Abstract
The proton and deuteron magnetic resonance spectra of CH4, CH3D, CH2D2, CHD3, CD4, SiH4, SiH3D, SiH2D2, SiH3D, SiD4, GeH3D, dissolved in nematic liquid crystals, are reported. It was found that these molecules, which are essentially tetrahedral, exhibit anisotropic interactions and are partially oriented in the nematic phase. This effect is presumably due to slight deformations induced by the anisotropic medium. Some of the aspects related to the interpretation of the results are discussed.