what is NMR spectroscopy?

NMR stands for nuclear magnetic resonance. While many nuclei can be studied with NMR, the most common in organic chemistry is the hydrogen-1 nucleus, written 1H. NMR measures the effect of radio waves upon a sample that has been placed in a strong magnetic field. The effects of radio waves give rise to a spectrum, which contains different peaks. The peaks can be used to determine the structure of a molecule. NMR spectroscopy is what organic chemists often use to identify molecules.