NMR study of water/methanol solutions as a function of temperature and concentration

We have studied by means of high resolution Nuclear Magnetic Resonance the dynamical and structural properties of water/methanol solutions as a function of temperature and concentration. We measured dynamical quantities such as the self-diffusion coefficient and the spin–lattice relaxation time and structurally dependent quantities like the proton chemical shift of all the chemical groups present in the mixture. In fact, by means of high resolution NMR spectroscopy, it is possible to study separately all the hydrogens belonging to the different functional groups. We argue that the physical properties of the solution are influenced by the interplay between hydrophobic and hydrophilic interactions that in turn depend on the solution concentration and on the temperature.