Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy in Macromolecular Science

Today, virtually every experimental paper published in ‘‘Macromolecular Chemistry and Physics’’ includes characterization of the polymers under study by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. In addition to monitoring the various synthetic steps, which eventually lead to the new polymers or supramolecular systems described, high-resolution NMR provides a number of important parameters, which are specific to macromolecules. Examples are the stereochemical configuration, geometrical isomerism, and regioregularity. The ability to selectively identify the NMR signals of end-groups offers a precise way of determining the molar mass of macromolecules and advanced multidimensional techniques allow the determination of the three-dimensional structure of biopolymers in solution. In addition, multidimensional solid-state NMR spectroscopy plays an ever increasing role in elucidating molecular dynamics, order and phase separation in bulk polymer materials. It is gratifying that important advances in NMR technology have always been applied to synthetic and even biological macromolecules almost immediately after they had been invented. But, more than that, papers describing the new type of information that became available to the polymer community were published in our celebrated Journal at early stages. After a brief overview of the development of NMR as such a few illustrative examples are collected here.