A Brief History of NMR Technology and its Applications

Nmr applications

 

NMR, also known as nuclear magnetic resonance, is one of the top analytical methods in modern chemistry. It is a spectroscopic technique used to observe local magnetic fields around atomic nuclei. This process is also known as MRS or magnetic resonance spectroscopy. NMR was first demonstrated by Felix Bloch and Edward Mills Purcell in 1946. The pair of scientists actually made the discovery separately and ended up sharing the Nobel Prize that was awarded for the discovery in 1952. NMR applications can now be found everywhere from chemistry to medical science. This article briefly looks at some of the applications for nuclear magnetic resonance and its history.

After being demonstrated in the 1940s, the first commercial NMR spectrometer was created in the 1950s and quickly became a key piece of equipment for chemists. These pieces of equipment include low field NMR spectrometers. However, the best known of the NMR applications might be its use in medicine in what is now known as the MRI or magnetic resonance imaging. In fact the original name of the MRI was the NMRI (nuclear magnetic resonance imaging). Millions of people receive an MRI every year, but it would not be possible if nuclear magnetic resonance had never been discovered.

Another important example of NMR applications is the use of the process in chemistry. Nuclear magnetic resonance technology can be used to detect the structures of previously unknown molecular compounds. The process works by a scientist observing the frequencies given off by unknown compounds and comparing them to known compounds. Nuclear magnetic resonance has allowed a number of molecular compounds to be discovered. This makes NMR an important scanning technique in the field of chemistry to this very day.

In conclusion, NMR applications have had a huge impact on the modern world. NMR, or nuclear magnetic resonance, was initially discovered in 1946 and quickly became an important technique for chemists to use. However, aside from its applications in chemistry, the most well-known application of NMR technology might be the MRI, an important medical scan that is performed in hospitals on millions of patients every year. Before the discovery of nuclear magnetic resonance, the MRI simply wasn’t possible. NMR applications are important and wide-ranging, making it a very important piece of technology in the scientific and medical community.

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