Sample records for nmr techniques enable

  1. Development of a Hybrid EPR/NMR Coimaging System

    PubMed Central

    Samouilov, Alexandre; Caia, George L.; Kesselring, Eric; Petryakov, Sergey; Wasowicz, Tomasz; Zweier, Jay L.

    2010-01-01

    Electron paramagnetic resonance imaging (EPRI) is a powerful technique that enables spatial mapping of free radicals or other paramagnetic compounds; however, it does not in itself provide anatomic visualization of the body. Proton magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is well suited to provide anatomical visualization. A hybrid EPR/NMR coimaging instrument was constructed that utilizes the complementary capabilities of both techniques, superimposing EPR and proton-MR images to provide the distribution of paramagnetic species in the body. A common magnet and field gradient system is utilized along with a dual EPR and proton-NMR resonator assembly, enabling coimaging without the need to move the sample. EPRI is performed at ~1.2 GHz/~40 mT and proton MRI is performed at 16.18 MHz/~380 mT; hence the method is suitable for whole-body coimaging of living mice. The gradient system used is calibrated and controlled in such a manner that the spatial geometry of the two acquired images is matched, enabling their superposition without additional postprocessing or marker registration. The performance of the system was tested in a series of phantoms and in vivo applications by mapping the location of a paramagnetic probe in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract of mice. This hybrid EPR/NMR coimaging instrument enables imaging of paramagnetic molecules along with their anatomic localization in the body. PMID:17659621

  2. Magic Angle Spinning NMR Metabolomics

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Zhi Hu, Jian

    Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy is a non-destructive, quantitative, reproducible, untargeted and unbiased method that requires no or minimal sample preparation, and is one of the leading analytical tools for metabonomics research [1-3]. The easy quantification and the no need of prior knowledge about compounds present in a sample associated with NMR are advantageous over other techniques [1,4]. 1H NMR is especially attractive because protons are present in virtually all metabolites and its NMR sensitivity is high, enabling the simultaneous identification and monitoring of a wide range of low molecular weight metabolites.

  3. Quantitative structure parameters from the NMR spectroscopy of quadrupolar nuclei

    DOE PAGES

    Perras, Frederic A.

    2015-12-15

    Here, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy is one of the most important characterization tools in chemistry, however, 3/4 of the NMR active nuclei are underutilized due to their quadrupolar nature. This short review centers on the development of methods that use solid-state NMR of quadrupolar nuclei for obtaining quantitative structural information. Namely, techniques using dipolar recoupling as well as the resolution afforded by double-rotation are presented for the measurement of spin–spin coupling between quadrupoles, enabling the measurement of internuclear distances and connectivities.

  4. Measuring surface-area-to-volume ratios in soft porous materials using laser-polarized xenon interphase exchange nuclear magnetic resonance

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Butler, J. P.; Mair, R. W.; Hoffmann, D.; Hrovat, M. I.; Rogers, R. A.; Topulos, G. P.; Walsworth, R. L.; Patz, S.

    2002-01-01

    We demonstrate a minimally invasive nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) technique that enables determination of the surface-area-to-volume ratio (S/V) of soft porous materials from measurements of the diffusive exchange of laser-polarized 129Xe between gas in the pore space and 129Xe dissolved in the solid phase. We apply this NMR technique to porous polymer samples and find approximate agreement with destructive stereological measurements of S/V obtained with optical confocal microscopy. Potential applications of laser-polarized xenon interphase exchange NMR include measurements of in vivo lung function in humans and characterization of gas chromatography columns.

  5. Magic Angle Spinning NMR of Viruses

    PubMed Central

    Quinn, Caitlin; Lu, Manman; Suiter, Christopher L.; Hou, Guangjin; Zhang, Huilan; Polenova, Tatyana

    2015-01-01

    Viruses, relatively simple pathogens, are able to replicate in many living organisms and to adapt to various environments. Conventional atomic-resolution structural biology techniques, X-ray crystallography and solution NMR spectroscopy provided abundant information on the structures of individual proteins and nucleic acids comprising viruses; however, viral assemblies are not amenable to analysis by these techniques because of their large size, insolubility, and inherent lack of long-range order. In this article, we review the recent advances in magic angle spinning NMR spectroscopy that enabled atomic-resolution analysis of structure and dynamics of large viral systems and give examples of several exciting case studies. PMID:25919197

  6. [Non-invasive analysis of proteins in living cells using NMR spectroscopy].

    PubMed

    Tochio, Hidehito; Murayama, Shuhei; Inomata, Kohsuke; Morimoto, Daichi; Ohno, Ayako; Shirakawa, Masahiro

    2015-01-01

    NMR spectroscopy enables structural analyses of proteins and has been widely used in the structural biology field in recent decades. NMR spectroscopy can be applied to proteins inside living cells, allowing characterization of their structures and dynamics in intracellular environments. The simplest "in-cell NMR" approach employs bacterial cells; in this approach, live Escherichia coli cells overexpressing a specific protein are subjected to NMR. The cells are grown in an NMR active isotope-enriched medium to ensure that the overexpressed proteins are labeled with the stable isotopes. Thus the obtained NMR spectra, which are derived from labeled proteins, contain atomic-level information about the structure and dynamics of the proteins. Recent progress enables us to work with higher eukaryotic cells such as HeLa and HEK293 cells, for which a number of techniques have been developed to achieve isotope labeling of the specific target protein. In this review, we describe successful use of electroporation for in-cell NMR. In addition, (19)F-NMR to characterize protein-ligand interactions in cells is presented. Because (19)F nuclei rarely exist in natural cells, when (19)F-labeled proteins are delivered into cells and (19)F-NMR signals are observed, one can safely ascertain that these signals originate from the delivered proteins and not other molecules.

  7. NMR Hyperpolarization Techniques for Biomedicine

    PubMed Central

    Nikolaou, Panayiotis; Goodson, Boyd M.

    2015-01-01

    Recent developments in NMR hyperpolarization have enabled a wide array of new in vivo molecular imaging modalities—ranging from functional imaging of the lungs to metabolic imaging of cancer. This Concept article explores selected advances in methods for the preparation and use of hyperpolarized contrast agents, many of which are already at or near the phase of their clinical validation in patients. PMID:25470566

  8. A Novel Tri-Enzyme System in Combination with Laser-Driven NMR Enables Efficient Nuclear Polarization of Biomolecules in Solution

    PubMed Central

    Lee, Jung Ho; Cavagnero, Silvia

    2013-01-01

    NMR is an extremely powerful, yet insensitive technique. Many available nuclear polarization methods that address sensitivity are not directly applicable to low-concentration biomolecules in liquids and are often too invasive. Photochemically induced dynamic nuclear polarization (photo-CIDNP) is no exception. It needs high-power laser irradiation, which often leads to sample degradation, and photosensitizer reduction. Here, we introduce a novel tri-enzyme system that significantly overcomes the above challenges rendering photo-CIDNP a practically applicable technique for NMR sensitivity enhancement in solution. The specificity of the nitrate reductase (NR) enzyme is exploited to selectively in situ re-oxidize the reduced photo-CIDNP dye FMNH2. At the same time, the oxygen-scavenging ability of glucose oxidase (GO) and catalase (CAT) is synergistically employed to prevent sample photodegradation. The resulting tri-enzyme system (NR-GO-CAT) enables prolonged sensitivity-enhanced data collection in 1D and 2D heteronuclear NMR, leading to the highest photo-CIDNP sensitivity enhancement (48-fold relative to SE-HSQC) achieved to date for amino acids and polypeptides in solution. NR-GO-CAT extends the concentration limit of photo-CIDNP NMR down to the low micromolar range. In addition, sensitivity (relative to the reference SE-HSQC) is found to be inversely proportional to sample concentration, paving the way to the future analysis of even more diluted samples. PMID:23560683

  9. High-resolution magnetic resonance spectroscopy using a solid-state spin sensor

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Glenn, David R.; Bucher, Dominik B.; Lee, Junghyun; Lukin, Mikhail D.; Park, Hongkun; Walsworth, Ronald L.

    2018-03-01

    Quantum systems that consist of solid-state electronic spins can be sensitive detectors of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) signals, particularly from very small samples. For example, nitrogen–vacancy centres in diamond have been used to record NMR signals from nanometre-scale samples, with sensitivity sufficient to detect the magnetic field produced by a single protein. However, the best reported spectral resolution for NMR of molecules using nitrogen–vacancy centres is about 100 hertz. This is insufficient to resolve the key spectral identifiers of molecular structure that are critical to NMR applications in chemistry, structural biology and materials research, such as scalar couplings (which require a resolution of less than ten hertz) and small chemical shifts (which require a resolution of around one part per million of the nuclear Larmor frequency). Conventional, inductively detected NMR can provide the necessary high spectral resolution, but its limited sensitivity typically requires millimetre-scale samples, precluding applications that involve smaller samples, such as picolitre-volume chemical analysis or correlated optical and NMR microscopy. Here we demonstrate a measurement technique that uses a solid-state spin sensor (a magnetometer) consisting of an ensemble of nitrogen–vacancy centres in combination with a narrowband synchronized readout protocol to obtain NMR spectral resolution of about one hertz. We use this technique to observe NMR scalar couplings in a micrometre-scale sample volume of approximately ten picolitres. We also use the ensemble of nitrogen–vacancy centres to apply NMR to thermally polarized nuclear spins and resolve chemical-shift spectra from small molecules. Our technique enables analytical NMR spectroscopy at the scale of single cells.

  10. Dynamic NMR Study of Model CMP Slurry Containing Silica Particles as Abrasives

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Odeh, F.; Al-Bawab, A.; Li, Y.

    2018-02-01

    Chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) should provide a good surface planarity with minimal surface defectivity. Since CMP slurries are multi-component systems, it is very important to understand the various processes and interactions taking place in such slurries. Several techniques have been employed for such task, however, most of them lack the molecular recognition to investigate molecular interactions without adding probes which in turn increase complexity and might alter the microenvironment of the slurry. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) is a powerful technique that can be employed in such study. The longitudinal relaxation times (T1) of the different components of CMP slurries were measured using Spin Echo-NMR (SE-NMR) at a constant temperature. The fact that NMR is non-invasive and gives information on the molecular level gives more advantage to the technique. The model CMP slurry was prepared in D2O to enable monitoring of T1 for the various components' protons. SE-NMR provide a very powerful tool to study the various interactions and adsorption processes that take place in a model CMP silica based slurry which contains BTA and/or glycine and/or Cu+2 ions. It was found that BTA is very competitive towards complexation with Cu+2 ions and BTA-Cu complex adsorbs on silica surface.

  11. NMR hyperpolarization techniques for biomedicine.

    PubMed

    Nikolaou, Panayiotis; Goodson, Boyd M; Chekmenev, Eduard Y

    2015-02-16

    Recent developments in NMR hyperpolarization have enabled a wide array of new in vivo molecular imaging modalities, ranging from functional imaging of the lungs to metabolic imaging of cancer. This Concept article explores selected advances in methods for the preparation and use of hyperpolarized contrast agents, many of which are already at or near the phase of their clinical validation in patients. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  12. Identifying low-coverage surface species on supported noble metal nanoparticle catalysts by DNP-NMR

    DOE PAGES

    Johnson, Robert L.; Perras, Frédéric A.; Kobayashi, Takeshi; ...

    2015-11-20

    DNP-NMR spectroscopy has been applied to enhance the signal for organic molecules adsorbed on γ-Al 2O 3-supported Pd nanoparticles. In addition, by offering >2500-fold time savings, the technique enabled the observation of 13C- 13C cross-peaks for low coverage species, which were assigned to products from oxidative degradation of methionine adsorbed on the nanoparticle surface.

  13. A novel method for the investigation of liquid/liquid distribution coefficients and interface permeabilities applied to the water-octanol-drug system.

    PubMed

    Stein, Paul C; di Cagno, Massimiliano; Bauer-Brandl, Annette

    2011-09-01

    In this work a new, accurate and convenient technique for the measurement of distribution coefficients and membrane permeabilities based on nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) is described. This method is a novel implementation of localized NMR spectroscopy and enables the simultaneous analysis of the drug content in the octanol and in the water phase without separation. For validation of the method, the distribution coefficients at pH = 7.4 of four active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), namely ibuprofen, ketoprofen, nadolol, and paracetamol (acetaminophen), were determined using a classical approach. These results were compared to the NMR experiments which are described in this work. For all substances, the respective distribution coefficients found with the two techniques coincided very well. Furthermore, the NMR experiments make it possible to follow the distribution of the drug between the phases as a function of position and time. Our results show that the technique, which is available on any modern NMR spectrometer, is well suited to the measurement of distribution coefficients. The experiments present also new insight into the dynamics of the water-octanol interface itself and permit measurement of the interface permeability.

  14. Automated sequence-specific protein NMR assignment using the memetic algorithm MATCH.

    PubMed

    Volk, Jochen; Herrmann, Torsten; Wüthrich, Kurt

    2008-07-01

    MATCH (Memetic Algorithm and Combinatorial Optimization Heuristics) is a new memetic algorithm for automated sequence-specific polypeptide backbone NMR assignment of proteins. MATCH employs local optimization for tracing partial sequence-specific assignments within a global, population-based search environment, where the simultaneous application of local and global optimization heuristics guarantees high efficiency and robustness. MATCH thus makes combined use of the two predominant concepts in use for automated NMR assignment of proteins. Dynamic transition and inherent mutation are new techniques that enable automatic adaptation to variable quality of the experimental input data. The concept of dynamic transition is incorporated in all major building blocks of the algorithm, where it enables switching between local and global optimization heuristics at any time during the assignment process. Inherent mutation restricts the intrinsically required randomness of the evolutionary algorithm to those regions of the conformation space that are compatible with the experimental input data. Using intact and artificially deteriorated APSY-NMR input data of proteins, MATCH performed sequence-specific resonance assignment with high efficiency and robustness.

  15. Orphan spin operators enable the acquisition of multiple 2D and 3D magic angle spinning solid-state NMR spectra

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gopinath, T.; Veglia, Gianluigi

    2013-05-01

    We propose a general method that enables the acquisition of multiple 2D and 3D solid-state NMR spectra for U-13C, 15N-labeled proteins. This method, called MEIOSIS (Multiple ExperIments via Orphan SpIn operatorS), makes it possible to detect four coherence transfer pathways simultaneously, utilizing orphan (i.e., neglected) spin operators of nuclear spin polarization generated during 15N-13C cross polarization (CP). In the MEIOSIS experiments, two phase-encoded free-induction decays are decoded into independent nuclear polarization pathways using Hadamard transformations. As a proof of principle, we show the acquisition of multiple 2D and 3D spectra of U-13C, 15N-labeled microcrystalline ubiquitin. Hadamard decoding of CP coherences into multiple independent spin operators is a new concept in solid-state NMR and is extendable to many other multidimensional experiments. The MEIOSIS method will increase the throughput of solid-state NMR techniques for microcrystalline proteins, membrane proteins, and protein fibrils.

