Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 29, 2025

Pure Shift Nuclear Magnetic Resonance: a New Tool for Plant Metabolomics
Published on: July 31, 2021
Low-field benchtop NMR spectroscopy: status and prospects in natural product analysis†
1Laboratory of Organic Chemistry, Wageningen University, Stippeneng 4, WE Wageningen, The Netherlands.
Introduction:
Since a couple of years, low-field (LF) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectrometers (40-100 MHz) have re-entered the market. They are used for various purposes including analyses of natural products. Similar to high-field instruments (300-1200 MHz), modern LF instruments can measure multiple nuclei and record two-dimensional (2D) NMR spectra.
Objective:
To review the commercial availability as well as applications, advantages, limitations, and prospects of LF-NMR spectrometers for the purpose of natural products analysis.
Method:
Commercial LF instruments were compared. A literature search was performed for articles using and discussing modern LF-NMR. Next, the articles relevant to natural products were read and summarised.
Results:
Seventy articles were reviewed. Most appeared in 2018 and 2019. Low costs and ease of operation are most often mentioned as reasons for using LF-NMR.
Conclusion:
As the spectral resolution of LF instruments is limited, they are not used for structure elucidation of new natural products but rather applied for quality control (QC), forensics, food and health research, process control and teaching. Chemometric data handling is valuable. LF-NMR is a rapidly developing niche and new instruments keep being introduced.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Applications Of NMR In Biology
Two-Dimensional (2D) NMR: Overview
The first step is the preparation period, during which nucleus A is excited with a radiofrequency pulse....
NMR Spectroscopy of Aromatic Compounds
NMR Spectrometers: Overview
Other Nuclides: 31P, 19F, 15N NMR
While fluorine-19 and phosphorous-31 have high natural abundances (100%) and positive gyromagnetic ratios, nitrogen-15 has a low natural abundance and a negative gyromagnetic ratio. However, nitrogen-15 is still preferred over nitrogen-14 (which has a...
¹H NMR: Interpreting Distorted and Overlapping Signals
As Δν decreases and the signals move closer, the doublets appear increasingly distorted. The intensities of the inner lines increase at the cost of those of the outer lines as the signals are...

