Resonance absorption of gamma radiation by specific nuclei arranged in a crystal lattice in such a way that the recoil momentum is shared by many atoms. It is the basis of a form of spectroscopy used for studying coordinated metal ions. The principal application in bioinorganic chemistry is 57Fe. The parameters derived from the Mössbauer spectrum (isomer shift, quadrupole splitting, and the hyperfine coupling) provide information about the oxidation, spin and coordination state of the iron.
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