  16. SABRE hyperpolarization enables high-sensitivity 1H and 13C benchtop NMR spectroscopy.

    PubMed

    Richardson, Peter M; Parrott, Andrew J; Semenova, Olga; Nordon, Alison; Duckett, Simon B; Halse, Meghan E

    2018-06-19

    Benchtop NMR spectrometers operating with low magnetic fields of 1-2 T at sub-ppm resolution show great promise as analytical platforms that can be used outside the traditional laboratory environment for industrial process monitoring. One current limitation that reduces the uptake of benchtop NMR is associated with the detection fields' reduced sensitivity. Here we demonstrate how para-hydrogen (p-H2) based signal amplification by reversible exchange (SABRE), a simple to achieve hyperpolarization technique, enhances agent detectability within the environment of a benchtop (1 T) NMR spectrometer so that informative 1H and 13C NMR spectra can be readily recorded for low-concentration analytes. SABRE-derived 1H NMR signal enhancements of up to 17 000-fold, corresponding to 1H polarization levels of P = 5.9%, were achieved for 26 mM pyridine in d4-methanol in a matter of seconds. Comparable enhancement levels can be achieved in both deuterated and protio solvents but now the SABRE-enhanced analyte signals dominate due to the comparatively weak thermally-polarized solvent response. The SABRE approach also enables the acquisition of 13C NMR spectra of analytes at natural isotopic abundance in a single scan as evidenced by hyperpolarized 13C NMR spectra of tens of millimolar concentrations of 4-methylpyridine. Now the associated signal enhancement factors are up to 45 500 fold (P = 4.0%) and achieved in just 15 s. Integration of an automated SABRE polarization system with the benchtop NMR spectrometer framework produces renewable and reproducible NMR signal enhancements that can be exploited for the collection of multi-dimensional NMR spectra, exemplified here by a SABRE-enhanced 2D COSY NMR spectrum.

  17. Novel NMR tools to study structure and dynamics of biomembranes.

    PubMed

    Gawrisch, Klaus; Eldho, Nadukkudy V; Polozov, Ivan V

    2002-06-01

    Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) studies on biomembranes have benefited greatly from introduction of magic angle spinning (MAS) NMR techniques. Improvements in MAS probe technology, combined with the higher magnetic field strength of modern instruments, enables almost liquid-like resolution of lipid resonances. The cross-relaxation rates measured by nuclear Overhauser enhancement spectroscopy (NOESY) provide new insights into conformation and dynamics of lipids with atomic-scale resolution. The data reflect the tremendous motional disorder in the lipid matrix. Transfer of magnetization by spin diffusion along the proton network of lipids is of secondary relevance, even at a long NOESY mixing time of 300 ms. MAS experiments with re-coupling of anisotropic interactions, like the 13C-(1)H dipolar couplings, benefit from the excellent resolution of 13C shifts that enables assignment of the couplings to specific carbon atoms. The traditional 2H NMR experiments on deuterated lipids have higher sensitivity when conducted on oriented samples at higher magnetic field strength. A very large number of NMR parameters from lipid bilayers is now accessible, providing information about conformation and dynamics for every lipid segment. The NMR methods have the sensitivity and resolution to study lipid-protein interaction, lateral lipid organization, and the location of solvents and drugs in the lipid matrix.

  18. Online monitoring of fermentation processes via non-invasive low-field NMR.

    PubMed

    Kreyenschulte, Dirk; Paciok, Eva; Regestein, Lars; Blümich, Bernhard; Büchs, Jochen

    2015-09-01

    For the development of biotechnological processes in academia as well as in industry new techniques are required which enable online monitoring for process characterization and control. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy is a promising analytical tool, which has already found broad applications in offline process analysis. The use of online monitoring, however, is oftentimes constrained by high complexity of custom-made NMR bioreactors and considerable costs for high-field NMR instruments (>US$200,000). Therefore, low-field (1) H NMR was investigated in this study in a bypass system for real-time observation of fermentation processes. The new technique was validated with two microbial systems. For the yeast Hansenula polymorpha glycerol consumption could accurately be assessed in spite of the presence of high amounts of complex constituents in the medium. During cultivation of the fungal strain Ustilago maydis, which is accompanied by the formation of several by-products, the concentrations of glucose, itaconic acid, and the relative amount of glycolipids could be quantified. While low-field spectra are characterized by reduced spectral resolution compared to high-field NMR, the compact design combined with the high temporal resolution (15 s-8 min) of spectra acquisition allowed online monitoring of the respective processes. Both applications clearly demonstrate that the investigated technique is well suited for reaction monitoring in opaque media while at the same time it is highly robust and chemically specific. It can thus be concluded that low-field NMR spectroscopy has a great potential for non-invasive online monitoring of biotechnological processes at the research and practical industrial scales. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  19. Metabolic studies of mammalian cells by 31P-NMR using a continuous perfusion technique.

    PubMed

    Knop, R H; Chen, C W; Mitchell, J B; Russo, A; McPherson, S; Cohen, J S

    1984-07-20

    Levels of ATP and Pi in metabolically active Chinese hamster lung fibroblasts were monitored noninvasively by 31P-NMR over many hours and under a variety of conditions. The cells were embedded in a matrix of agarose gel in the form of fine threads which were continuously perfused in a standard NMR tube. The small diameter of the thread allows rapid diffusion of metabolites and drugs into the cells. The changes in ATP and Pi levels were followed as a function of time in response to perfusion with a glucose-containing medium, with isotonic saline and with a medium containing 2,4-dinitrophenol, an uncoupler of oxidative phosphorylation. This gel-thread perfusion method should enable routine NMR studies of cellular metabolism, and may have other potential biological applications.

  20. Natural abundance 17O DNP two-dimensional and surface-enhanced NMR spectroscopy

    DOE PAGES

    Perras, Frédéric A.; Kobayashi, Takeshi; Pruski, Marek

    2015-06-22

    Due to its extremely low natural abundance and quadrupolar nature, the 17O nuclide is very rarely used for spectroscopic investigation of solids by NMR without isotope enrichment. Additionally, the applicability of dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP), which leads to sensitivity enhancements of 2 orders of magnitude, to 17O is wrought with challenges due to the lack of spin diffusion and low polarization transfer efficiency from 1H. Here, we demonstrate new DNP-based measurements that extend 17O solid-state NMR beyond its current capabilities. The use of the PRESTO technique instead of conventional 1H– 17O cross-polarization greatly improves the sensitivity and enables the facilemore » measurement of undistorted line shapes and two-dimensional 1H– 17O HETCOR NMR spectra as well as accurate internuclear distance measurements at natural abundance. This was applied for distinguishing hydrogen-bonded and lone 17O sites on the surface of silica gel; the one-dimensional spectrum of which could not be used to extract such detail. As a result, this greatly enhanced sensitivity has enabled, for the first time, the detection of surface hydroxyl sites on mesoporous silica at natural abundance, thereby extending the concept of DNP surface-enhanced NMR spectroscopy to the 17O nuclide.« less

  1. Expression and purification of isotopically labeled peptide inhibitors and substrates of cAMP-dependant protein kinase A for NMR analysis.

    PubMed

    Masterson, Larry R; Bortone, Nadia; Yu, Tao; Ha, Kim N; Gaffarogullari, Ece C; Nguyen, Oanh; Veglia, Gianluigi

    2009-04-01

    Extensive X-ray crystallographic studies carried out on the catalytic-subunit of protein kinase A (PKA-C) enabled the atomic characterization of inhibitor and/or substrate peptide analogues trapped at its active site. Yet, the structural and dynamic transitions of these peptides from the free to the bound state are missing. These conformational transitions are central to understanding molecular recognition and the enzymatic cycle. NMR spectroscopy allows one to study these phenomena under functionally relevant conditions. However, the amounts of isotopically labeled peptides required for this technique present prohibitive costs for solid-phase peptide synthesis. To enable NMR studies, we have optimized both expression and purification of isotopically enriched substrate/inhibitor peptides using a recombinant fusion protein system. Three of these peptides correspond to the cytoplasmic regions of the wild-type and lethal mutants of the membrane protein phospholamban, while the fourth peptide correspond to the binding epitope of the heat-stable protein kinase inhibitor (PKI(5-24)). The target peptides were fused to the maltose binding protein (MBP), which is further purified using a His(6) tag approach. This convenient protocol allows for the purification of milligram amounts of peptides necessary for NMR analysis.

  2. Portable, low-cost NMR with laser-lathe lithography produced microcoils.

    PubMed

    Demas, Vasiliki; Herberg, Julie L; Malba, Vince; Bernhardt, Anthony; Evans, Lee; Harvey, Christopher; Chinn, Sarah C; Maxwell, Robert S; Reimer, Jeffrey

    2007-11-01

    Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) is unsurpassed in its ability to non-destructively probe chemical identity. Portable, low-cost NMR sensors would enable on-site identification of potentially hazardous substances, as well as the study of samples in a variety of industrial applications. Recent developments in RF microcoil construction (i.e. coils much smaller than the standard 5mm NMR RF coils), have dramatically increased NMR sensitivity and decreased the limits-of-detection (LOD). We are using advances in laser pantographic microfabrication techniques, unique to LLNL, to produce RF microcoils for field deployable, high sensitivity NMR-based detectors. This same fabrication technique can be used to produce imaging coils for MRI as well as for standard hardware shimming or "ex-situ" shimming of field inhomogeneities typically associated with inexpensive magnets. This paper describes a portable NMR system based on the use of a 2 kg hand-held permanent magnet, laser-fabricated microcoils, and a compact spectrometer. The main limitations for such a system are the low resolution and sensitivity associated with the low field values and quality of small permanent magnets, as well as the lack of large amounts of sample of interest in most cases. The focus of the paper is on the setting up of this system, initial results, sensitivity measurements, discussion of the limitations and future plans. The results, even though preliminary, are promising and provide the foundation for developing a portable, inexpensive NMR system for chemical analysis. Such a system will be ideal for chemical identification of trace substances on site.

  3. Use of diffusion-ordered NMR spectroscopy and HPLC-UV-SPE-NMR to identify undeclared synthetic drugs in medicines illegally sold as phytotherapies.

    PubMed

    Silva, Lorena M A; Filho, Elenilson G A; Thomasi, Sérgio S; Silva, Bianca F; Ferreira, Antonio G; Venâncio, Tiago

    2013-09-01

    The informal (and/or illegal) e-commerce of pharmaceutical formulations causes problems that governmental health agencies find hard to control, one of which concerns formulas sold as natural products. The purpose of this work was to explore the advantages and limitations of DOSY and HPLC-UV-SPE-NMR. These techniques were used to identify the components of a formula illegally marketed in Brazil as an herbal medicine possessing anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties. DOSY was able to detect the major components present at higher concentrations. Complete characterization was achieved using HPLC-UV-SPE-NMR, and 1D and 2D NMR analyses enabled the identification of known synthetic drugs. These were ranitidine and a mixture of orphenadrine citrate, piroxicam, and dexamethasone, which are co-formulated in a remedy called Rheumazim that is used to relieve severe pain, but it is prohibited in Brazil because of a lack of sufficient pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic information. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  4. Fluid-Rock Characterization and Interactions in NMR Well Logging

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    George J. Hirasaki; Kishore K. Mohanty

    2005-09-05

    The objective of this report is to characterize the fluid properties and fluid-rock interactions that are needed for formation evaluation by NMR well logging. The advances made in the understanding of NMR fluid properties are summarized in a chapter written for an AAPG book on NMR well logging. This includes live oils, viscous oils, natural gas mixtures, and the relation between relaxation time and diffusivity. Oil based drilling fluids can have an adverse effect on NMR well logging if it alters the wettability of the formation. The effect of various surfactants on wettability and surface relaxivity are evaluated for silicamore » sand. The relation between the relaxation time and diffusivity distinguishes the response of brine, oil, and gas in a NMR well log. A new NMR pulse sequence in the presence of a field gradient and a new inversion technique enables the T{sub 2} and diffusivity distributions to be displayed as a two-dimensional map. The objectives of pore morphology and rock characterization are to identify vug connectivity by using X-ray CT scan, and to improve NMR permeability correlation. Improved estimation of permeability from NMR response is possible by using estimated tortuosity as a parameter to interpolate between two existing permeability models.« less

  5. Utilization of SABRE-derived hyperpolarization to detect low-concentration analytes via 1D and 2D NMR methods.

    PubMed

    Lloyd, Lyrelle S; Adams, Ralph W; Bernstein, Michael; Coombes, Steven; Duckett, Simon B; Green, Gary G R; Lewis, Richard J; Mewis, Ryan E; Sleigh, Christopher J

    2012-08-08

    The characterization of materials by the inherently insensitive method of NMR spectroscopy plays a vital role in chemistry. Increasingly, hyperpolarization is being used to address the sensitivity limitation. Here, by reference to quinoline, we illustrate that the SABRE hyperpolarization technique, which uses para-hydrogen as the source of polarization, enables the rapid completion of a range of NMR measurements. These include the collection of (13)C, (13)C{(1)H}, and NOE data in addition to more complex 2D COSY, ultrafast 2D COSY and 2D HMBC spectra. The observations are made possible by the use of a flow probe and external sample preparation cell to re-hyperpolarize the substrate between transients, allowing repeat measurements to be made within seconds. The potential benefit of the combination of SABRE and 2D NMR methods for rapid characterization of low-concentration analytes is therefore established.

  6. Proton Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy as a Technique for Gentamicin Drug Susceptibility Studies with Escherichia coli ATCC 25922

    PubMed Central

    García-Álvarez, Lara; Busto, Jesús H.; Avenoza, Alberto; Sáenz, Yolanda; Peregrina, Jesús Manuel

    2015-01-01

    Antimicrobial drug susceptibility tests involving multiple time-consuming steps are still used as reference methods. Today, there is a need for the development of new automated instruments that can provide faster results and reduce operating time, reagent costs, and labor requirements. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy meets those requirements. The metabolism and antimicrobial susceptibility of Escherichia coli ATCC 25922 in the presence of gentamicin have been analyzed using NMR and compared with a reference method. Direct incubation of the bacteria (with and without gentamicin) into the NMR tube has also been performed, and differences in the NMR spectra were obtained. The MIC, determined by the reference method found in this study, would correspond with the termination of the bacterial metabolism observed with NMR. Experiments carried out directly into the NMR tube enabled the development of antimicrobial drug susceptibility tests to assess the effectiveness of the antibiotic. NMR is an objective and reproducible method for showing the effects of a drug on the subject bacterium and can emerge as an excellent tool for studying bacterial activity in the presence of different antibiotic concentrations. PMID:25972417

  7. Proton Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy as a Technique for Gentamicin Drug Susceptibility Studies with Escherichia coli ATCC 25922.

