nuclear magnetic resonance

[ noo-klee-er mag-net-ik rez-uh-nuhns, nyoo- ]

noun

, Physics.

1. the selective absorption of electromagnetic radiation by an atomic nucleus in the presence of a strong, static, magnetic field: used in research and in medicine to monitor tissue metabolism and to distinguish between normal and abnormal cells. : NMR Compare MRI.

nuclear magnetic resonance

noun

1. a technique for determining the magnetic moments of nuclei by subjecting a substance to high-frequency radiation and a large magnetic field. The technique is used as a method of determining structure NMR See also electron spin resonance

nuclear magnetic resonance

1. The absorption of electromagnetic energy (typically radio waves) by the nuclei of atoms placed in a strong magnetic field. The nuclei of different atoms absorb unique frequencies of radiation depending on their environment, thus by observing which frequencies are absorbed by a sample placed in a strong magnetic field (and later emitted again, when the magnetic field is removed), it is possible to learn much about the sample's makeup and structure. Nuclear magnetic resonance has no known side effects on the human body, and is therefore used to analyze soft body tissues in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Pronunciation Note

See nuclear ( def ).

Word History and Origins

Origin of nuclear magnetic resonance¹

First recorded in 1940–45

Example Sentences

It used analytical techniques such as size exclusion chromatography, nuclear magnetic resonance, and scanning electron microscopy allowing scientists to examine not just how the teabags had changed visibly but also structurally.

From Science Daily

Using a combination of advanced techniques including single crystal X-ray diffraction, solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance and scanning transmission electron microscopy, the researchers found evidence of anisotropic atomic displacements of the titanium atoms in BaTiS3.

From Science Daily

Patterson credited talented graduate students, a diverse interdisciplinary team cooperating across campus and coast-to-coast, and the availability of technologies such as mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance platforms for making his lab's discoveries possible.

From Science Daily

“You have to be worrying about the supply at all times,” says Sophia Hayes, a chemist at Washington University in St. Louis who uses nuclear magnetic resonance machines to study the structure of materials.

From Science Magazine

A comparison of experimental and simulated nuclear magnetic resonance spectra of the crystal suggested that the giant molecular rotor rotates in 90-degree intervals at a frequency in the range of 100-400 kHz.

From Science Daily