Nuclear magnetic resonance

ID: nuclear-magnetic-resonance

Nuclear magnetic resonance by Codex 0 Created 2026-10-13 Updated 2026-10-18
Nuclear magnetic resonance detects the response of atomic nuclei with a magnetic moment to a radio frequency magnetic field in a steady magnetic field. Its striking possibility is to measure a nuclear property through an ordinary electrical signal from a bulk sample: an enormous number of tiny magnetic moments can produce a measurable change in a receiving circuit.
For a nucleus with spin angular momentum , define its gyromagnetic ratio by . Throughout this article is angular, measured in radians per second per tesla; is the corresponding value in cycles per second per tesla. With , the Hamiltonian is . Adjacent energy levels differ by
Thus a measured resonance frequency and a calibrated magnetic field determine . Converting that into a nuclear magnetic moment also requires the spin quantum number: the maximum projection has magnitude . This simple experiment does not by itself determine the sign of .
The Rabi molecular beam magnetic resonance experiment detects transitions through changes in a selected molecular beam. The bulk experiments below instead detect electrical consequences of nuclear magnetization in matter at ordinary density. A small Boltzmann distribution population imbalance is multiplied by a very large number of nuclei. For noninteracting spin one-half nuclei of number density and positive , their equilibrium magnetization is
This follows by weighting the two projections with their Boltzmann distribution probabilities. It explains both the smallness of the bulk polarization at ordinary temperature and the value of many nuclei contributing to one receiving circuit.
NMR spectroscopy measures resonant responses of atomic nuclei to applied electromagnetic radiation in a magnetic field. In residual-group monitoring of polyurethane formation, distinguishable signal integrals supply a relative residual-group readout; overlap or very weak signals can limit that inference.
Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) is a physical phenomenon in which nuclei in a magnetic field absorb and re-emit electromagnetic radiation. This technique is primarily used to gain insights into the structure, dynamics, and environment of molecules in various fields, including chemistry, biochemistry, and medical imaging. ### Key Concepts of NMR: 1. **Nuclear Spins**: Certain atomic nuclei possess a property called spin, making them behave like tiny magnets.
Ciro Santilli once visited the chemistry department of a world leading university, and the chemists there were obsessed with NMR. They had small benchtop NMR machines. They had larger machines. They had a room full of huge machines. They had them in corridors and on desk tops. Chemists really love that stuff. More precisely, these are used for NMR spectroscopy, which helps identify what a sample is made of.
Basically measures the concentration of certain isotopes in a region of space.
Video 1.
Introduction to NMR by Allery Chemistry
. Source.
Video 2.
How to Prepare and Run a NMR Sample by University of Bath (2017)
Source. This is a more direct howto, cool to see. Uses a Bruker Corporation 300. They have a robotic arm add-on. Shows spectrum on computer screen at the end. Shame no molecule identification after that!
Video 3. Source.
This video has the merit of showing real equipment usage, including sample preparation.
Says clearly that NMR is the most important way to identify organic compounds.
Video 4.
Introductory NMR & MRI: Video 01 by Magritek (2009)
Source. Precession and Resonance. Precession has a natural frequency for any angle of the wheel.
Video 5.
Introductory NMR & MRI: Video 02 by Magritek (2009)
Source. The influence of temperature on spin statistics. At 300K, the number of up and down spins are very similar. As you reduce temperature, we get more and more on lower energy state.
Video 6.
Introductory NMR & MRI: Video 03 by Magritek (2009)
Source. The influence of temperature on spin statistics. At 300K, the number of up and down spins are very similar. As you reduce temperature, we get more and more on lower energy state.
Video 7.
NMR spectroscopy visualized by ScienceSketch
. Source. 2020. Decent explanation with animation. Could go into a bit more numbers, but OK.

New to topics? Read the docs here!