The unexpected formation of hydrates in oil and gas pipelines can lead to blockage of the pipelines and critical safety issues. A lot of hydrate inhibitors have been suggested to solve the blockage problem. However, current experimental data are not sufficient to fully explain the inhibition mechanism of inhibitors, given the various natural gas compositions depending on production sites. In this study, the solid-state C-13 NMR method was used to investigate hydrate formation behaviors of methane and synthesized natural gas with and without a well-known inhibitor, monoethylene glycol (MEG). In addition, formation kinetics as a function of consumed gas volume from synthesized natural gas were also measured to verify the MEG inhibition mechanism. Experimental results obtained in this study offer valuable information on the inhibition of gas hydrates using an inhibitor. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.