanics in a practical way seems to involve a quantum-like transition with a relatively low transition probability. Chemistry students by the thousands are exposed to the principles and jargon of wave mechanics and are able to talk in a most knowing way about orbitals, overlap, spin, etc. But very few of these students can set about to make any sort of an actual calculation of resonance energies of conjugated systems or the energy levels of nuclear spin systems, and this despite the fact that the mathematics involved, although perhaps tedious, usually does not require more than college algebra. I lay the blame for this situation just as much on the writers in the field and the students themselves as on the intrinsic difficulties of the subject. Many writers seem sincerely anxious to impart their knowledge to novices but may have forgotten, or never really knew, how difficult it is for the average chemist to make the transition between knowing and not knowing. Certainly, it is a long and tedious job to try to make clear in writing step by step what is involved, particularly when exciting prospects of discussing applications and new developments beckon. Students in their turn make things hard for themselves by their failure to work problems or to work through even simple derivations. Although it may seem presumptuous to some readers for a synthetic organic chemist to write an introduction to the quantum mechanical formulation of nuclear spin states and transitions, I have pointed out elsewhere [J. Am. Chem. Soc., 82, 5767 (1960)] that I believe all chemists can use nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy with greater interest, skill, and understanding by having at least a rudimentary knowledge of the quantitative theory of spin-spin splitting. The purpose of this book is to show that the path to making practical calculations of spin-spin splittings is not really difficult.

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