Nuclear Magnetic Resonance. Every chemist needs to know the principles behind NMR. Nuclear magnetic resonance is a technique that uses the properties of the nucleus of the atom, to understand the structure of the molecule. It is therefore an important tool for chemists who have need for possible reasons:
1. It can be used to check if a reaction gives the desired product.
It may help to ensure if the compound is pure
3. It can deduce the structure of the molecule
For these reasons, nuclear magnetic resonance or NMR has become a necessary tool in any Department of organic synthesis.
One must therefore ask the question, how it works? The principles of NMR are quite complicated. For this we need to take a look at the bases of magnetism simplify. Accused rotation species can create a magnetic field. Thus, the nucleus of atoms which protons and which rotates about its axis produces a magnetic field. NMR spectrometry, the instrument attempts to radiate radio waves for which the kernel would resonate, and in return the instrument attempts to acquire the signal. However, not each core shows this property.
The hydrogen atom is more frequently observed atom in NMR. A hydrogen atom has only a proton and therefore it is simple to follow as well as extensively found in nature. Also the hydrogen atoms which are in the shelter or deshielded by electrons would give different frequencies of signals and therefore be able to establish a distinction between functional groups.
One of the main bargain of the use of NMR over other techniques is that the tested sample is free and can be retrieved. Another advantage is that it is easy to use, and can deduct the chemical structure of an unknown compound to a certain extent by a year or two experiences in the interval of a few minutes.
Advanced technical in NMR such as 2D NMR, can not only provide information on the atoms, but also give information about the bond linking atoms together. Some two-dimensional NMR can even predict the shapes of molecules in the sample solution.
Three NMR three-dimensional (3D - NMR) has also been developed and was helpful in deducting the structures of proteins and macromolecules. This experience has several advantages over others for the determination of the structure of proteins, you can perform the experiment in physiological conditions similar to those found in the body.
The principles of NMR have also found their way in medicine. Imaging by magnetic resonance (MRI) uses the same principles of NMR where it radiates too radiowaves in the body to obtain signals of hydrogen atoms of water in different tissues. MRI has been useful in the detection of many diseases including tumors.
In summary, nuclear magnetic resonance techniques have found a wide range of applications in the scientific world. It grows slowly in such a way that not knowing the details of how are made NMR experiments almost going to be a crime for all scientific. Most of the research in chemistry and research in the areas of Biochemistry require knowledge of the NMR spectrometry.
References:
For more information on NMR spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance database see NMRCentral.com. The Web site contains very useful information about the technique and has good graphics to explain difficult concepts.
Sam Blazer is a chemist working in an Institute well known to the United States that require the use of NMR almost daily. I have used the instrument and share information on this technique. Nuclear Magnetic Resonance
