The extraction and analysis of fats from convenience foods (crackers, cookies, chips, candies) has been developed as an experiment for a second-year undergraduate organic chemistry laboratory course. Students gravimetrically determine the fat content per serving and then perform a 1 H NMR analysis of the recovered fat to determine the levels of saturated, unsaturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated fats in the food. Students compare their results to the information provided on the food package label. This experiment engages students in the learning process by connecting with their prior knowledge and familiarity of the foods used. Students learn several important concepts and techniques, such as fat characteristics and structure, solid−liquid extraction, structure−solubility relationships, vacuum filtration, and 1 H NMR spectroscopy.

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