Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy combined relaxation

A wide variety of chemical and spectroscopic techniques has been used to determine functionality in humic substances. Although nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy has been used for a much shorter period of time than most other techniques for determining functional group concentrations, this technique has provided far more definitive information than all other methods combined. However, substantially more work must be done to obtain the quantitative data that are necessary for both structural elucidation and geochemical studies. In order to increase the accuracy of functional group concentration measurements, the effect of variations in nuclear Overhauser enhancement (NOE) and relaxation times must be evaluated. Preliminary results suggest that spectra of fractions isolated from humic substances should be better resolved and more readily interpreted than spectra of unfractionated samples. 

Among the several experimental techniques for studying colloid and sol-gel chemistry, perhaps the most powerful one is nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. NMR allows investigation of these systems by a combination of structural information, obtained through lineshape analysis and chemical shift data, and indirect information from dynamic measurements of spin relaxation and diffusion. 

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