    PubMed

    García-Álvarez, Lara; Busto, Jesús H; Avenoza, Alberto; Sáenz, Yolanda; Peregrina, Jesús Manuel; Oteo, José A

    2015-08-01

    Antimicrobial drug susceptibility tests involving multiple time-consuming steps are still used as reference methods. Today, there is a need for the development of new automated instruments that can provide faster results and reduce operating time, reagent costs, and labor requirements. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy meets those requirements. The metabolism and antimicrobial susceptibility of Escherichia coli ATCC 25922 in the presence of gentamicin have been analyzed using NMR and compared with a reference method. Direct incubation of the bacteria (with and without gentamicin) into the NMR tube has also been performed, and differences in the NMR spectra were obtained. The MIC, determined by the reference method found in this study, would correspond with the termination of the bacterial metabolism observed with NMR. Experiments carried out directly into the NMR tube enabled the development of antimicrobial drug susceptibility tests to assess the effectiveness of the antibiotic. NMR is an objective and reproducible method for showing the effects of a drug on the subject bacterium and can emerge as an excellent tool for studying bacterial activity in the presence of different antibiotic concentrations. Copyright © 2015, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

  8. 15N Hyperpolarization by Reversible Exchange Using SABRE-SHEATH

    PubMed Central

    2016-01-01

    NMR signal amplification by reversible exchange (SABRE) is a NMR hyperpolarization technique that enables nuclear spin polarization enhancement of molecules via concurrent chemical exchange of a target substrate and parahydrogen (the source of spin order) on an iridium catalyst. Recently, we demonstrated that conducting SABRE in microtesla fields provided by a magnetic shield enables up to 10% 15N-polarization (Theis, T.; et al. J. Am. Chem. Soc.2015, 137, 1404). Hyperpolarization on 15N (and heteronuclei in general) may be advantageous because of the long-lived nature of the hyperpolarization on 15N relative to the short-lived hyperpolarization of protons conventionally hyperpolarized by SABRE, in addition to wider chemical shift dispersion and absence of background signal. Here we show that these unprecedented polarization levels enable 15N magnetic resonance imaging. We also present a theoretical model for the hyperpolarization transfer to heteronuclei, and detail key parameters that should be optimized for efficient 15N-hyperpolarization. The effects of parahydrogen pressure, flow rate, sample temperature, catalyst-to-substrate ratio, relaxation time (T1), and reversible oxygen quenching are studied on a test system of 15N-pyridine in methanol-d4. Moreover, we demonstrate the first proof-of-principle 13C-hyperpolarization using this method. This simple hyperpolarization scheme only requires access to parahydrogen and a magnetic shield, and it provides large enough signal gains to enable one of the first 15N images (2 × 2 mm2 resolution). Importantly, this method enables hyperpolarization of molecular sites with NMR T1 relaxation times suitable for biomedical imaging and spectroscopy. PMID:25960823

  9. 15N Hyperpolarization by Reversible Exchange Using SABRE-SHEATH.

    PubMed

    Truong, Milton L; Theis, Thomas; Coffey, Aaron M; Shchepin, Roman V; Waddell, Kevin W; Shi, Fan; Goodson, Boyd M; Warren, Warren S; Chekmenev, Eduard Y

    2015-04-23

    NMR signal amplification by reversible exchange (SABRE) is a NMR hyperpolarization technique that enables nuclear spin polarization enhancement of molecules via concurrent chemical exchange of a target substrate and parahydrogen (the source of spin order) on an iridium catalyst. Recently, we demonstrated that conducting SABRE in microtesla fields provided by a magnetic shield enables up to 10% 15 N-polarization (Theis, T.; et al. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2015 , 137 , 1404). Hyperpolarization on 15 N (and heteronuclei in general) may be advantageous because of the long-lived nature of the hyperpolarization on 15 N relative to the short-lived hyperpolarization of protons conventionally hyperpolarized by SABRE, in addition to wider chemical shift dispersion and absence of background signal. Here we show that these unprecedented polarization levels enable 15 N magnetic resonance imaging. We also present a theoretical model for the hyperpolarization transfer to heteronuclei, and detail key parameters that should be optimized for efficient 15 N-hyperpolarization. The effects of parahydrogen pressure, flow rate, sample temperature, catalyst-to-substrate ratio, relaxation time ( T 1 ), and reversible oxygen quenching are studied on a test system of 15 N-pyridine in methanol- d 4 . Moreover, we demonstrate the first proof-of-principle 13 C-hyperpolarization using this method. This simple hyperpolarization scheme only requires access to parahydrogen and a magnetic shield, and it provides large enough signal gains to enable one of the first 15 N images (2 × 2 mm 2 resolution). Importantly, this method enables hyperpolarization of molecular sites with NMR T 1 relaxation times suitable for biomedical imaging and spectroscopy.

  10. Natural-abundance 17O NMR spectra of some inorganic and biologically important phosphates

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gerothanassis, Ioannis P.; Sheppard, Norman

    A number of optimization techniques were employed to obtain 17O NMR spectra at natural abundance for a variety of inorganic and orgnic phosphates and polyphosphates. 17O chemical shifts and some JPO coupling constants are reported for the orthophosphate series of ions from H 3PO 4 to PO 43-, the pyrophosphate ion, P 2O 74-, the linear tripolyphosphate ion, P 3O 105-, and the cyclic trimetaphosphate ion, P 3O 93-; and for disodium DL-α-glycerophosphate and monosodium adenosine monophosphate. 17O- depleted water enables much improved results to be obtained in acqueous solutions.

  11. Polymer mobilization and drug release during tablet swelling. A 1H NMR and NMR microimaging study.

    PubMed

    Dahlberg, Carina; Fureby, Anna; Schuleit, Michael; Dvinskikh, Sergey V; Furó, István

    2007-09-26

    The objective of this study was to investigate the swelling characteristics of a hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) matrix incorporating the hydrophilic drug antipyrine. We have used this matrix to introduce a novel analytical method, which allows us to obtain within one experimental setup information about the molecular processes of the polymer carrier and its impact on drug release. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) imaging revealed in situ the swelling behavior of tablets when exposed to water. By using deuterated water, the spatial distribution and molecular dynamics of HPMC and their kinetics during swelling could be observed selectively. In parallel, NMR spectroscopy provided the concentration of the drug released into the aqueous phase. We find that both swelling and release are diffusion controlled. The ability of monitoring those two processes using the same experimental setup enables mapping their interconnection, which points on the importance and potential of this analytical technique for further application in other drug delivery forms.

  12. Isotopic 13C NMR spectrometry to assess counterfeiting of active pharmaceutical ingredients: site-specific 13C content of aspirin and paracetamol.

    PubMed

    Silvestre, Virginie; Mboula, Vanessa Maroga; Jouitteau, Catherine; Akoka, Serge; Robins, Richard J; Remaud, Gérald S

    2009-10-15

    Isotope profiling is a well-established technique to obtain information about the chemical history of a given compound. However, the current methodology using IRMS can only determine the global (13)C content, leading to the loss of much valuable data. The development of quantitative isotopic (13)C NMR spectrometry at natural abundance enables the measurement of the (13)C content of each carbon within a molecule, thus giving simultaneous access to a number of isotopic parameters. When it is applied to active pharmaceutical ingredients, each manufactured batch can be characterized better than by IRMS. Here, quantitative isotopic (13)C NMR is shown to be a very promising and effective tool for assessing the counterfeiting of medicines, as exemplified by an analysis of aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid) and paracetamol (acetaminophen) samples collected from pharmacies in different countries. It is proposed as an essential complement to (2)H NMR and IRMS.

  13. Standardization of chemical analytical techniques for pyrolysis bio-oil: history, challenges, and current status of methods

    DOE PAGES

    Ferrell, Jack R.; Olarte, Mariefel V.; Christensen, Earl D.; ...

    2016-07-05

    Here, we discuss the standardization of analytical techniques for pyrolysis bio-oils, including the current status of methods, and our opinions on future directions. First, the history of past standardization efforts is summarized, and both successful and unsuccessful validation of analytical techniques highlighted. The majority of analytical standardization studies to-date has tested only physical characterization techniques. In this paper, we present results from an international round robin on the validation of chemical characterization techniques for bio-oils. Techniques tested included acid number, carbonyl titrations using two different methods (one at room temperature and one at 80 °C), 31P NMR for determination ofmore » hydroxyl groups, and a quantitative gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) method. Both carbonyl titration and acid number methods have yielded acceptable inter-laboratory variabilities. 31P NMR produced acceptable results for aliphatic and phenolic hydroxyl groups, but not for carboxylic hydroxyl groups. As shown in previous round robins, GC-MS results were more variable. Reliable chemical characterization of bio-oils will enable upgrading research and allow for detailed comparisons of bio-oils produced at different facilities. Reliable analytics are also needed to enable an emerging bioenergy industry, as processing facilities often have different analytical needs and capabilities than research facilities. We feel that correlations in reliable characterizations of bio-oils will help strike a balance between research and industry, and will ultimately help to -determine metrics for bio-oil quality. Lastly, the standardization of additional analytical methods is needed, particularly for upgraded bio-oils.« less

  14. Standardization of chemical analytical techniques for pyrolysis bio-oil: history, challenges, and current status of methods

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Ferrell, Jack R.; Olarte, Mariefel V.; Christensen, Earl D.

    Here, we discuss the standardization of analytical techniques for pyrolysis bio-oils, including the current status of methods, and our opinions on future directions. First, the history of past standardization efforts is summarized, and both successful and unsuccessful validation of analytical techniques highlighted. The majority of analytical standardization studies to-date has tested only physical characterization techniques. In this paper, we present results from an international round robin on the validation of chemical characterization techniques for bio-oils. Techniques tested included acid number, carbonyl titrations using two different methods (one at room temperature and one at 80 °C), 31P NMR for determination ofmore » hydroxyl groups, and a quantitative gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) method. Both carbonyl titration and acid number methods have yielded acceptable inter-laboratory variabilities. 31P NMR produced acceptable results for aliphatic and phenolic hydroxyl groups, but not for carboxylic hydroxyl groups. As shown in previous round robins, GC-MS results were more variable. Reliable chemical characterization of bio-oils will enable upgrading research and allow for detailed comparisons of bio-oils produced at different facilities. Reliable analytics are also needed to enable an emerging bioenergy industry, as processing facilities often have different analytical needs and capabilities than research facilities. We feel that correlations in reliable characterizations of bio-oils will help strike a balance between research and industry, and will ultimately help to -determine metrics for bio-oil quality. Lastly, the standardization of additional analytical methods is needed, particularly for upgraded bio-oils.« less

  15. The study of cyclododecane as a temporary coating for marble by NMR profilometry and FTIR reflectance spectroscopies

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Anselmi, C.; Presciutti, F.; Doherty, B.; Brunetti, B. G.; Sgamellotti, A.; Miliani, C.

    2011-07-01

    This contribution focuses on an analytical evaluation of the use of cyclododecane (CDD) (C12H24) as a temporary protective coating for non-porous stone materials of cultural heritage interest. A facile solvent spray application technique for the production of an adherent continuous film has been assessed. The criterion for monitoring the sublimation of the cyclododecane film on marble has been established through the use of non-invasive analytical techniques so as to avoid any interaction with the process under study, where results serve to integrate and enhance knowledge into the use of cyclododecane in this discipline. Research is directed towards testing the applicability of portable infrared reflectance spectroscopy and nuclear magnetic resonance profilometry systems to follow the in-situ behavior of temporary consolidants. In particular, the coupling of two spectroscopic techniques such as IR and NMR has been possible, enabling the descriptions of both the formation of the film and its kinetics of sublimation.

  16. Parameters and symbols for use in nuclear magnetic resonance (IUPAC recommendations 1997).

    PubMed

    Harris, R K; Kowalewski, J; Cabral de Menezes, S

    1998-01-01

    NMR is now frequently the technique of choice for the determination of chemical structure in solution. Its uses also span structure in solids and mobility at the molecular level in all phases. The research literature in the subject is vast and ever-increasing. Unfortunately, many articles do not contain sufficient information for experiments to be repeated elsewhere, and there are many variations in the usage of symbols for the same physical quantity. It is the aim of the present recommendations to provide simple check-lists that will enable such problems to be minimised in a way that is consistent with general IUPAC formulation. The area of medical NMR and imaging is not specifically addressed in these recommendations, which are principally aimed at the mainstream use of NMR by chemists (of all sub-disciplines) and by many physicists, biologists, materials scientists and geologists etc. working with NMR. The document presents recommended notation for use in journal publications involving a significant contribution of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. The recommendations are in two parts: (1) Experimental parameters which should be listed so that the work in question can be repeated elsewhere. (2) A list of symbols (using Roman or Greek characters) to be used for quantities relevant to NMR.

  17. A personal computer-based nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Job, Constantin; Pearson, Robert M.; Brown, Michael F.

    1994-11-01

    Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy using personal computer-based hardware has the potential of enabling the application of NMR methods to fields where conventional state of the art equipment is either impractical or too costly. With such a strategy for data acquisition and processing, disciplines including civil engineering, agriculture, geology, archaeology, and others have the possibility of utilizing magnetic resonance techniques within the laboratory or conducting applications directly in the field. Another aspect is the possibility of utilizing existing NMR magnets which may be in good condition but unused because of outdated or nonrepairable electronics. Moreover, NMR applications based on personal computer technology may open up teaching possibilities at the college or even secondary school level. The goal of developing such a personal computer (PC)-based NMR standard is facilitated by existing technologies including logic cell arrays, direct digital frequency synthesis, use of PC-based electrical engineering software tools to fabricate electronic circuits, and the use of permanent magnets based on neodymium-iron-boron alloy. Utilizing such an approach, we have been able to place essentially an entire NMR spectrometer console on two printed circuit boards, with the exception of the receiver and radio frequency power amplifier. Future upgrades to include the deuterium lock and the decoupler unit are readily envisioned. The continued development of such PC-based NMR spectrometers is expected to benefit from the fast growing, practical, and low cost personal computer market.

