ABSTRACT
Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy has proven to be one of the most powerful spectrographic techniques for structural analysis of organic compounds. The great power of NMR spectroscopy derives from the fact that the spectroscopist can readily alter the response of the system under study by choosing different spectral parameters which will change the local magnetic fields around the nuclei and the ways the nuclei relax. A wide variety of chemical and spectroscopic techniques have been used to measure the concentrations of chemical functional groups in humic materials. The chapter provides a discussion of various NMR experimental techniques which have been used successfully for the elucidation of the physical and chemical properties of natural organic materials and provides guidance for the design of new NMR experiments which will further expand our knowledge of coals and humic materials.
