Application of HSQC in the delineation of NMR signals of E and Z isomers of octadecyl p‐coumarates

Octadecyl p‐coumarates undergo E–Z isomerization in daylight. Although ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR and ¹H–¹H COSY gave indications about this isomerization, the overlapping of some signals in the ¹H NMR of aromatic region prevented the delineation of signals of the individual isomers. However, heteronuclear spin quantum coupling correlation (HSQC) with the unique feature of two sets of nearby δ_C–δ_H correlations gave conclusive evidence for this isomerization and helped in the delineation of ¹H NMR and ¹³C NMR signals of E‐octadecyl p‐coumarate and Z‐octadecyl p‐coumarate. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.