See Also: nuclear magnetic resonance(medicine)
nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)(encyclopedia)
nuclear magnetic resonance tomography(medicine)
nuclear magnetic resonance imaging(medicine)
nuclear magnetic resonance, biomolecular(medicine)
magnetic resonance(encyclopedia)
Magnetic Resonance(health)
magnetic resonance scanning(medicine)
magnetic resonance spectroscopy(medicine)
magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)(encyclopedia)

nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) (sh)




Selective absorption of very high-frequency radio waves by certain atomic nuclei subjected to a strong stationary magnetic field.

Nuclei that have at least one unpaired proton or neutron act like tiny magnets. When a strong magnetic field acts on such nuclei, it sets them into precession. When the natural frequency of the precessing nuclear magnets corresponds to the frequency of a weak external radio wave striking the material, energy is absorbed by the nuclei at a frequency called the resonant frequency. NMR is used to study the molecular structure of various solids and liquids. Magnetic resonance imaging, or MRI, is a version of NMR used in medicine to view soft tissues of the human body in a hazard-free, noninvasive way.