  18. Proton-Based Ultrafast Magic Angle Spinning Solid-State NMR Spectroscopy.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Rongchun; Mroue, Kamal H; Ramamoorthy, Ayyalusamy

    2017-04-18

    Protons are vastly abundant in a wide range of exciting macromolecules and thus can be a powerful probe to investigate the structure and dynamics at atomic resolution using solid-state NMR (ssNMR) spectroscopy. Unfortunately, the high signal sensitivity, afforded by the high natural-abundance and high gyromagnetic ratio of protons, is greatly compromised by severe line broadening due to the very strong 1 H- 1 H dipolar couplings. As a result, protons are rarely used, in spite of the desperate need for enhancing the sensitivity of ssNMR to study a variety of systems that are not amenable for high resolution investigation using other techniques including X-ray crystallography, cryo-electron microscopy, and solution NMR spectroscopy. Thanks to the remarkable improvement in proton spectral resolution afforded by the significant advances in magic-angle-spinning (MAS) probe technology, 1 H ssNMR spectroscopy has recently attracted considerable attention in the structural and dynamics studies of various molecular systems. However, it still remains a challenge to obtain narrow 1 H spectral lines, especially from proteins, without resorting to deuteration. In this Account, we review recent proton-based ssNMR strategies that have been developed in our laboratory to further improve proton spectral resolution without resorting to chemical deuteration for the purposes of gaining atomistic-level insights into molecular structures of various crystalline solid systems, using small molecules and peptides as illustrative examples. The proton spectral resolution enhancement afforded by the ultrafast MAS frequencies up to 120 kHz is initially discussed, followed by a description of an ensemble of multidimensional NMR pulse sequences, all based on proton detection, that have been developed to obtain in-depth information from dipolar couplings and chemical shift anisotropy (CSA). Simple single channel multidimensional proton NMR experiments could be performed to probe the proximity of protons for structure determination using 1 H- 1 H dipolar couplings and to evaluate the changes in chemical environments as well as the relative orientation to the external magnetic field using proton CSA. Due to the boost in signal sensitivity enabled by proton detection under ultrafast MAS, by virtue of high proton natural abundance and gyromagnetic ratio, proton-detected multidimensional experiments involving low-γ nuclei can now be accomplished within a reasonable time, while the higher dimension also offers additional resolution enhancement. In addition, the application of proton-based ssNMR spectroscopy under ultrafast MAS in various challenging and crystalline systems is also presented. Finally, we briefly discuss the limitations and challenges pertaining to proton-based ssNMR spectroscopy under ultrafast MAS conditions, such as the presence of high-order dipolar couplings, friction-induced sample heating, and limited sample volume. Although there are still a number of challenges that must be circumvented by further developments in radio frequency pulse sequences, MAS probe technology and approaches to prepare NMR-friendly samples, proton-based ssNMR has already gained much popularity in various research domains, especially in proteins where uniform or site-selective deuteration can be relatively easily achieved. In addition, implementation of the recently developed fast data acquisition approaches would also enable further developments in the design and applications of proton-based ultrafast MAS multidimensional ssNMR techniques.

  19. Applications of NMR and computational methodologies to study protein dynamics.

    PubMed

    Narayanan, Chitra; Bafna, Khushboo; Roux, Louise D; Agarwal, Pratul K; Doucet, Nicolas

    2017-08-15

    Overwhelming evidence now illustrates the defining role of atomic-scale protein flexibility in biological events such as allostery, cell signaling, and enzyme catalysis. Over the years, spin relaxation nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) has provided significant insights on the structural motions occurring on multiple time frames over the course of a protein life span. The present review article aims to illustrate to the broader community how this technique continues to shape many areas of protein science and engineering, in addition to being an indispensable tool for studying atomic-scale motions and functional characterization. Continuing developments in underlying NMR technology alongside software and hardware developments for complementary computational approaches now enable methodologies to routinely provide spatial directionality and structural representations traditionally harder to achieve solely using NMR spectroscopy. In addition to its well-established role in structural elucidation, we present recent examples that illustrate the combined power of selective isotope labeling, relaxation dispersion experiments, chemical shift analyses, and computational approaches for the characterization of conformational sub-states in proteins and enzymes. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  20. High-Sensitivity Nuclear Magnetic Resonance at Giga-Pascal Pressures: A New Tool for Probing Electronic and Chemical Properties of Condensed Matter under Extreme Conditions

    PubMed Central

    Meier, Thomas; Haase, Jürgen

    2014-01-01

    Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) is one of the most important techniques for the study of condensed matter systems, their chemical structure, and their electronic properties. The application of high pressure enables one to synthesize new materials, but the response of known materials to high pressure is a very useful tool for studying their electronic structure and developing theories. For example, high-pressure synthesis might be at the origin of life; and understanding the behavior of small molecules under extreme pressure will tell us more about fundamental processes in our universe. It is no wonder that there has always been great interest in having NMR available at high pressures. Unfortunately, the desired pressures are often well into the Giga-Pascal (GPa) range and require special anvil cell devices where only very small, secluded volumes are available. This has restricted the use of NMR almost entirely in the past, and only recently, a new approach to high-sensitivity GPa NMR, which has a resonating micro-coil inside the sample chamber, was put forward. This approach enables us to achieve high sensitivity with experiments that bring the power of NMR to Giga-Pascal pressure condensed matter research. First applications, the detection of a topological electronic transition in ordinary aluminum metal and the closing of the pseudo-gap in high-temperature superconductivity, show the power of such an approach. Meanwhile, the range of achievable pressures was increased tremendously with a new generation of anvil cells (up to 10.1 GPa), that fit standard-bore NMR magnets. This approach might become a new, important tool for the investigation of many condensed matter systems, in chemistry, geochemistry, and in physics, since we can now watch structural changes with the eyes of a very versatile probe. PMID:25350694

  1. High-sensitivity nuclear magnetic resonance at Giga-Pascal pressures: a new tool for probing electronic and chemical properties of condensed matter under extreme conditions.

    PubMed

    Meier, Thomas; Haase, Jürgen

    2014-10-10

    Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) is one of the most important techniques for the study of condensed matter systems, their chemical structure, and their electronic properties. The application of high pressure enables one to synthesize new materials, but the response of known materials to high pressure is a very useful tool for studying their electronic structure and developing theories. For example, high-pressure synthesis might be at the origin of life; and understanding the behavior of small molecules under extreme pressure will tell us more about fundamental processes in our universe. It is no wonder that there has always been great interest in having NMR available at high pressures. Unfortunately, the desired pressures are often well into the Giga-Pascal (GPa) range and require special anvil cell devices where only very small, secluded volumes are available. This has restricted the use of NMR almost entirely in the past, and only recently, a new approach to high-sensitivity GPa NMR, which has a resonating micro-coil inside the sample chamber, was put forward. This approach enables us to achieve high sensitivity with experiments that bring the power of NMR to Giga-Pascal pressure condensed matter research. First applications, the detection of a topological electronic transition in ordinary aluminum metal and the closing of the pseudo-gap in high-temperature superconductivity, show the power of such an approach. Meanwhile, the range of achievable pressures was increased tremendously with a new generation of anvil cells (up to 10.1 GPa), that fit standard-bore NMR magnets. This approach might become a new, important tool for the investigation of many condensed matter systems, in chemistry, geochemistry, and in physics, since we can now watch structural changes with the eyes of a very versatile probe.

  2. Experimental Aspects of Polarization Optimized Experiments (POE) for Magic Angle Spinning Solid-State NMR of Microcrystalline and Membrane-Bound Proteins.

    PubMed

    Gopinath, T; Veglia, Gianluigi

    2018-01-01

    Conventional NMR pulse sequences record one spectrum per experiment, while spending most of the time waiting for the spin system to return to the equilibrium. As a result, a full set of multidimensional NMR experiments for biological macromolecules may take up to several months to complete. Here, we present a practical guide for setting up a new class of MAS solid-state NMR experiments (POE or polarization optimized experiments) that enable the simultaneous acquisition of multiple spectra of proteins, accelerating data acquisition. POE exploit the long-lived 15 N polarization of isotopically labeled proteins and enable one to obtain up to eight spectra, by concatenating classical NMR pulse sequences. This new strategy propels data throughput of solid-state NMR spectroscopy of fibers, microcrystalline preparations, as well as membrane proteins.

  3. Partitioning of nitroxides in dispersed systems investigated by ultrafiltration, EPR and NMR spectroscopy.

    PubMed

    Krudopp, Heimke; Sönnichsen, Frank D; Steffen-Heins, Anja

    2015-08-15

    The partitioning behavior of paramagnetic nitroxides in dispersed systems can be determined by deconvolution of electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectra giving equivalent results with the validated methods of ultrafiltration techniques (UF) and pulsed-field gradient nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (PFG-NMR). The partitioning behavior of nitroxides with increasing lipophilicity was investigated in anionic, cationic and nonionic micellar systems and 10 wt% o/w emulsions. Apart from EPR spectra deconvolution, the PFG-NMR was used in micellar solutions as a non-destructive approach, while UF based on separation of very small volume of the aqueous phase. As a function of their substituent and lipophilicity, the proportions of nitroxides that were solubilized in the micellar or emulsion interface increased with increasing nitroxide lipophilicity for all emulsifier used. Comparing the different approaches, EPR deconvolution and UF revealed comparable nitroxide proportions that were solubilized in the interfaces. Those proportions were higher than found with PFG-NMR. For PFG-NMR self-diffusion experiments the reduced nitroxides were used revealing a high dynamic of hydroxylamines and emulsifiers. Deconvolution of EPR spectra turned out to be the preferred method for measuring the partitioning behavior of paramagnetic molecules as it enables distinguishing between several populations at their individual solubilization sites. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  4. On the use of atomistic simulations to aid bulk metallic glasses structural elucidation with solid-state NMR.

    PubMed

    Ferreira, Ary R; Rino, José P

    2017-08-24

    Solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (ssNMR) experimental 27 Al metallic shifts reported in the literature for bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) were revisited in the light of state-of-the-art atomistic simulations. In a consistent way, the Gauge-Including Projector Augmented-Wave (GIPAW) method was applied in conjunction with classical molecular dynamics (CMD). A series of Zr-Cu-Al alloys with low Al concentrations were selected as case study systems, for which realistic CMD derived structural models were used for a short- and medium-range order mining. That initial procedure allowed the detection of trends describing changes on the microstructure of the material upon Al alloying, which in turn were used to guide GIPAW calculations with a set of abstract systems in the context of ssNMR. With essential precision and accuracy, the ab initio simulations also yielded valuable trends from the electronic structure point of view, which enabled an overview of the bonding nature of Al-centered clusters as well as its influence on the experimental ssNMR outcomes. The approach described in this work might promote the use of ssNMR spectroscopy in research on glassy metals. Moreover, the results presented demonstrate the possibility to expand the applications of this technique, with deeper insight into nuclear interactions and less speculative assignments.

  5. From self-assembly fundamental knowledge to nanomedicine developments.

    PubMed

    Monduzzi, Maura; Lampis, Sandrina; Murgia, Sergio; Salis, Andrea

    2014-03-01

    This review highlights the key role of NMR techniques in demonstrating the molecular aspects of the self-assembly of surfactant molecules that nowadays constitute the basic knowledge which modern nanoscience relies on. The aim is to provide a tutorial overview. The story of a rigorous scientific approach to understand self-assembly in surfactant systems and biological membranes starts in the early seventies when the progresses of SAXRD and NMR technological facilities allowed to demonstrate the existence of ordered soft matter, and the validity of Tanford approach concerning self-assembly at a molecular level. Particularly, NMR quadrupolar splittings, NMR chemical shift anisotropy, and NMR relaxation of dipolar and quadrupolar nuclei in micellar solutions, microemulsions, and liquid crystals proved the existence of an ordered polar-apolar interface, on the NMR time scale. NMR data, rationalized in terms of the two-step model of relaxation, allowed to quantify the dynamic aspects of the supramolecular aggregates in different soft matter systems. In addition, NMR techniques allowed to obtain important information on counterion binding as well as on size of the aggregate through molecular self-diffusion. Indeed NMR self-diffusion proved without any doubt the existence of bicontinuous microemulsions and bicontinuous cubic liquid crystals, suggested by pioneering and brilliant interpretation of SAXRD investigations. Moreover, NMR self-diffusion played a fundamental role in the understanding of microemulsion and emulsion nanostructures, phase transitions in phase diagrams, and particularly percolation phenomena in microemulsions. Since the nineties, globalization of the knowledge along with many other technical facilities such as electron microscopy, particularly cryo-EM, produced huge progresses in surfactant and colloid science. Actually we refer to nanoscience: bottom up/top down strategies allow to build nanodevices with applications spanning from ICT to food technology. Developments in the applied fields have also been addressed by important progresses in theoretical skills aimed to understand intermolecular forces, and specific ion interactions. Nevertheless, this is still an open question. Our predictive ability has however increased, hence more ambitious targets can be planned. Nanomedicine represents a major challenging field with its main aims: targeted drug delivery, diagnostic, theranostics, tissue engineering, and personalized medicine. Few recent examples will be mentioned. Although the real applications of these systems still need major work, nevertheless new challenges are open, and perspectives based on integrated multidisciplinary approaches would enable both a deeper basic knowledge and the expected advances in biomedical field. © 2013.

  6. Computational Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging Based on Time-Dependent Bloch NMR Flow Equation and Bessel Functions.

    PubMed

    Awojoyogbe, Bamidele O; Dada, Michael O; Onwu, Samuel O; Ige, Taofeeq A; Akinwande, Ninuola I

    2016-04-01

    Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) uses a powerful magnetic field along with radio waves and a computer to produce highly detailed "slice-by-slice" pictures of virtually all internal structures of matter. The results enable physicians to examine parts of the body in minute detail and identify diseases in ways that are not possible with other techniques. For example, MRI is one of the few imaging tools that can see through bones, making it an excellent tool for examining the brain and other soft tissues. Pulsed-field gradient experiments provide a straightforward means of obtaining information on the translational motion of nuclear spins. However, the interpretation of the data is complicated by the effects of restricting geometries as in the case of most cancerous tissues and the mathematical concept required to account for this becomes very difficult. Most diffusion magnetic resonance techniques are based on the Stejskal-Tanner formulation usually derived from the Bloch-Torrey partial differential equation by including additional terms to accommodate the diffusion effect. Despite the early success of this technique, it has been shown that it has important limitations, the most of which occurs when there is orientation heterogeneity of the fibers in the voxel of interest (VOI). Overcoming this difficulty requires the specification of diffusion coefficients as function of spatial coordinate(s) and such a phenomenon is an indication of non-uniform compartmental conditions which can be analyzed accurately by solving the time-dependent Bloch NMR flow equation analytically. In this study, a mathematical formulation of magnetic resonance flow sequence in restricted geometry is developed based on a general second order partial differential equation derived directly from the fundamental Bloch NMR flow equations. The NMR signal is obtained completely in terms of NMR experimental parameters. The process is described based on Bessel functions and properties that can make it possible to distinguish cancerous cells from normal cells. A typical example of liver distinguished from gray matter, white matter and kidney is demonstrated. Bessel functions and properties are specifically needed to show the direct effect of the instantaneous velocity on the NMR signal originating from normal and abnormal tissues.

