Scientific and technological aspects
Analysis of sal mobility and distribution in food by magnetic nuclear resonance

The physical properties of the sodium nucleus (²³Na) allow it to be detected by NMR and, consequently, salt (NaCl) to be analyzed by NMR spectroscopy and imaging. When a salty sample is placed in an intense, static magnetic field, a macroscopic magnetization appears in the sample parallel to the field. This results from the distribution of all sodium nuclei between different energy levels at thermodynamic equilibrium.

An NMR experiment (http://www.cis.rit.edu/htbooks/ nmr/inside.htm) begins by disrupting thermodynamic equilibrium by supplying energy in the form of a radio-frequency wave...