Advanced Organic Chemistry: The 1H NMR spectrum of ethene (ethylene) H2C=CH2

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Interpreting and explaining the H-1 hydrogen-1 (proton) NMR spectrum of ethene (ethylene)

[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 1H NMR spectra of ethene [spectra page updated April 3rd 2026 *]

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 H-1 proton NMR spectroscopy - spectra index

 See also comparing the infrared, mass, 1H NMR and 13C NMR spectra of ethane and ethene

Introductory note on the 1H NMR spectra of ethene

Students and teachers please note my explanation of the proton NMR spectrum of ethene is designed for advanced, but pre-university, chemistry courses.

The chemical shift δ splitting pattern effects for ethene are confined to a proton spin-spin coupling effects analysed using the n+1 rule for adjacent non-equivalent proton fields (n is the number of neighbouring protons in a non-equivalent different chemical environment for the ethene molecule).

It is assumed that the integrated intensities of the δ chemical shifts give the ratio of the protons in the different non-equivalent chemical environments of the ethene molecule.

The most common solvent used for investigating the 1H NMR spectrum of compounds like ethene, is CDCl3 and other deuterated solvents to avoid confusion with a 1H NMR signal, 2D (2H) has a different chemical shift.

1H proton nmr spectrum of ethene low/high resolution diagrams C2H4 CH2=CH2 analysis interpretation of chemical shifts ppm spin spin line splitting diagram H1 H-1 nmr for ethylene explaining spin-spin coupling for line splitting doc brown's advanced organic chemistry revision notes

TMS is the acronym for tetramethylsilane, formula Si(CH3)4, whose protons are arbitrarily given a chemical shift of 0.0 ppm. This is the 'standard' in 1H NMR spectroscopy and all other proton resonances, called chemical shifts, are measured with respect to the TMS, and depend on the individual (electronic) chemical environment of the hydrogen atoms in an organic molecule - ethene here.

The chemical shifts quoted in ppm on the diagram of the H-1 NMR spectrum of ethene represent the peaks of the intensity of the chemical shifts of (which are often groups of split lines at high resolution) AND the relative integrated areas under the peaks gives you the ratio of protons in the different chemical environments of the ethene molecule.

Ethene  C2H4 alkenes structure and naming (c) doc b  displayed formula of ethene alkenes structure and naming (c) doc b skeletal formula is only alkenes structure and naming (c) doc b

The molecular structure and naming of alkenes

Interpreting the H-1 NMR spectrum of ethene

In terms of spin-spin coupling from the possible proton magnetic orientations, for ethene, no such interactions can take place due to the symmetry of the molecule.

The 4 hydrogen atoms (protons) of ethene occupy the same chemical environment so that the high or low resolution NMR spectra only shows one principal 1H singlet peak for one H-1 NMR chemical shift only. (diagram above for ethene).

CH2=CH2

Chemical shift (a) 5.25 ppm on the H-1 NMR spectrum diagram for ethene.

Although there are 4 hydrogen atoms in the molecule, there is only one possible chemical environment for the 4 hydrogen atoms in the symmetrical ethene molecule.

So, there is no need to apply the n+1 rule to ethene because all the protons are equivalent to each other and therefore cannot cause splitting of their common single resonance line.

The splitting pattern from proton spin-spin coupling effects is analysed using the n+1 rule for adjacent non-equivalent proton fields (n is the number of neighbouring protons in a non-equivalent different chemical environment) and applied to the 1H NMR spectrum of ethene.
Number of directly adjacent protons 1H causing splitting Splitting pattern produced from the n+1 rule on spin-spin coupling and the theoretical ratio of line intensities
0 means no splitting             1            
1 creates a doublet           1   1          
2 creates a triplet         1   2   1        
3 creates a quartet       1   3   3   1      
4 creates a quintet     1   4   6   4   1    
5 creates a sextet   1   5   10   10   5   1  
6 creates a septet 1   6   15   20   15   6   1
Comparing the infrared, mass, 1H NMR and 13C NMR spectra of ethane and ethene

NOTE: The images are linked to their original detailed spectral analysis pages AND can be doubled in size with touch screens to increase the definition to the original ethane and ethene image sizes.

INFRARED SPECTRA: Apart from the significant differences in the fingerprint region at wavenumbers 1500 to 400 cm-1, the most striking differences are (i) the band at ~1900 cm-1 for ethene, absent in the ethane spectrum, (ii) the bands at 800 cm-1 for ethane (CH3 vibrations), absent or much weaker in ethene, and (iii) the strong absorptions at ~1000 cm-1 for ethene, completely absent in the ethane spectrum.

