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Observation of Melting by Nuclear Magnetic Resonance

Abstract

WE have developed a new method of observing melting and of measuring melting points which exploits the motional narrowing of the nuclear magnetic resonance line at the phase transition. Impurity premelting1 allows the observation of a spin echo signal immediately below the melting point. A plot of the signal amplitude versus temperature determines both the impurity depressed or apparent melting point and the correction to this melting point due to impurities. These then provide the true melting point. Knowledge of the freezing point depression constant also gives the impurity concentration of the sample.

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BURNETT, L., MULLER, B. Observation of Melting by Nuclear Magnetic Resonance. Nature 219, 59–60 (1968). https://doi.org/10.1038/219059a0

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