Customer Reviews

Understanding NMR Spectroscopy

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Dr. Keeler's is called "Understanding NMR spectroscopy", and that is exactly what it will help you do. He makes very few assumptions about previous knowledge of math and quantum physics. He explains abstract concepts using good analogies. I have tried to read multiple NMR textbooks, and this is by far the most readable... Excellent work Dr. Keeler.... However you should realise what this book is NOT. It is not about how to record and analyze NMR data and it is not an advanced textbook, but aimed for people new to the field with need to understand how an NMR experiment works.

This book grew out of a series of lecture notes for various summer schools and graduate courses. The original lecture notes can be downloaded from the web. For several years, I was reluctant to buy this book because I thought the lecture notes from the web and the book are not much different. How wrong can I be. The web version contains a number of typos and several sections are not numbered correctly. The book is virtually free from typos and the presentation is much better. You can read from the book that the author has a lot of teaching experience. Although the book mainly deals with the theoretical aspects of the modern nmr, the math to understand the book is only freshman math. The only math that you need is:

Trigonometry of compound angles and half angles
Simple first order differential equation
Simple manipulation of complex numbers
Operator algebra, and
Elementary matrix algebra

Do not be intimidated by the math. All the math, except matrix, that is needed can basically be found in Appendix A. There is nothing complex in the math used throughout the book. All the mathematical manipulations are presented in a step by step fashion. The book deals mainly with the most popular nmr techniques such as COSY, DQF-COSY and NOE. Because the book focuses on the theoretical aspects of nmr, it hardly touches on any spectrum interpretations. Sometimes, I feel the book a little bit dry. Virtual coupling, an important concept in TOCSY, is not discussed in Keeler's book. However, do not get me wrong. This is a book I enjoy reading very much. The chapters on relaxation and coherence transfer pathway, phase cycle and pulsed of field gradient are well presented.

How does this book compare with other nmr books? Compare with Neil Jacobsen's book "NMR Spectroscopy Explained", I still like
Jacobsen's book more. Jacobsen's book is more detailed and contains a lot more information. Furthermore , it covers spectrum interpretation and dynamic nmr. Anyone seriously interested in nmr spectroscopy should have this and Jacobsen's books in his/her library.

You may ask; How about Levitt's book " Spin Dynamics". I have never read this book. The second edition of this book just came out in April this year. I bought a copy and Levitt's book will be my reading project for this summer (over 700 pages).

Keeler's book is a very clear exposition of the physical basis and quantum mechanical underpinnings of modern NMR experiments. Because it is fundamentally based on the quantum mechanics, it is, I feel, a better introduction to heteronuclear NMR than the popular book by Claridge. At the same time, Keeler avoids the dense pages of mathematics that can make Cavanagh et al.'s excellent book intimidating to students who are not experts on quantum mechanics. An additional plus for me was Keeler's refreshingly clear description of the physical origins of T2 relaxation.

At the same time, there are some deficiencies here. Keeler does not go into chemical exchange effects in any depth, and I do not believe he mentions REX at all. There is also no discussion of residual dipolar couplings, the model-free dynamics formalism, or diffusion experiments. Pulsed-field gradients and phase-cycling are presented almost as an afterthought. The discusisons of coherence order and raising/lowering operators leave something to be desired and the later chapters in which they appear are structured awkwardly. Keeler deals exclusively with dipolar systems in liquids, limitations that may make this text inappropriate for some labs.

That said, for someone who's had some exposure to NMR (in, say, an organic chemistry course) this is an excellent, clear tour of some theoretical NMR basics that can provide a useful framework for approaching more comprehensive texts. Graduate students without a stong background in physical chemistry who intend to perform advanced work in NMR may find this book particularly helpful.

Informative and insightful, but assumes a certain foreknowledge of NMR techniques. An excellent resource for people with a working knowledge of NMR who want to improve their fundamental understanding of the technique. Not recommended for those who need a more rudimentary introduction to NMR.

I am a graduate student doing research with Solid State NMR Spectroscopy. This book does a wonderful job of explaining many NMR concepts in an easy to understand manner. It is one of my favorite NMR books, and I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to learn more about the area.