Deuterium NMR

Deuterium NMR is NMR spectroscopy of deuterium (²H or D), an isotope of hydrogen. Deuterium is an isotope with spin = 1, unlike hydrogen which is spin = 1/2. Deuterium NMR has a range of chemical shift similar to proton NMR but with poor resolution. It may be used to verify the effectiveness of deuteration: a deuterated compound will show a peak in deuterium NMR but not proton NMR.

Deuterium NMR spectra are especially informative in the solid state because of its relatively small quadrupole moment in comparison with those of bigger quadrupolar nuclei such as chlorine-35, for example. One example is the use of deuterium NMR to study lipid membrane phase behavior.