Propranolol Blog Post 3
Samyu Y -
I came into the Lab this week with the hopes of making some of the co-solutions however I ran into some unexpected problems. My first problem was that the solvents which I had to obtain needed to be all deuterated or made with a special isotope of hydrogen. You may have heard of deuterated water which is referred to colloquially as heavy water. This special isotope of hydrogen has an extra neutron which makes it heavier. The NMR machine requires the use of deuteration because the special Hydrogens give off a distinct emission which interacts with the magnetic field of the machine. This special emission shows up more than ordinary hydrogen which allows the energy of each compound to be identified more accurately. Fortunately for me, several of the co-solvents that I plan to use have deuterated versions in the lab but some of the others do not. The second problem is really much of a problem but rather a matter of personal preference. I really want more than just a graph where I compare the peak sizes to see if the solution dissolved well or not. I feel that numbers make the process easier and help with direct comparisons between the solvents. My response to solve this issue is to utilize a process called the shake flask method. The shake flask method is the industry standard practice for testing the solubility of a solution. The method is extremely effective because it generates accurate results that are also decently cheap. It also generates the mathematical results that I am looking for, so it is perfect for my research.