  7. A fast field-cycling device for high-resolution NMR: Design and application to spin relaxation and hyperpolarization experiments

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kiryutin, Alexey S.; Pravdivtsev, Andrey N.; Ivanov, Konstantin L.; Grishin, Yuri A.; Vieth, Hans-Martin; Yurkovskaya, Alexandra V.

    2016-02-01

    A device for performing fast magnetic field-cycling NMR experiments is described. A key feature of this setup is that it combines fast switching of the external magnetic field and high-resolution NMR detection. The field-cycling method is based on precise mechanical positioning of the NMR probe with the mounted sample in the inhomogeneous fringe field of the spectrometer magnet. The device enables field variation over several decades (from 100 μT up to 7 T) within less than 0.3 s; progress in NMR probe design provides NMR linewidths of about 10-3 ppm. The experimental method is very versatile and enables site-specific studies of spin relaxation (NMRD, LLSs) and spin hyperpolarization (DNP, CIDNP, and SABRE) at variable magnetic field and at variable temperature. Experimental examples of such studies are demonstrated; advantages of the experimental method are described and existing challenges in the field are outlined.

  8. Scalable NMR spectroscopy with semiconductor chips

    PubMed Central

    Ha, Dongwan; Paulsen, Jeffrey; Sun, Nan; Song, Yi-Qiao; Ham, Donhee

    2014-01-01

    State-of-the-art NMR spectrometers using superconducting magnets have enabled, with their ultrafine spectral resolution, the determination of the structure of large molecules such as proteins, which is one of the most profound applications of modern NMR spectroscopy. Many chemical and biotechnological applications, however, involve only small-to-medium size molecules, for which the ultrafine resolution of the bulky, expensive, and high-maintenance NMR spectrometers is not required. For these applications, there is a critical need for portable, affordable, and low-maintenance NMR spectrometers to enable in-field, on-demand, or online applications (e.g., quality control, chemical reaction monitoring) and co-use of NMR with other analytical methods (e.g., chromatography, electrophoresis). As a critical step toward NMR spectrometer miniaturization, small permanent magnets with high field homogeneity have been developed. In contrast, NMR spectrometer electronics capable of modern multidimensional spectroscopy have thus far remained bulky. Complementing the magnet miniaturization, here we integrate the NMR spectrometer electronics into 4-mm2 silicon chips. Furthermore, we perform various multidimensional NMR spectroscopies by operating these spectrometer electronics chips together with a compact permanent magnet. This combination of the spectrometer-electronics-on-a-chip with a permanent magnet represents a useful step toward miniaturization of the overall NMR spectrometer into a portable platform. PMID:25092330

  9. Some contributions to the application of LC-NMR, LC-MS, and LC-CD to the biosynthesis of isoquinoline alkaloids using callus cultures.

    PubMed

    Iwasa, K; Moriyasu, M; Wiegrebe, W

    2012-07-01

    Hyphenated spectroscopic techniques in combination with a special extraction and work-up of plant calli cultures of Berberidaceae, Fumariaceae, and Papaveraceae families, e.g., enabled us to get deeper insight into the sequential biochemical conversions of precursors into simple isoquinoline- and protoberberine-alkaloids and their follow-up-products with different skeletons. Some new alkaloids of these types have been found.

  10. A neutron-X-ray, NMR and calorimetric study of glassy Probucol synthesized using containerless techniques

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Weber, J. K. R.; Benmore, C. J.; Tailor, A. N.; Tumber, S. K.; Neuefeind, J.; Cherry, B.; Yarger, J. L.; Mou, Q.; Weber, W.; Byrn, S. R.

    2013-10-01

    Acoustic levitation was used to trap 1-3 mm diameter drops of Probucol and other pharmaceutical materials in containerless conditions. Samples were studied in situ using X-ray diffraction and ex situ using neutron diffraction, NMR and DSC techniques. The materials were brought into non-equilibrium states by supersaturating solutions or by supercooling melts. The glass transition and crystallization temperatures of glassy Probucol were 29 ± 1 and 71 ± 1 °C respectively. The glassy form was stable with a shelf life of at least 8 months. A neutron/X-ray difference function of the glass showed that while molecular sub-groups remain rigid, many of the hydrogen correlations observed in the crystal become smeared out in the disordered material. The glass is principally comprised of slightly distorted Form I Probucol molecules with disordered packing rather than large changes in the individual molecular structure. Avoiding surface contact-induced nucleation provided access to highly non-equilibrium phases and enabled synthesis of phase-pure glasses.

  11. Non-invasive NMR stratigraphy of a multi-layered artefact: an ancient detached mural painting.

    PubMed

    Di Tullio, Valeria; Capitani, Donatella; Presciutti, Federica; Gentile, Gennaro; Brunetti, Brunetto Giovanni; Proietti, Noemi

    2013-10-01

    NMR stratigraphy was used to investigate in situ, non-destructively and non-invasively, the stratigraphy of hydrogen-rich layers of an ancient Nubian detached mural painting. Because of the detachment procedure, a complex multi-layered artefact was obtained, where, besides layers of the original mural painting, also the materials used during the procedure all became constitutive parts of the artefact. NMR measurements in situ enabled monitoring of the state of conservation of the artefact and planning of minimum representative sampling to validate results obtained in situ by solid-state NMR analysis of the samples. This analysis enabled chemical characterization of all organic materials. Use of reference compounds and prepared specimens assisted data interpretation.

  12. Advanced solid-state NMR spectroscopy of natural organic matter.

    PubMed

    Mao, Jingdong; Cao, Xiaoyan; Olk, Dan C; Chu, Wenying; Schmidt-Rohr, Klaus

    2017-05-01

    Solid-state NMR is essential for the characterization of natural organic matter (NOM) and is gaining importance in geosciences and environmental sciences. This review is intended to highlight advanced solid-state NMR techniques, especially a systematic approach to NOM characterization, and their applications to the study of NOM. We discuss some basics of how to acquire high-quality and quantitative solid-state 13 C NMR spectra, and address some common technical mistakes that lead to unreliable spectra of NOM. The identification of specific functional groups in NOM, primarily based on 13 C spectral-editing techniques, is described and the theoretical background of some recently-developed spectral-editing techniques is provided. Applications of solid-state NMR to investigating nitrogen (N) in NOM are described, focusing on limitations of the widely used 15 N CP/MAS experiment and the potential of improved advanced NMR techniques for characterizing N forms in NOM. Then techniques used for identifying proximities, heterogeneities and domains are reviewed, and some examples provided. In addition, NMR techniques for studying segmental dynamics in NOM are reviewed. We also briefly discuss applications of solid-state NMR to NOM from various sources, including soil organic matter, aquatic organic matter, organic matter in atmospheric particulate matter, carbonaceous meteoritic organic matter, and fossil fuels. Finally, examples of NMR-based structural models and an outlook are provided. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  13. A quasi-optical and corrugated waveguide microwave transmission system for simultaneous dynamic nuclear polarization NMR on two separate 14.1 T spectrometers

    PubMed Central

    Dubroca, Thierry; Smith, Adam N.; Pike, Kevin J.; Froud, Stuart; Wylde, Richard; Trociewitz, Bianca; McKay, Johannes; Mentink-Vigier, Frederic; van Tol, Johan; Wi, Sungsool; Brey, William; Long, Joanna R.; Frydman, Lucio; Hill, Stephen

    2018-01-01

    Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) is an intrinsically insensitive technique, with Boltzmann distributions of nuclear spin states on the order of parts per million in conventional magnetic fields. To overcome this limitation, dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) can be used to gain up to three orders of magnitude in signal enhancement, which can decrease experimental time by up to six orders of magnitude. In DNP experiments, nuclear spin polarization is enhanced by transferring the relatively larger electron polarization to NMR active nuclei via microwave irradiation. Here, we describe the design and performance of a quasi-optical system enabling the use of a single 395 GHz gyrotron microwave source to simultaneously perform DNP experiments on two different 14.1 T (1H 600 MHz) NMR spectrometers: one configured for magic angle spinning (MAS) solid state NMR; the other configured for solution state NMR experiments. In particular, we describe how the high power microwave beam is split, transmitted, and manipulated between the two spectrometers. A 13C enhancement of 128 is achieved via the cross effect for alanine, using the nitroxide biradical AMUPol, under MAS-DNP conditions at 110 K, while a 31P enhancement of 160 is achieved via the Overhauser effect for triphenylphosphine using the monoradical BDPA under solution NMR conditions at room temperature. The latter result is the first demonstration of Overhauser DNP in the solution state at a field of 14.1 T (1H 600 MHz). Moreover these results have been produced with large sample volumes (~100 μL, i.e. 3 mm diameter NMR tubes). PMID:29459343

  14. A quasi-optical and corrugated waveguide microwave transmission system for simultaneous dynamic nuclear polarization NMR on two separate 14.1 T spectrometers

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dubroca, Thierry; Smith, Adam N.; Pike, Kevin J.; Froud, Stuart; Wylde, Richard; Trociewitz, Bianca; McKay, Johannes; Mentink-Vigier, Frederic; van Tol, Johan; Wi, Sungsool; Brey, William; Long, Joanna R.; Frydman, Lucio; Hill, Stephen

    2018-04-01

    Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) is an intrinsically insensitive technique, with Boltzmann distributions of nuclear spin states on the order of parts per million in conventional magnetic fields. To overcome this limitation, dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) can be used to gain up to three orders of magnitude in signal enhancement, which can decrease experimental time by up to six orders of magnitude. In DNP experiments, nuclear spin polarization is enhanced by transferring the relatively larger electron polarization to NMR active nuclei via microwave irradiation. Here, we describe the design and performance of a quasi-optical system enabling the use of a single 395 GHz gyrotron microwave source to simultaneously perform DNP experiments on two different 14.1 T (1H 600 MHz) NMR spectrometers: one configured for magic angle spinning (MAS) solid state NMR; the other configured for solution state NMR experiments. In particular, we describe how the high power microwave beam is split, transmitted, and manipulated between the two spectrometers. A 13C enhancement of 128 is achieved via the cross effect for alanine, using the nitroxide biradical AMUPol, under MAS-DNP conditions at 110 K, while a 31P enhancement of 160 is achieved via the Overhauser effect for triphenylphosphine using the monoradical BDPA under solution NMR conditions at room temperature. The latter result is the first demonstration of Overhauser DNP in the solution state at a field of 14.1 T (1H 600 MHz). Moreover these results have been produced with large sample volumes (∼100 μL, i.e. 3 mm diameter NMR tubes).

  15. A quasi-optical and corrugated waveguide microwave transmission system for simultaneous dynamic nuclear polarization NMR on two separate 14.1 T spectrometers.

    PubMed

    Dubroca, Thierry; Smith, Adam N; Pike, Kevin J; Froud, Stuart; Wylde, Richard; Trociewitz, Bianca; McKay, Johannes; Mentink-Vigier, Frederic; van Tol, Johan; Wi, Sungsool; Brey, William; Long, Joanna R; Frydman, Lucio; Hill, Stephen

    2018-04-01

    Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) is an intrinsically insensitive technique, with Boltzmann distributions of nuclear spin states on the order of parts per million in conventional magnetic fields. To overcome this limitation, dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) can be used to gain up to three orders of magnitude in signal enhancement, which can decrease experimental time by up to six orders of magnitude. In DNP experiments, nuclear spin polarization is enhanced by transferring the relatively larger electron polarization to NMR active nuclei via microwave irradiation. Here, we describe the design and performance of a quasi-optical system enabling the use of a single 395 GHz gyrotron microwave source to simultaneously perform DNP experiments on two different 14.1 T ( 1 H 600 MHz) NMR spectrometers: one configured for magic angle spinning (MAS) solid state NMR; the other configured for solution state NMR experiments. In particular, we describe how the high power microwave beam is split, transmitted, and manipulated between the two spectrometers. A 13 C enhancement of 128 is achieved via the cross effect for alanine, using the nitroxide biradical AMUPol, under MAS-DNP conditions at 110 K, while a 31 P enhancement of 160 is achieved via the Overhauser effect for triphenylphosphine using the monoradical BDPA under solution NMR conditions at room temperature. The latter result is the first demonstration of Overhauser DNP in the solution state at a field of 14.1 T ( 1 H 600 MHz). Moreover these results have been produced with large sample volumes (∼100 µL, i.e. 3 mm diameter NMR tubes). Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  16. The application of absolute quantitative (1)H NMR spectroscopy in drug discovery and development.

    PubMed

    Singh, Suruchi; Roy, Raja

    2016-07-01

    The identification of a drug candidate and its structural determination is the most important step in the process of the drug discovery and for this, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) is one of the most selective analytical techniques. The present review illustrates the various perspectives of absolute quantitative (1)H NMR spectroscopy in drug discovery and development. It deals with the fundamentals of quantitative NMR (qNMR), the physiochemical properties affecting qNMR, and the latest referencing techniques used for quantification. The precise application of qNMR during various stages of drug discovery and development, namely natural product research, drug quantitation in dosage forms, drug metabolism studies, impurity profiling and solubility measurements is elaborated. To achieve this, the authors explore the literature of NMR in drug discovery and development between 1963 and 2015. It also takes into account several other reviews on the subject. qNMR experiments are used for drug discovery and development processes as it is a non-destructive, versatile and robust technique with high intra and interpersonal variability. However, there are several limitations also. qNMR of complex biological samples is incorporated with peak overlap and a low limit of quantification and this can be overcome by using hyphenated chromatographic techniques in addition to NMR.

