The effect of molecular interaction on magnetic shielding constants

Abstract

The effect of molecular interactions on magnetic shielding constants in gases and liquids is considered using simple statistical mechanics and treating the molecules as points. For gases at ordinary pressures the effects are small. For liquids and solutions two effects may be important. (i) Magnetic moments induced in neighbouring molecules give rise to a magnetic field at the nucleus of the molecule considered. (ii) The electron distribution in the molecule may be distorted by the electric field due to neighbouring molecules and a change in the intramolecular shielding constant will then take place. The magnitude of these effects is estimated and their relative importance in different molecules is discussed.