(ESR) Elec
tron
spin resonance is a spec
troscopic technique to identify paramagnetic substances. This
magnetic resonance phenomenon investigates the nature of the bonding within molecules by identifying unpaired elec
trons, e.g. in free radicals and their interaction with their immediate surroundings. The
Larmor frequency are much higher than corresponding
NMR frequencies in the same static
magnetic field.
Nuclei with an odd number of neu
trons and/or protons, because of their
spin, react like tiny magnets and can be lined up in an applied
magnetic field.
Energy applied by alternating
radio frequency radiation is absorbed when its
frequency coincides with that of
precession of the elec
tron magnets. The
spectrum of radiation absorbed as the field changes gives information valuable in chemis
try, biology, and medicine since over 50 years.