magnetic resonance spectroscopy


mag·net·ic res·o·nance spec·tros·co·py

detection and measurement of the resonant spectra of molecular species in a tissue or sample.

magnetic resonance spectroscopy

A magnetic resonance technique in which a sample is placed in a strong homogeneous magnetic field and stimulated with radio frequency electromagnetic energy. If the field is uniform throughout the sample, similar nuclei will contribute a particular frequency component to the detected response signal, irrespective of their position in the sample. Because nuclei of different elements resonate at different frequencies, a chemical can be analysed by parsing the MR response signal into its frequency components.

magnetic resonance spectroscopy

An advanced method of chemical analysis using a technique similar to that employed in nuclear magnetic resonance imaging. The method is based on the fact that the electrons in a molecule shield the nucleus to some extent from the strong applied external field, causing different atoms to absorb at slightly different frequencies. It is applicable to molecules in the living body or in other organisms. The method has, for instance, been used to prove that the structure of the protein capsid surrounding the genome of HIV consists of seven alpha helices, two beta-hairpins and a single exposed loop.