Equivalency

• Equivalent
 Protons: protons
 that 
are identical in
 every
way.
 They are in the
 same 
magnetic environment.
  
  
  • How to identify?

Imagine you picked up the following molecule by one of its protons on the end methyl group (blue).  If you dropped it on the ground and tried to pick it back up from the exact same proton you would have a 1 in 3 chance.  The three methyl protons are equivalent.  If you consider that there is rotation about the C-C bond then all three of the methyl protons are in the same average environment.

• Non-equivalent
 Protons: protons that 
differ by some way or another. 
These 
protons 
do 
not have 
the 
same 
magnetic 
environment.  In the above example a red and blue proton are nonequivalent.

Examples