  17. A biofilm microreactor system for simultaneous electrochemical and nuclear magnetic resonance techniques.

    PubMed

    Renslow, R S; Babauta, J T; Majors, P D; Mehta, H S; Ewing, R J; Ewing, T W; Mueller, K T; Beyenal, H

    2014-01-01

    Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) techniques are ideally suited for the study of biofilms and for probing their microenvironments because these techniques allow for noninvasive interrogation and in situ monitoring with high resolution. By combining NMR with simultaneous electrochemical techniques, it is possible to sustain and study live biofilms respiring on electrodes. Here, we describe a biofilm microreactor system, including a reusable and a disposable reactor, that allows for simultaneous electrochemical and NMR techniques (EC-NMR) at the microscale. Microreactors were designed with custom radio frequency resonator coils, which allowed for NMR measurements of biofilms growing on polarized gold electrodes. For an example application of this system we grew Geobacter sulfurreducens biofilms on electrodes. EC-NMR was used to investigate growth medium flow velocities and depth-resolved acetate concentration inside the biofilm. As a novel contribution we used Monte Carlo error analysis to estimate the standard deviations of the acetate concentration measurements. Overall, we found that the disposable EC-NMR microreactor provided a 9.7 times better signal-to-noise ratio over the reusable reactor. The EC-NMR biofilm microreactor system can ultimately be used to correlate extracellular electron transfer rates with metabolic reactions and explore extracellular electron transfer mechanisms.

  18. Ultra-low field nuclear magnetic resonance and magnetic resonance imaging to discriminate and identify materials

    DOEpatents

    Kraus, Robert H.; Matlashov, Andrei N.; Espy, Michelle A.; Volegov, Petr L.

    2010-03-30

    An ultra-low magnetic field NMR system can non-invasively examine containers. Database matching techniques can then identify hazardous materials within the containers. Ultra-low field NMR systems are ideal for this purpose because they do not require large powerful magnets and because they can examine materials enclosed in conductive shells such as lead shells. The NMR examination technique can be combined with ultra-low field NMR imaging, where an NMR image is obtained and analyzed to identify target volumes. Spatial sensitivity encoding can also be used to identify target volumes. After the target volumes are identified the NMR measurement technique can be used to identify their contents.

  19. Expedited Selection of NMR Chiral Solvating Agents for Determination of Enantiopurity

    PubMed Central

    2016-01-01

    The use of NMR chiral solvating agents (CSAs) for the analysis of enantiopurity has been known for decades, but has been supplanted in recent years by chromatographic enantioseparation technology. While chromatographic methods for the analysis of enantiopurity are now commonplace and easy to implement, there are still individual compounds and entire classes of analytes where enantioseparation can prove extremely difficult, notably, compounds that are chiral by virtue of very subtle differences such as isotopic substitution or small differences in alkyl chain length. NMR analysis using CSAs can often be useful for such problems, but the traditional approach to selection of an appropriate CSA and the development of an NMR-based analysis method often involves a trial-and-error approach that can be relatively slow and tedious. In this study we describe a high-throughput experimentation approach to the selection of NMR CSAs that employs automation-enabled screening of prepared libraries of CSAs in a systematic fashion. This approach affords excellent results for a standard set of enantioenriched compounds, providing a valuable comparative data set for the effectiveness of CSAs for different classes of compounds. In addition, the technique has been successfully applied to challenging pharmaceutical development problems that are not amenable to chromatographic solutions. Overall, this methodology provides a rapid and powerful approach for investigating enantiopurity that compliments and augments conventional chromatographic approaches. PMID:27280168

  20. High-resolution solid-state 13C NMR spectroscopy of the paramagnetic metal-organic frameworks, STAM-1 and HKUST-1.

    PubMed

    Dawson, Daniel M; Jamieson, Lauren E; Mohideen, M Infas H; McKinlay, Alistair C; Smellie, Iain A; Cadou, Romain; Keddie, Neil S; Morris, Russell E; Ashbrook, Sharon E

    2013-01-21

    Solid-state (13)C magic-angle spinning (MAS) NMR spectroscopy is used to investigate the structure of the Cu(II)-based metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), HKUST-1 and STAM-1, and the structural changes occurring within these MOFs upon activation (dehydration). NMR spectroscopy is an attractive technique for the investigation of these materials, owing to its high sensitivity to local structure, without any requirement for longer-range order. However, interactions between nuclei and unpaired electrons in paramagnetic systems (e.g., Cu(II)-based MOFs) pose a considerable challenge, not only for spectral acquisition, but also in the assignment and interpretation of the spectral resonances. Here, we exploit the rapid T(1) relaxation of these materials to obtain (13)C NMR spectra using a spin-echo pulse sequence at natural abundance levels, and employ frequency-stepped acquisition to ensure uniform excitation of resonances over a wide frequency range. We then utilise selective (13)C isotopic labelling of the organic linker molecules to enable an unambiguous assignment of NMR spectra of both MOFs for the first time. We show that the monomethylated linker can be recovered from STAM-1 intact, demonstrating not only the interesting use of this MOF as a protecting group, but also the ability (for both STAM-1 and HKUST-1) to recover isotopically-enriched linkers, thereby reducing significantly the overall cost of the approach.

  1. Combining Two-Dimensional Diffusion-Ordered Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy, Imaging Desorption Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry, and Direct Analysis in Real-Time Mass Spectrometry for the Integral Investigation of Counterfeit Pharmaceuticals

    PubMed Central

    Nyadong, Leonard; Harris, Glenn A.; Balayssac, Stéphane; Galhena, Asiri S.; Malet-Martino, Myriam; Martino, Robert; Parry, R. Mitchell; Wang, May Dongmei; Fernández, Facundo M.; Gilard, Véronique

    2016-01-01

    During the past decade, there has been a marked increase in the number of reported cases involving counterfeit medicines in developing and developed countries. Particularly, artesunate-based antimalarial drugs have been targeted, because of their high demand and cost. Counterfeit antimalarials can cause death and can contribute to the growing problem of drug resistance, particularly in southeast Asia. In this study, the complementarity of two-dimensional diffusion-ordered 1H nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (2D DOSY 1H NMR) with direct analysis in real-time mass spectrometry (DART MS) and desorption electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (DESI MS) was assessed for pharmaceutical forensic purposes. Fourteen different artesunate tablets, representative of what can be purchased from informal sources in southeast Asia, were investigated with these techniques. The expected active pharmaceutical ingredient was detected in only five formulations via both nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and mass spectrometry (MS) methods. Common organic excipients such as sucrose, lactose, stearate, dextrin, and starch were also detected. The graphical representation of DOSY 1H NMR results proved very useful for establishing similarities among groups of samples, enabling counterfeit drug “chemotyping”. In addition to bulk- and surface-average analyses, spatially resolved information on the surface composition of counterfeit and genuine antimalarial formulations was obtained using DESI MS that was performed in the imaging mode, which enabled one to visualize the homogeneity of both genuine and counterfeit drug samples. Overall, this study suggests that 2D DOSY 1H NMR, combined with ambient MS, comprises a powerful suite of instrumental analysis methodologies for the integral characterization of counterfeit antimalarials. PMID:19453162

  2. Combining two-dimensional diffusion-ordered nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, imaging desorption electrospray ionization mass spectrometry, and direct analysis in real-time mass spectrometry for the integral investigation of counterfeit pharmaceuticals.

    PubMed

    Nyadong, Leonard; Harris, Glenn A; Balayssac, Stéphane; Galhena, Asiri S; Malet-Martino, Myriam; Martino, Robert; Parry, R Mitchell; Wang, May Dongmei; Fernández, Facundo M; Gilard, Véronique

    2009-06-15

    During the past decade, there has been a marked increase in the number of reported cases involving counterfeit medicines in developing and developed countries. Particularly, artesunate-based antimalarial drugs have been targeted, because of their high demand and cost. Counterfeit antimalarials can cause death and can contribute to the growing problem of drug resistance, particularly in southeast Asia. In this study, the complementarity of two-dimensional diffusion-ordered (1)H nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (2D DOSY (1)H NMR) with direct analysis in real-time mass spectrometry (DART MS) and desorption electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (DESI MS) was assessed for pharmaceutical forensic purposes. Fourteen different artesunate tablets, representative of what can be purchased from informal sources in southeast Asia, were investigated with these techniques. The expected active pharmaceutical ingredient was detected in only five formulations via both nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and mass spectrometry (MS) methods. Common organic excipients such as sucrose, lactose, stearate, dextrin, and starch were also detected. The graphical representation of DOSY (1)H NMR results proved very useful for establishing similarities among groups of samples, enabling counterfeit drug "chemotyping". In addition to bulk- and surface-average analyses, spatially resolved information on the surface composition of counterfeit and genuine antimalarial formulations was obtained using DESI MS that was performed in the imaging mode, which enabled one to visualize the homogeneity of both genuine and counterfeit drug samples. Overall, this study suggests that 2D DOSY (1)H NMR, combined with ambient MS, comprises a powerful suite of instrumental analysis methodologies for the integral characterization of counterfeit antimalarials.

  3. Push-through Direction Injectin NMR Automation

    EPA Science Inventory

    Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and mass spectrometry (MS) are the two major spectroscopic techniques successfully used in metabolomics studies. The non-invasive, quantitative and reproducible characteristics make NMR spectroscopy an excellent technique for detection of endogeno...

  4. Rapid Catalyst Capture Enables Metal-Free para-Hydrogen-Based Hyperpolarized Contrast Agents.

    PubMed

    Barskiy, Danila A; Ke, Lucia A; Li, Xingyang; Stevenson, Vincent; Widarman, Nevin; Zhang, Hao; Truxal, Ashley; Pines, Alexander

    2018-05-10

    Hyperpolarization techniques based on the use of para-hydrogen provide orders of magnitude signal enhancement for magnetic resonance spectroscopy and imaging. The main drawback limiting widespread applicability of para-hydrogen-based techniques in biomedicine is the presence of organometallic compounds (the polarization transfer catalysts) in solution with hyperpolarized contrast agents. These catalysts are typically complexes of platinum-group metals, and their administration in vivo should be avoided. Herein, we show how extraction of a hyperpolarized compound from an organic phase to an aqueous phase combined with a rapid (less than 10 s) Ir-based catalyst capture by metal scavenging agents can produce pure para-hydrogen-based hyperpolarized contrast agents, as demonstrated by high-resolution nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES). The presented methodology enables fast and efficient means of producing pure hyperpolarized aqueous solutions for biomedical and other uses.

  5. Atomic-level structure characterization of biomass pre- and post-lignin treatment by dynamic nuclear polarization-enhanced solid-state NMR

    DOE PAGES

    Perras, Frederic A.; Luo, Hao; Zhang, Ximing; ...

    2016-12-27

    Here, lignocellulosic biomass is a promising sustainable feedstock for the production of biofuels, biomaterials, and biospecialty chemicals. However, efficient utilization of biomass has been limited by our poor understanding of its molecular structure. Here, we report a dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP)-enhanced solid-state (SS)NMR study of the molecular structure of biomass, both pre- and postcatalytic treatment. This technique enables the measurement of 2D homonuclear 13C– 13C correlation SSNMR spectra under natural abundance, yielding, for the first time, an atomic-level picture of the structure of raw and catalytically treated biomass samples. We foresee that further such experiments could be used to determinemore » structure–function relationships and facilitate the development of more efficient, and chemically targeted, biomass-conversion technologies.« less

  6. Atomic-level structure characterization of biomass pre- and post-lignin treatment by dynamic nuclear polarization-enhanced solid-state NMR

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Perras, Frederic A.; Luo, Hao; Zhang, Ximing

    Here, lignocellulosic biomass is a promising sustainable feedstock for the production of biofuels, biomaterials, and biospecialty chemicals. However, efficient utilization of biomass has been limited by our poor understanding of its molecular structure. Here, we report a dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP)-enhanced solid-state (SS)NMR study of the molecular structure of biomass, both pre- and postcatalytic treatment. This technique enables the measurement of 2D homonuclear 13C– 13C correlation SSNMR spectra under natural abundance, yielding, for the first time, an atomic-level picture of the structure of raw and catalytically treated biomass samples. We foresee that further such experiments could be used to determinemore » structure–function relationships and facilitate the development of more efficient, and chemically targeted, biomass-conversion technologies.« less

  7. Revisiting Cu 63 NMR evidence for charge order in superconducting La 1.885 Sr 0.115 CuO 4

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Imai, T.; Takahashi, S. K.; Arsenault, A.

    Here, the presence of charge and spin stripe order in the La 2CuO 4-based family of superconductors continues to lead to new insight on the unusual ground-state properties of high- T c cuprates. Soon after the discovery of charge stripe order at T charge≃65 K in Nd 3+ co-doped La 1.48Nd 0.4Sr 0.12CuO 4( Tc≃6 K), Hunt et al. demonstrated that La 1.48Nd 0.4Sr 0.12CuO 4 and superconducting La 2–xSr xCuO 4 with x~1/8( Tc≃30 K) share nearly identical NMR anomalies near Tcharge of the former. Their inevitable conclusion that La 1.885Sr 0.115CuO 4 also undergoes charge order at amore » comparable temperature became controversial, because diffraction measurements at the time were unable to detect Bragg peaks associated with charge order. Recent advances in x-ray diffraction techniques finally led to definitive confirmations of the charge order Bragg peaks in La 1.885Sr 0.115CuO 4 with an onset at as high as Tcharge≃80 K. Meanwhile, improved instrumental technology has enabled routine NMR measurements that were not feasible two decades ago. Motivated by these new developments, we revisit the charge order transition of a La 1.885Sr 0.115CuO 4 single crystal based on 63Cu NMR techniques. We demonstrate that 63Cu NMR properties of the nuclear spin I z=–1/2 to +1/2 central transition below Tcharge exhibit unprecedentedly strong dependence on the measurement time scale set by the separation time τ between the 90° and 180° radio-frequency pulses; a new kind of anomalous, very broad winglike 63Cu NMR signals gradually emerge below Tcharge only for extremely short τ≲4μs, while the spectral weight I Normal of the normal NMR signals is progressively wiped out. The NMR linewidth and relaxation rates depend strongly on τ below Tcharge, and their enhancement in the charge ordered state indicates that charge order turns on strong but inhomogeneous growth of Cu spin-spin correlations.« less

  8. Revisiting Cu 63 NMR evidence for charge order in superconducting La 1.885 Sr 0.115 CuO 4

    DOE PAGES

    Imai, T.; Takahashi, S. K.; Arsenault, A.; ...

