Advanced Organic Chemistry: Carbon-13 NMR spectrum of ethyl methanoate (ethyl formate) HCOOCH2CH3

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Interpreting and explaining the Carbon-13 NMR spectrum of ethyl methanoate (ethyl formate)

[Author © Dr Phil Brown PhD: Doc Brown's advanced level organic chemistry exam revision notes suitable for students of UK A level chemistry courses & US K12 grade 11, grade 12 and AP honors chemistry courses: Molecular spectroscopy - analysing the 13C NMR spectra of ethyl methanoate [spectra page updated April 3rd 2026 *]

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 C-13 NMR spectroscopy - spectra index


Introductory note on the 13C NMR spectrum of ethyl methanoate

Students and teachers please note that my explanation of the carbon-13 NMR spectrum of ethyl methanoate is designed for advanced, but pre-university, chemistry courses.

The description does not involve the chemical shift δ spin-spin coupling effects for ethyl methanoate and the relative size of the carbon-13 NMR shifts does not give the ratio of the carbon atoms in the different non-equivalent chemical environments of the ethyl methanoate molecule.

The most common solvent used for investigating the 13C NMR spectrum of compounds like ethyl methanoate, is CDCl3 and other deuterated solvents.

13C nmr spectrum of ethyl methanoate C3H6O2 HCOOCH2CH3 analysis of chemical shifts ppm interpretation of C-13 chemical shifts ppm of ethyl formate C13 13-C nmr doc brown's advanced organic chemistry revision notes 

TMS is the acronym for tetramethylsilane, formula Si(CH3)4, whose 13C atoms are arbitrarily given a chemical shift of 0.0 ppm. This is the 'standard' in 13C NMR spectroscopy and all other 13C resonances, called chemical shifts, are measured with respect to the TMS, and depend on the individual (electronic) chemical environment of the 13C atoms in an organic molecule - ethyl methanoate here.

Ethyl methanoate (ethyl formate) C3H6O2  (c) doc b  (c) doc b  (c) doc b 

(c) doc b   The molecular structure and naming of carboxylic acids and derivatives

Interpreting the C-13 NMR spectrum of ethyl methanoate

As you can see from the diagram above there are 3 different 13C chemical shift lines in the C-13 NMR spectrum of ethyl methanoate indicating 3 different chemical environments of the 3 carbon atoms of ethyl methanoate.

HCOOCH2CH3 

(Note the 3 different colours indicating the 3 different chemical environments of the 3 carbon atoms in ethyl methanoate).

13C chemical shifts (a) to (c) on the C-13 NMR spectrum diagram for ethyl methanoate.

Non of the carbon atoms are chemically equivalent to each other in ethyl methanoate molecule.

Note the decreasing effect on the 13C chemical shift as the carbon atom (in the ethyl group) is further from the more electronegative oxygen atoms in ethyl methanoate.

The carbon-13 NMR spectra provides direct evidence of 3 different carbon atom environments for the 3 carbon atoms in the ethyl methanoate molecule, deduced from the presence of 3 different 13C NMR chemical shifts (ppm).


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Links associated with ethyl methanoate

The infrared spectrum of ethyl methanoate (ethyl formate)

The mass spectrum of ethyl methanoate (ethyl formate)

The H-1 NMR spectrum of ethyl methanoate (ethyl formate)

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