  We extend the picture of a transfer of nuclear spin-1/2 polarization along a
homogeneous one-dimensional chain with the XY-Hamiltonian to the inhomogeneous
chain with alternating nearest neighbour couplings and alternating Larmor
frequencies. To this end, we calculate exactly the spectrum of the spin-1/2
XY-Hamiltonian of the alternating chain with an odd number of sites. The exact
spectrum of the XY-Hamiltonian is also applied to study the multiple quantum
(MQ) NMR dynamics of the alternating spin-1/2 chain. MQ NMR spectra are shown
to have the MQ coherences of zero and $\pm$ second orders just as in the case
of a homogeneous chain. The intensities of the MQ coherences are calculated.