    2017-12-26

    Here, the presence of charge and spin stripe order in the La 2CuO 4-based family of superconductors continues to lead to new insight on the unusual ground-state properties of high- T c cuprates. Soon after the discovery of charge stripe order at T charge≃65 K in Nd 3+ co-doped La 1.48Nd 0.4Sr 0.12CuO 4( Tc≃6 K), Hunt et al. demonstrated that La 1.48Nd 0.4Sr 0.12CuO 4 and superconducting La 2–xSr xCuO 4 with x~1/8( Tc≃30 K) share nearly identical NMR anomalies near Tcharge of the former. Their inevitable conclusion that La 1.885Sr 0.115CuO 4 also undergoes charge order at amore » comparable temperature became controversial, because diffraction measurements at the time were unable to detect Bragg peaks associated with charge order. Recent advances in x-ray diffraction techniques finally led to definitive confirmations of the charge order Bragg peaks in La 1.885Sr 0.115CuO 4 with an onset at as high as Tcharge≃80 K. Meanwhile, improved instrumental technology has enabled routine NMR measurements that were not feasible two decades ago. Motivated by these new developments, we revisit the charge order transition of a La 1.885Sr 0.115CuO 4 single crystal based on 63Cu NMR techniques. We demonstrate that 63Cu NMR properties of the nuclear spin I z=–1/2 to +1/2 central transition below Tcharge exhibit unprecedentedly strong dependence on the measurement time scale set by the separation time τ between the 90° and 180° radio-frequency pulses; a new kind of anomalous, very broad winglike 63Cu NMR signals gradually emerge below Tcharge only for extremely short τ≲4μs, while the spectral weight I Normal of the normal NMR signals is progressively wiped out. The NMR linewidth and relaxation rates depend strongly on τ below Tcharge, and their enhancement in the charge ordered state indicates that charge order turns on strong but inhomogeneous growth of Cu spin-spin correlations.« less

  9. Revisiting 63Cu NMR evidence for charge order in superconducting La1.885Sr0.115CuO4

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Imai, T.; Takahashi, S. K.; Arsenault, A.; Acton, A. W.; Lee, D.; He, W.; Lee, Y. S.; Fujita, M.

    2017-12-01

    The presence of charge and spin stripe order in the La2CuO4 -based family of superconductors continues to lead to new insight on the unusual ground-state properties of high-Tc cuprates. Soon after the discovery of charge stripe order at Tcharge≃65 K in Nd3 + co-doped La1.48Nd0.4Sr0.12CuO4 (Tc≃6 K) [Tranquada et al., Nature (London) 375, 561 (1995), 10.1038/375561a0], Hunt et al. demonstrated that La1.48Nd0.4Sr0.12CuO4 and superconducting La2 -xSrxCuO4 with x ˜1 /8 (Tc≃30 K) share nearly identical NMR anomalies near Tcharge of the former [Phys. Rev. Lett. 82, 4300 (1999), 10.1103/PhysRevLett.82.4300]. Their inevitable conclusion that La1.885Sr0.115CuO4 also undergoes charge order at a comparable temperature became controversial, because diffraction measurements at the time were unable to detect Bragg peaks associated with charge order. Recent advances in x-ray diffraction techniques finally led to definitive confirmations of the charge order Bragg peaks in La1.885Sr0.115CuO4 with an onset at as high as Tcharge≃80 K. Meanwhile, improved instrumental technology has enabled routine NMR measurements that were not feasible two decades ago. Motivated by these new developments, we revisit the charge order transition of a La1.885Sr0.115CuO4 single crystal based on 63Cu NMR techniques. We demonstrate that 63Cu NMR properties of the nuclear spin Iz=-1/2 to +1/2 central transition below Tcharge exhibit unprecedentedly strong dependence on the measurement time scale set by the separation time τ between the 90∘ and 180∘ radio-frequency pulses; a new kind of anomalous, very broad winglike 63Cu NMR signals gradually emerge below Tcharge only for extremely short τ ≲4 μ s , while the spectral weight INormal of the normal NMR signals is progressively wiped out. The NMR linewidth and relaxation rates depend strongly on τ below Tcharge, and their enhancement in the charge ordered state indicates that charge order turns on strong but inhomogeneous growth of Cu spin-spin correlations.

  10. Farseer-NMR: automatic treatment, analysis and plotting of large, multi-variable NMR data.

    PubMed

    Teixeira, João M C; Skinner, Simon P; Arbesú, Miguel; Breeze, Alexander L; Pons, Miquel

    2018-05-11

    We present Farseer-NMR ( https://git.io/vAueU ), a software package to treat, evaluate and combine NMR spectroscopic data from sets of protein-derived peaklists covering a range of experimental conditions. The combined advances in NMR and molecular biology enable the study of complex biomolecular systems such as flexible proteins or large multibody complexes, which display a strong and functionally relevant response to their environmental conditions, e.g. the presence of ligands, site-directed mutations, post translational modifications, molecular crowders or the chemical composition of the solution. These advances have created a growing need to analyse those systems' responses to multiple variables. The combined analysis of NMR peaklists from large and multivariable datasets has become a new bottleneck in the NMR analysis pipeline, whereby information-rich NMR-derived parameters have to be manually generated, which can be tedious, repetitive and prone to human error, or even unfeasible for very large datasets. There is a persistent gap in the development and distribution of software focused on peaklist treatment, analysis and representation, and specifically able to handle large multivariable datasets, which are becoming more commonplace. In this regard, Farseer-NMR aims to close this longstanding gap in the automated NMR user pipeline and, altogether, reduce the time burden of analysis of large sets of peaklists from days/weeks to seconds/minutes. We have implemented some of the most common, as well as new, routines for calculation of NMR parameters and several publication-quality plotting templates to improve NMR data representation. Farseer-NMR has been written entirely in Python and its modular code base enables facile extension.

  11. Application of NMR Methods to Identify Detection Reagents for Use in the Development of Robust Nanosensors

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Cosman, M; Krishnan, V V; Balhorn, R

    2004-04-29

    Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy is a powerful technique for studying bi-molecular interactions at the atomic scale. Our NMR lab is involved in the identification of small molecules, or ligands that bind to target protein receptors, such as tetanus (TeNT) and botulinum (BoNT) neurotoxins, anthrax proteins and HLA-DR10 receptors on non-Hodgkin's lymphoma cancer cells. Once low affinity binders are identified, they can be linked together to produce multidentate synthetic high affinity ligands (SHALs) that have very high specificity for their target protein receptors. An important nanotechnology application for SHALs is their use in the development of robust chemical sensors ormore » biochips for the detection of pathogen proteins in environmental samples or body fluids. Here, we describe a recently developed NMR competition assay based on transferred nuclear Overhauser effect spectroscopy (trNOESY) that enables the identification of sets of ligands that bind to the same site, or a different site, on the surface of TeNT fragment C (TetC) than a known ''marker'' ligand, doxorubicin. Using this assay, we can identify the optimal pairs of ligands to be linked together for creating detection reagents, as well as estimate the relative binding constants for ligands competing for the same site.« less

  12. High-Resolution Magic-Angle-Spinning NMR and Magnetic Resonance Imaging Spectroscopies Distinguish Metabolome and Structural Properties of Maize Seeds from Plants Treated with Different Fertilizers and Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi.

    PubMed

    Mazzei, Pierluigi; Cozzolino, Vincenza; Piccolo, Alessandro

    2018-03-21

    Both high-resolution magic-angle-spinning (HRMAS) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) NMR spectroscopies were applied here to identify the changes of metabolome, morphology, and structural properties induced in seeds (caryopses) of maize plants grown at field level under either mineral or compost fertilization in combination with the inoculation by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF). The metabolome of intact caryopses was examined by HRMAS-NMR, while the morphological aspects, endosperm properties and seed water distribution were investigated by MRI. Principal component analysis (PCA) was applied to evaluate 1 H CPMG (Carr-Purcel-Meiboom-Gill) HRMAS spectra as well as several MRI-derived parameters ( T 1 , T 2 , and self-diffusion coefficients) of intact maize caryopses. PCA score-plots from spectral results indicated that both seeds metabolome and structural properties depended on the specific field treatment undergone by maize plants. Our findings show that a combination of multivariate statistical analyses with advanced and nondestructive NMR techniques, such as HRMAS and MRI, enables the evaluation of the effects induced on maize caryopses by different fertilization and management practices at field level. The spectroscopic approach adopted here may become useful for the objective appraisal of the quality of seeds produced under a sustainable agriculture.

  13. NMR spectroscopy of single sub-nL ova with inductive ultra-compact single-chip probes

    PubMed Central

    Grisi, Marco; Vincent, Franck; Volpe, Beatrice; Guidetti, Roberto; Harris, Nicola; Beck, Armin; Boero, Giovanni

    2017-01-01

    Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy enables non-invasive chemical studies of intact living matter. However, the use of NMR at the volume scale typical of microorganisms is hindered by sensitivity limitations, and experiments on single intact organisms have so far been limited to entities having volumes larger than 5 nL. Here we show NMR spectroscopy experiments conducted on single intact ova of 0.1 and 0.5 nL (i.e. 10 to 50 times smaller than previously achieved), thereby reaching the relevant volume scale where life development begins for a broad variety of organisms, humans included. Performing experiments with inductive ultra-compact (1 mm2) single-chip NMR probes, consisting of a low noise transceiver and a multilayer 150 μm planar microcoil, we demonstrate that the achieved limit of detection (about 5 pmol of 1H nuclei) is sufficient to detect endogenous compounds. Our findings suggest that single-chip probes are promising candidates to enable NMR-based study and selection of microscopic entities at biologically relevant volume scales. PMID:28317887

  14. Enhanced efficiency of solid-state NMR investigations of energy materials using an external automatic tuning/matching (eATM) robot.

    PubMed

    Pecher, Oliver; Halat, David M; Lee, Jeongjae; Liu, Zigeng; Griffith, Kent J; Braun, Marco; Grey, Clare P

    2017-02-01

    We have developed and explored an external automatic tuning/matching (eATM) robot that can be attached to commercial and/or home-built magic angle spinning (MAS) or static nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) probeheads. Complete synchronization and automation with Bruker and Tecmag spectrometers is ensured via transistor-transistor-logic (TTL) signals. The eATM robot enables an automated "on-the-fly" re-calibration of the radio frequency (rf) carrier frequency, which is beneficial whenever tuning/matching of the resonance circuit is required, e.g. variable temperature (VT) NMR, spin-echo mapping (variable offset cumulative spectroscopy, VOCS) and/or in situ NMR experiments of batteries. This allows a significant increase in efficiency for NMR experiments outside regular working hours (e.g. overnight) and, furthermore, enables measurements of quadrupolar nuclei which would not be possible in reasonable timeframes due to excessively large spectral widths. Additionally, different tuning/matching capacitor (and/or coil) settings for desired frequencies (e.g. 7 Li and 31 P at 117 and 122MHz, respectively, at 7.05 T) can be saved and made directly accessible before automatic tuning/matching, thus enabling automated measurements of multiple nuclei for one sample with no manual adjustment required by the user. We have applied this new eATM approach in static and MAS spin-echo mapping NMR experiments in different magnetic fields on four energy storage materials, namely: (1) paramagnetic 7 Li and 31 P MAS NMR (without manual recalibration) of the Li-ion battery cathode material LiFePO 4 ; (2) paramagnetic 17 O VT-NMR of the solid oxide fuel cell cathode material La 2 NiO 4+δ ; (3) broadband 93 Nb static NMR of the Li-ion battery material BNb 2 O 5 ; and (4) broadband static 127 I NMR of a potential Li-air battery product LiIO 3 . In each case, insight into local atomic structure and dynamics arises primarily from the highly broadened (1-25MHz) NMR lineshapes that the eATM robot is uniquely suited to collect. These new developments in automation of NMR experiments are likely to advance the application of in and ex situ NMR investigations to an ever-increasing range of energy storage materials and systems. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  15. Enhanced efficiency of solid-state NMR investigations of energy materials using an external automatic tuning/matching (eATM) robot

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pecher, Oliver; Halat, David M.; Lee, Jeongjae; Liu, Zigeng; Griffith, Kent J.; Braun, Marco; Grey, Clare P.

    2017-02-01

    We have developed and explored an external automatic tuning/matching (eATM) robot that can be attached to commercial and/or home-built magic angle spinning (MAS) or static nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) probeheads. Complete synchronization and automation with Bruker and Tecmag spectrometers is ensured via transistor-transistor-logic (TTL) signals. The eATM robot enables an automated "on-the-fly" re-calibration of the radio frequency (rf) carrier frequency, which is beneficial whenever tuning/matching of the resonance circuit is required, e.g. variable temperature (VT) NMR, spin-echo mapping (variable offset cumulative spectroscopy, VOCS) and/or in situ NMR experiments of batteries. This allows a significant increase in efficiency for NMR experiments outside regular working hours (e.g. overnight) and, furthermore, enables measurements of quadrupolar nuclei which would not be possible in reasonable timeframes due to excessively large spectral widths. Additionally, different tuning/matching capacitor (and/or coil) settings for desired frequencies (e.g.7Li and 31P at 117 and 122 MHz, respectively, at 7.05 T) can be saved and made directly accessible before automatic tuning/matching, thus enabling automated measurements of multiple nuclei for one sample with no manual adjustment required by the user. We have applied this new eATM approach in static and MAS spin-echo mapping NMR experiments in different magnetic fields on four energy storage materials, namely: (1) paramagnetic 7Li and 31P MAS NMR (without manual recalibration) of the Li-ion battery cathode material LiFePO4; (2) paramagnetic 17O VT-NMR of the solid oxide fuel cell cathode material La2NiO4+δ; (3) broadband 93Nb static NMR of the Li-ion battery material BNb2O5; and (4) broadband static 127I NMR of a potential Li-air battery product LiIO3. In each case, insight into local atomic structure and dynamics arises primarily from the highly broadened (1-25 MHz) NMR lineshapes that the eATM robot is uniquely suited to collect. These new developments in automation of NMR experiments are likely to advance the application of in and ex situ NMR investigations to an ever-increasing range of energy storage materials and systems.

