Which of the most commonly found elements in organic molecules are suitable for NMR?

1 Answer
Ernest Z.
Jul 2, 2015

The most common isotopes used for NMR are 1H and 13C.

Explanation:

We have to talk about isotopes rather than elements, because an isotope must have a non-zero nuclear spin to be detected by NMR.

That's why 12C does not give an NMR signal — its nuclear spin is zero.

Isotopes such as 14N, 15N, 17O, 19F, 31P, and 35Cl are also important in NMR, because these elements are often found in biological and pharmaceutical compounds.

Other nuclei that are used in NMR are 2H, 6Li, 10B, 11B, 23Na, 29Si, 113Cd, 129Xe, and 195Pt.

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