The molecular weight,
purity, and functionalization of polyethylene
glycols are often characterized by 1H NMR spectroscopy.
Oft-forgotten, the typical 1H NMR pulse sequence is not 13C decoupled. Hence, for large polymers, the 13C coupled 1H peaks arising from the repeating units have
integrations comparable to that of the 1H of the terminal
groups. Ignoring this coupling leads to erroneous assignments. Once
correctly assigned, these 13C coupled 1H peaks
can be used to determine both the molecular weight of the polymer
and the efficacy of conjugation of a terminal moiety more accurately
than the uncoupled 1H of the repeating unit.