January 14, 2026
This is part of a series featuring Albemarle experts who lead the world in transforming essential resources into critical ingredients for powering everyday life.
Most people probably associate Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) with a visit to the doctor’s office. For Dr. Zhaoxiong (“Norm”) Zheng, it’s part of his everyday vocabulary, except his work doesn’t involve scanning human bodies. Instead, he uses similar technology to study the tiniest building blocks of Albemarle’s specialty chemicals.
As a nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) spectroscopy chemist at Albemarle’s Process Development Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Zheng helps teams across the business understand what’s happening at the molecular level. NMR is a specialized analytical technique that reveals what materials are made of and how they behave.
NMR works by observing how atomic nuclei respond when placed in a magnetic field. The result is a detailed “chemical fingerprint” that shows the identity, quantity and arrangement of components within a sample. This allows scientists to determine what materials are made of, measure their purity, detect impurities and understand how those materials behave during reactions or under different conditions.
“It’s similar to an MRI,” Zheng said. “But instead of scanning people, we study chemical samples, like bromine or lithium compounds, to see their structure, composition and performance.”
A Career Built on Curiosity
Zheng’s fascination with how things work started early. “I was always curious, asking why something happens and how,” he said. That curiosity eventually led him from China to the U.S., where he earned his Ph.D. in chemistry from Michigan State University, focusing on NMR spectroscopy.
Zheng continued to deepen his expertise in NMR. At Johns Hopkins University’s School of Medicine, he used high-field NMR to study protein structure, folding and molecular interactions. His proficiency with the instrumentation later brought him to Lehigh University, where he managed an advanced NMR facility. He kept high-powered magnets running, improved testing methods and trained researchers on everything from preparing samples to running advanced NMR experiments.
Building on that foundation, Zheng transitioned to the petrochemical industry to apply NMR to real-world challenges in lubricants, fuels and specialty chemicals. He developed and refined analytical methods to measure molecular composition, verify additive performance and ensure product stability under extreme conditions. Whether evaluating engine oils, coolants or fuel components, his insights helped engineers optimize formulations for efficiency and durability.
At the Heart of Albemarle’s Innovation
Today at Albemarle, he brings that same expertise to bromine and lithium chemistry, using NMR to assess reaction completeness, identify impurities and quantify elements that determine product performance. His analyses support both process and product development as well as quality control, helping Albemarle teams ensure each product meets rigorous technical and safety standards.
In industries where a small chemical difference can change how a material behaves, NMR provides the level of detail Albemarle needs to maintain consistency, quality and customer confidence.
“NMR is powerful because it’s both qualitative and quantitative,” Zheng said. “It tells you what is in your sample and how much. And it does so with remarkable clarity.”
The lab itself is an impressive sight. NMR instruments are highly complex systems that require precise calibration, specialized cooling mechanisms and continuous upkeep to operate at full capability. Each instrument represents a significant investment in both advanced hardware and the expertise required to run it, interpret data and maintain stable performance over time.
The insights these systems produce are essential. They allow Albemarle teams to make confident, data-driven decisions, from optimizing production processes to validating product consistency for customers across its lithium and bromine portfolios.
