NMR

-Today we'll talk about NMR(small introduction).


"What does NMR stand for?"

-NMR stands for nuclear magnetic resonance. It is the property of a molecule under a magnetic field to be able to absorb electromagnetic radiation in the range of radio-frequencies defined by the characteristics of the sample.


"Ok... What's a molecule? What's a magnetic field? What's an electromagnetic radiation? What's a radio-frequency? What's life?"

-Yo it's easy! But Che doesn't have the time to teach you all of that stuff... But he will show you shinny pictures so that you might understand:

-A molecule!

-The elctromagnetic radiation spectrum
which includes the radio wave frequencies
on the far right.

-A magnetic field!

-Life!

Ok! I hope you got all that!

"More or less yeah... So what do what do we do with NMR anyways?"

-Well, we can make a NMR spectrum! Since, like mentioned earlier, the degree of electro-magnetic absorption is regulated by the characteristics of the nucleus present in a molecule, we could therefore map out the molecule itself by observing the effects of the degree of absorption. Basically, when a proton is subject to a magnetic field, it starts resonating. The frequency at which it will resonate is affected by the property of the proton and the effects of the other atoms surrounding the proton. So, if we compare the resonance frequency of the proton when it is surrounded by the atoms of the molecule we are trying to map out to the proton when it is not surrounded by anything, we get the chemical shift. This chemical shift is what we observe in a NMR spectrum.

"Ok... I'm not sure I get why it resonates but I understand the chemical shift. How does a NMR spectrum looks like anyways? "

-Well, it looks like this crap:

Pretty simple huh!

"Hmmm... I'm not sure I understand how to interpret it..."

-Yo! It's easy! But that will be a lesson for another time... Maybe! For now, just remember that we can use NMR spectroscopy to help us map out the structure of a molecule. Other techniques such as infrared spectroscopy and mass spectrometry can also be used.

Anyways, that will be all for now. Hope you learned something!