Document Type

Article

Abstract

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy is a powerful analytical tool that is heavily employed in organic chemistry, but lacks use in geochemistry. The technique is most useful for characterization and structural analysis of analytes, but also sees use in kinetics analysis, speciation, and detection. This work aims to answer these questions regarding NMR spectroscopy’s use in geochemical settings: Which nuclei are studied? For what purposes is each nucleus studied? What affects the scope of the technique and has caused it to not be widely used? How often is NMR spectroscopy used? What trends are there in the technique’s use? The first three questions were investigated with a literature review while the final two questions were investigated with database keyword searches. NMR spectroscopy was found to be used for a variety of analyses of both organic and inorganic earth materials, including but not limited to physical and chemical structure analysis, kinetic analysis of dissolution and other reactions, and characterization. Geochemical use of the technique remains low compared to other techniques due to difficulties with inorganic analytes’ sensitivity and decipherability, but recent advances in the past decade have encouraged growth in the use of NMR spectroscopy.

Publication Date

Spring 5-1-2024

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