MASS SPECTRA: Both ethane and ethene show some similarities in their mass spectra e.g. m/z ions 25 to 28 for [C2Hx]+ (x = 1 to 4) ions and in both cases the base ion peak has an m/z of 28. However, the molecular ion peaks will be different because of their different relative molecular masses i.e. ethane m/z 30 and ethene m/z 28. Ethane also has a prominent m/z ion peak of 29, which is tiny in the ethene mass spectrum (and only due to 1% 13C atoms in the parent molecular ion).

1H NMR SPECTRA: The 1H NMR spectra of ethane and ethene are similar in that that both give one single singlet resonance line in their proton NMR spectra. All the protons in each molecule are equivalent to each other and occupy the same chemical environment due to the symmetry of the molecule, so no resonance splitting. However the two 1H chemical shifts are significantly different due the different shielding effects of the -CH3 and =CH2 groupings respectively. Ethene has a much greater 1H NMR chemical shift.

13C NMR SPECTRA: The 1C NMR spectra of ethane and ethene are similar in that that both give one single resonance line in their carbon-13 NMR spectra. In both molecules the two carbon atoms occupy the same chemical environment due to the symmetry of the molecule.  However the two 13C chemical shifts are significantly different due the different shielding effects of the -CH3 and =CH2 groupings respectively.

Key words & phrases: C2H4 CH2=CH2 Interpreting the proton H-1 NMR spectra of ethene, low resolution & high resolution proton nmr spectra of ethene, H-1 nmr spectrum of ethene, understanding the hydrogen-1 nmr spectrum of ethene, explaining the line splitting patterns from spin-spin coupling  in the high resolution H-1 nmr spectra of ethene, revising the H-1 nmr spectrum of ethene, proton nmr of ethene, ppm chemical shifts of the H-1 nmr spectrum of ethene, explaining and analyzing spin spin line splitting in the H-1 nmr spectrum, how to construct the diagram of the H-1 nmr spectrum of ethene, how to work out the number of chemically different protons in the structure of the ethene organic molecule, how to analyse the chemical shifts in the hydrogen-1 H-1 proton NMR spectrum of ethene using the n+1 rule to explain the spin - spin coupling ine splitting in the proton nmr spectrum of ethene deducing the nature of the protons from the chemical shifts ppm in the H-1 nmr spectrum of ethene examining the 1H nmr spectrum of  ethene analysing the 1-H nmr spectrum of ethene how do you sketch and interpret the H-1 NMR spectrum of ethene interpreting interpretation of the 1H proton spin-spin coupling causing line splitting in the NMR spectrum of ethene  assignment of chemical shifts in the proton 1H NMR spectrum of ethene formula explaining spin-spin coupling for line splitting for ethene  ethylene alkene functional group How do you interpret the H-1 NMR spectrum of ethene How to interpret the H-1 NMR spectrum of ethene Explanatory diagram of the chemical shifts of the 1H H-1 proton NMR spectrum of the ethene molecule in terms of its molecular structure. Listing data of all the chemical shift peaks in ppm in the proton NMR spectrum of ethene. How to explain the H-1 NMR spectrum of ethene. The chemical shifts and  integrated values of the proton ratios in the 1-H NMR spectrum of the ethene molecule. How to work out the molecular structure of the ethene molecule from its proton NMR spectrum. The uses and distinctive features of the proton NMR spectrum of the ethene molecule explained. What does the H-1 proton NMR spectrum chemical shifts tell us about the structure and properties of the ethene molecule? explaining the spin-spin proton coupling effects in the 1H NMR spectrum of ethene. interpretation diagram explaining the proton splitting pattern produced from the n+1 rule and the theoretical ratio of chemical shift δ and values of intensities for the proton NMR spectrum lines of ethene

Links associated with ethene

The chemistry of ALKENES revision notes INDEX

The infrared spectrum of ethene ('ethylene')

The mass spectrum of ethene ('ethylene')

The C-13 NMR spectrum of ethene ('ethylene')

H-1 proton NMR spectroscopy index  (Please read 8 points at the top of the 1H NMR index page)

ALL SPECTROSCOPY INDEXES

All Advanced Organic Chemistry Notes

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Website content © Dr Phil Brown 2000+. All copyrights reserved on revision notes, images, quizzes, worksheets etc. Copying of Doc Brown's pre-university advanced level chemistry website material is NOT permitted. Exam revision summaries & references to science course specifications are unofficial. These organic chemistry revision notes on spectroscopy (1H NMR spectra of ethene) are suitable for use of pre-university students studying AQA advanced level chemistry, Edexcel advanced level chemistry, OCR advanced level chemistry, IB advanced level chemistry, WJEC (Eduqas) advanced level chemistry, CIE advanced level chemistry, CCEA advanced level chemistry, US grade 11-12 AP honors chemistry courses and they will also prove useful to 1st year undergraduate students of chemistry.

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