nuclear magnetic resonance

noun

: the magnetic resonance of an atomic nucleus
also : chemical analysis that uses such resonance especially to study molecular structure

Examples of nuclear magnetic resonance in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web That’s why nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, or NMR, also figured in Partch’s plan. Quanta Magazine, 10 Oct. 2023 Curry also points out that a structure for this protein was published in 2003 using a different method called nuclear magnetic resonance. Ed Yong, Discover Magazine, 18 Sep. 2011 For decades, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy has been one of the key technologies used to study the atomic structures of complex biological compounds. IEEE Spectrum, 8 June 2023 Efforts have been made to decipher this mystery utilizing a range of tools from nuclear magnetic resonance to quantum computers. Charlotte Hu, Popular Science, 27 Mar. 2023 But liquid helium is liquid gold to a host of industries, according to Bill Halperin, a professor of physics at Northwestern University, who uses helium for low-temperature physics and to provide a liquid bath for superconducting magnets used for nuclear magnetic resonance. Mary Pflum, NBC News, 7 Feb. 2023 In the second half of the 20th century, powerful new microscopes and techniques such as nuclear magnetic resonance and X-ray spectroscopy allowed soil scientists for the first time to peer directly into soil and see what was there, rather than pull things out and then look at them. Quanta Magazine, 2 Aug. 2021 The AlphaFold database doesn’t spell doom for experimental biologists, those who painstakingly determine the physical structure of proteins using methods like X-ray crystallography, cryo-electron microscopy, and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Katie Palmer, STAT, 22 July 2021 Using nuclear magnetic resonance and infrared spectroscopy to analyze the instruments’ wood, Nagyvary found that metallic salts may have played a role in these instruments’ nuanced tones. Ted Scheinman, Smithsonian Magazine, 1 Dec. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'nuclear magnetic resonance.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1942, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of nuclear magnetic resonance was in 1942

Dictionary Entries Near nuclear magnetic resonance

Cite this Entry

“Nuclear magnetic resonance.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nuclear%20magnetic%20resonance. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Medical Definition

nuclear magnetic resonance

noun
1
: the magnetic resonance of an atomic nucleus
2
: chemical analysis that uses nuclear magnetic resonance especially to study molecular structure
abbreviation NMR
see magnetic resonance imaging

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