1H NMR in a quasi-one-dimensional zig-zag spin chain of hambergite, Be2BO3(OH)

[Display omitted] •1H nuclei in hambergite can be considered as quasi-one-dimensional spin chains.•Contributions to the second moment from spins within one single chain amount to 96%.•1H NMR spectra of hambergite at different orientations in the magnetic field were measured.•Experimental linewidths are in good agreement with the calculated second moments. One-dimensional spin chains are important testbeds for the investigation of quantum many-body systems. Here, we introduce a new quasi-one-dimensional chain of spin-1/2 1H nuclei in hambergite (Be2BO3(OH)) crystal. The distinctive feature of hambergite is the zig-zag arrangement of the spins in the chains compared to the systems reported earlier. A single crystal of hambergite was investigated experimentally using 1H nuclear magnetic resonance at different orientations in the external magnetic field. The experimental spectra were compared with the Van Vleck’s second moments calculated from the structural data. For the orientation of the chain along the external magnetic field the resonance resembles that of the linear spin chains and the calculated contributions to the second moment from spins within one chain of hambergite amount to 96%. For other orientations the spectra demonstrate features specific to the zig-zag chain. Our results show that 1H nuclei in hambergite crystals could serve a good model of a well-isolated zig-zag spin chain.