Although numerical data are, in principle, universal, the compilations presented in this book are extensively annotated and interleaved with text. This translation of the second German edition has been prepared to facilitate the use of this work, with all its valuable detail, by the large community of English-speaking scientists. Translation has also provided an opportunity to correct and revise the text, and to update the nomenclature. Fortunately, spectroscopic data and their relationship with structure do not change much with time so one can predict that this book will, for a long period of time, continue to be very useful to organic chemists involved in the identification of organic compounds or the elucidation of their structure. Klaus Biemann Cambridge, MA, April 1983 Preface to the First German Edition Making use of the information provided by various spectroscopic tech niques has become a matter of routine for the analytically oriented organic chemist. Those who have graduated recently received extensive training in these techniques as part of the curriculum while their older colleagues learned to use these methods by necessity. One can, therefore, assume that chemists are well versed in the proper choice of the methods suitable for the solution of a particular problem and to translate the experimental data into structural information.

This succinct compilation of essential reference data for the interpretation of NMR, IR, UV/Vis, and mass spectra also provides a hands-on guide for interpreting experimental spectral data and elucidating the structure of the respective compounds behind them. This fourth edition of the highly successful and concise textbook contains about 20% new data.

Table -- Combination tables -- 13C NMR spectroscopy -- 1H NMR specroscopy -- IR spectroscopy -- Mass spectrometry -- UV/Vis spectroscopy.

While modem techniques of nuclear magnetic resonance and mass spectrometry changed the ways of data acquisition and greatly extended the capabilities of these methods, the basic parameters, such as chemical shifts, coupling constants, and fragmentation pathways remain the same. This explains the ongoing success of the earlier editions of this book. However, since the amount of available data has considerably increased over the years, we decided to prepare an entirely new manuscript. It follows the same basic concepts, i. e. , it provides a representative, albeit limited set of reference data for the interpretation of 13C NMR, 1 H NMR, IR, mass, and UV Nis spectra. On the other hand, the book has undergone a number of changes. The amount of reference data has been doubled at least (especially for MS and IR) and the order and selection of data for the various spectroscopic methods is now arranged strictly in the same way. In addition, the the enclosed compact disc contains programs for estimating NMR chemical shifts and generating isomers based on structural information. Unfortunately, our teachers and colleagues, Prof. Wilhelm Simon and Prof. Thomas Clerc are no longer among us, and Prof. Joseph Seibl has retired years ago. Their contributions to developing the concept and the earlier editions of this work cannot be overemphasized. We also thank numerous colleagues who helped us in many different ways to complete the manuscript. Weare particularly indebted to Dr.