  16. Collaborative development for setup, execution, sharing and analytics of complex NMR experiments.

    PubMed

    Irvine, Alistair G; Slynko, Vadim; Nikolaev, Yaroslav; Senthamarai, Russell R P; Pervushin, Konstantin

    2014-02-01

    Factory settings of NMR pulse sequences are rarely ideal for every scenario in which they are utilised. The optimisation of NMR experiments has for many years been performed locally, with implementations often specific to an individual spectrometer. Furthermore, these optimised experiments are normally retained solely for the use of an individual laboratory, spectrometer or even single user. Here we introduce a web-based service that provides a database for the deposition, annotation and optimisation of NMR experiments. The application uses a Wiki environment to enable the collaborative development of pulse sequences. It also provides a flexible mechanism to automatically generate NMR experiments from deposited sequences. Multidimensional NMR experiments of proteins and other macromolecules consume significant resources, in terms of both spectrometer time and effort required to analyse the results. Systematic analysis of simulated experiments can enable optimal allocation of NMR resources for structural analysis of proteins. Our web-based application (http://nmrplus.org) provides all the necessary information, includes the auxiliaries (waveforms, decoupling sequences etc.), for analysis of experiments by accurate numerical simulation of multidimensional NMR experiments. The online database of the NMR experiments, together with a systematic evaluation of their sensitivity, provides a framework for selection of the most efficient pulse sequences. The development of such a framework provides a basis for the collaborative optimisation of pulse sequences by the NMR community, with the benefits of this collective effort being available to the whole community. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  17. 1H-detected MAS solid-state NMR experiments enable the simultaneous mapping of rigid and dynamic domains of membrane proteins

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gopinath, T.; Nelson, Sarah E. D.; Veglia, Gianluigi

    2017-12-01

    Magic angle spinning (MAS) solid-state NMR (ssNMR) spectroscopy is emerging as a unique method for the atomic resolution structure determination of native membrane proteins in lipid bilayers. Although 13C-detected ssNMR experiments continue to play a major role, recent technological developments have made it possible to carry out 1H-detected experiments, boosting both sensitivity and resolution. Here, we describe a new set of 1H-detected hybrid pulse sequences that combine through-bond and through-space correlation elements into single experiments, enabling the simultaneous detection of rigid and dynamic domains of membrane proteins. As proof-of-principle, we applied these new pulse sequences to the membrane protein phospholamban (PLN) reconstituted in lipid bilayers under moderate MAS conditions. The cross-polarization (CP) based elements enabled the detection of the relatively immobile residues of PLN in the transmembrane domain using through-space correlations; whereas the most dynamic region, which is in equilibrium between folded and unfolded states, was mapped by through-bond INEPT-based elements. These new 1H-detected experiments will enable one to detect not only the most populated (ground) states of biomacromolecules, but also sparsely populated high-energy (excited) states for a complete characterization of protein free energy landscapes.

  18. Chemical characterisation of the whole plant cell wall of archaeological wood: an integrated approach.

    PubMed

    Zoia, Luca; Tamburini, Diego; Orlandi, Marco; Łucejko, Jeannette Jacqueline; Salanti, Anika; Tolppa, Eeva-Liisa; Modugno, Francesca; Colombini, Maria Perla

    2017-07-01

    Wood artefacts undergo complex alteration and degradation during ageing, and gaining information on the chemical composition of wood in archaeological artefacts is fundamental to plan conservation strategies. In this work, an integrated analytical approach based on innovative NMR spectroscopy procedures, gel permeation chromatography and analytical pyrolysis coupled with gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (Py-GC-MS) was applied for the first time on archaeological wood from the Oseberg collection (Norway), in order to evaluate the chemical state of preservation of the wood components, without separating them. We adopted ionic liquids (ILs) as non-derivatising solvents, thus obtaining an efficient dissolution of the wood, allowing us to overcome the difficulty of dissolving wood in its native form in conventional molecular solvents. Highly substituted lignocellulosic esters were therefore obtained under mild conditions by reacting the solubilised wood with either acetyl chloride or benzoyl chloride. A phosphytilation reaction was also performed using 2-chloro-4,4,5,5-tetramethyl-1,3,2-dioxaphospholan. As a result, the functionalised wood developed an enhanced solubility in molecular solvents, thus enabling information about modifications of lignin, depolymerisation of cellulose and structure of lignin-carbohydrate complexes to be obtained by means of spectroscopic (2D-HSQC-NMR and 31 P-NMR) and chromatographic (gel permeation chromatography) techniques. Py-GC-MS was used to investigate the degradation undergone by the lignocellulosic components on the basis of their pyrolysis products, without any pre-treatment of the samples. The application of all these combined techniques enabled a comprehensive characterisation of the whole cell wall of archaeological wood and the evaluation of its state of preservation. High depletion of carbohydrates and high extent of lignin oxidation were highlighted in the alum-treated objects, whereas a good preservation state was found for the untreated wood of the Oseberg ship. Graphical abstract ᅟ.

  19. NMR Studies of Peroxidases.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Veitch, Nigel Charles

    Available from UMI in association with The British Library. Requires signed TDF. Peroxidases are a haem-containing group of enzymes with a wide diversity of function within biological systems. While a common characteristic is the ability to catalyse the conversion of hydrogen peroxide to water, it is the accompanying processes of hormone synthesis and degradation which have generated such a high level of interest. However, information at the molecular level is limited to a single well-resolved crystal structure, that of yeast cytochrome c peroxidase. This thesis presents a strategy for the investigation of peroxidase structure and function based on proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, a technique which has the ability to address aspects of both protein structure and protein dynamics in solution. The application of one- and two-dimensional NMR techniques has been developed in the context of plant peroxidases, notably the isoenzyme HRP-C derived from the horseradish root. Characterisation of the proton NMR spectra of HRP -C in resting and ligated states provided new information enabling the structure of the binding site for aromatic donor molecules, such as indole-3-propionic, ferulic and benzhydroxamic acids, to be resolved. In order to overcome difficulties encountered with a protein of the complexity of peroxidase, additional information was obtained from chemical shift parameters and the use of peroxidase variants produced by site-directed mutagenesis. A comparative study using NMR spectroscopy was undertaken for wild-type recombinant HRP-C expressed in Escherichia coli, and two protein variants with substitutions made to residues located on the distal side of the haem pocket, Phe41 to Val and Arg38 to Lys. NMR analyses of a plant peroxidase from barley grains and the fungal peroxidase from Coprinus cinereus were also successful using methods conceived with HRP-C. Examination of three specifically constructed recombinant protein variants of C. cinereus peroxidase was essential in confirming the identity of residues participating in the aromatic donor molecule binding site of peroxidases.

  20. A biofilm microreactor system for simultaneous electrochemical and nuclear magnetic resonance techniques

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Renslow, Ryan S.; Babauta, Jerome T.; Majors, Paul D.

    2014-03-01

    In order to fully understand electrochemically active biofilms and the limitations to their scale-up in industrial biofilm reactors, a complete picture of the microenvironments inside the biofilm is needed. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) techniques are ideally suited for the study of biofilms and for probing their microenvironments because these techniques allow for non-invasive interrogation and in situ monitoring with high resolution. By combining NMR with simultaneous electrochemical techniques, it is possible to sustain and study live electrochemically active biofilms. Here, we introduce a novel biofilm microreactor system that allows for simultaneous electrochemical and NMR techniques (EC-NMR) at the microscale. Microreactorsmore » were designed with custom radiofrequency resonator coils, which allowed for NMR measurements of biofilms growing on polarized gold electrodes. For an example application of this system, we grew Geobacter sulfurreducens biofilms. NMR was used to investigate growth media flow velocities, which were compared to simulated laminar flow, and electron donor concentrations inside the biofilms. We use Monte Carlo error analysis to estimate standard deviations of the electron donor concentration measurements within the biofilm. The EC-NMR biofilm microreactor system can ultimately be used to correlate extracellular electron transfer rates with metabolic reactions and explore extracellular electron transfer mechanisms.« less

  1. Analytical Applications of NMR: Summer Symposium on Analytical Chemistry.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Borman, Stuart A.

    1982-01-01

    Highlights a symposium on analytical applications of nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR), discussing pulse Fourier transformation technique, two-dimensional NMR, solid state NMR, and multinuclear NMR. Includes description of ORACLE, an NMR data processing system at Syracuse University using real-time color graphics, and algorithms for…

  2. Advances in the Determination of the Speciation of the Carbon Associated with Biogenic Silica Produced by Plants

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Masion, A.; Alexandre, A. E.; Ziarelli, F.; Viel, S.; Santos, G.

    2016-12-01

    Biogenic silica resulting from the precipitation of dissolved Si through biological processes in plants, often contains small amounts of occluded organic carbon. These phases, called phytoliths, have a long persistence in soils, making them tracers of past conditions. In this context, the knowledge of the carbon speciation associated with phytoliths bears significant importance in examining the carbon dynamics in soils. With carbon concentrations as low as the 0.1% range, examining the nature of organic carbon remains very challenging, and available tools (e.g. pyrolysis) are often prone to serious artifacts. Recent improvements of microwave sources enabled the application of the Dynamic Nuclear Polarization (DNP) technique to NMR, thereby establishing a new non-destructive tool for the qualitative and quantitative determination of the carbon speciation. Applied to the analysis of phytoliths, this method showed the presence of carbons from different sources within the sample: About 20% of the signal correspond to carbohydrates, and are assigned to photosynthetic carbon; the marked alkyl, N-alkyl and carbonyl signals indicate a significant proportion of proteins. This is consistent with the hypothesis that parts of the carbon associated with the phytoliths is imported into the host plant via uptake from the soil. Finally, lignins, glomalin-like and/or humic-like compounds are minor species associated with biogenic silica. This speciation was obtained overnight with a DNP-NMR set-up with an excellent sensitivity (few tens of weight ppm); the same spectrum on a standard NMR spectrometer would have required at least 250 days of data acquisition. The considerable gain in sensitivity associated with the use of DNP now makes NMR a relevant technique for the analysis of environmental samples.

  3. Saturation-Transfer Difference (STD) NMR: A Simple and Fast Method for Ligand Screening and Characterization of Protein Binding

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Viegas, Aldino; Manso, Joao; Nobrega, Franklin L.; Cabrita, Eurico J.

    2011-01-01

    Saturation transfer difference (STD) NMR has emerged as one of the most popular ligand-based NMR techniques for the study of protein-ligand interactions. The success of this technique is a consequence of its robustness and the fact that it is focused on the signals of the ligand, without any need of processing NMR information about the receptor…

  4. Development of 19F-NMR chemical shift detection of DNA B-Z equilibrium using 19F-NMR.

    PubMed

    Nakamura, S; Yang, H; Hirata, C; Kersaudy, F; Fujimoto, K

    2017-06-28

    Various DNA conformational changes are in correlation with biological events. In particular, DNA B-Z equilibrium showed a high correlation with translation and transcription. In this study, we developed a DNA probe containing 5-trifluoromethylcytidine or 5-trifluoromethylthymidine to detect DNA B-Z equilibrium using 19 F-NMR. Its probe enabled the quantitative detection of B-, Z-, and ss-DNA based on 19 F-NMR chemical shift change.

  5. A new detection scheme for ultrafast 2D J-resolved spectroscopy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Giraudeau, Patrick; Akoka, Serge

    2007-06-01

    Recent ultrafast techniques enable 2D NMR spectra to be obtained in a single scan. A modification of the detection scheme involved in this technique is proposed, permitting the achievement of 2D 1H J-resolved spectra in 500 ms. The detection gradient echoes are substituted by spin echoes to obtain spectra where the coupling constants are encoded along the direct ν2 domain. The use of this new J-resolved detection block after continuous phase-encoding excitation schemes is discussed in terms of resolution and sensitivity. J-resolved spectra obtained on cinnamic acid and 3-ethyl bromopropionate are presented, revealing the expected 2D J-patterns with coupling constants as small as 2 Hz.

  6. Compressed NMR: Combining compressive sampling and pure shift NMR techniques.

    PubMed

    Aguilar, Juan A; Kenwright, Alan M

    2017-12-26

    Historically, the resolution of multidimensional nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) has been orders of magnitude lower than the intrinsic resolution that NMR spectrometers are capable of producing. The slowness of Nyquist sampling as well as the existence of signals as multiplets instead of singlets have been two of the main reasons for this underperformance. Fortunately, two compressive techniques have appeared that can overcome these limitations. Compressive sensing, also known as compressed sampling (CS), avoids the first limitation by exploiting the compressibility of typical NMR spectra, thus allowing sampling at sub-Nyquist rates, and pure shift techniques eliminate the second issue "compressing" multiplets into singlets. This paper explores the possibilities and challenges presented by this combination (compressed NMR). First, a description of the CS framework is given, followed by a description of the importance of combining it with the right pure shift experiment. Second, examples of compressed NMR spectra and how they can be combined with covariance methods will be shown. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  7. Application of Solid-State NMR Relaxometry for Characterization and Formulation Optimization of Grinding-Induced Drug Nanoparticle.

    PubMed

    Ueda, Keisuke; Higashi, Kenjirou; Moribe, Kunikazu

    2016-03-07

    The formation mechanism of drug nanoparticles was investigated using solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) techniques for the efficient discovery of an optimized nanoparticle formulation. The cogrinding of nifedipine (NIF) with polymers, including hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) was performed to prepare the NIF nanoparticle formulations. Then, solid-state NMR relaxometry was used for the nanometer-order characterization of NIF in the polymer matrix. Solid-state NMR measurements revealed that the crystal size of NIF was reduced to several tens of nanometers with amorphization of NIF by cogrinding with HPMC and SDS for 100 min. Similarly, the size of the NIF crystal was reduced to less than 90 nm in the 40 min ground mixture of NIF/PVP/SDS. Furthermore, 100 min grinding of NIF/PVP/SDS induced amorphization of almost all the NIF crystals followed by nanosizing. The hydrogen bond between NIF and PVP led to the efficient amorphization of NIF in the NIF/PVP/SDS system compared with NIF/HPMC/SDS system. The efficient nanosizing of the NIF crystal in the solid state, revealed by the solid-state NMR relaxation time measurements, enabled the formation of large amounts of NIF nanoparticles in water followed by the polymer dissolution. In contrast, excess amorphization of the NIF crystals failed to efficiently prepare the NIF nanoparticles. The solid-state characterization of the crystalline NIF revealed good correlation with the NIF nanoparticles formation during aqueous dispersion. Furthermore, the solid-state NMR measurements including relaxometry successfully elucidated the nanometer-order dispersion state of NIF in polymer matrix, leading to the discovery of optimized conditions for the preparation of suitable drug nanoparticles.

  8. Multiple acquisition of magic angle spinning solid-state NMR experiments using one receiver: Application to microcrystalline and membrane protein preparations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gopinath, T.; Veglia, Gianluigi

    2015-04-01

    Solid-state NMR spectroscopy of proteins is a notoriously low-throughput technique. Relatively low-sensitivity and poor resolution of protein samples require long acquisition times for multidimensional NMR experiments. To speed up data acquisition, we developed a family of experiments called Polarization Optimized Experiments (POE), in which we utilized the orphan spin operators that are discarded in classical multidimensional NMR experiments, recovering them to allow simultaneous acquisition of multiple 2D and 3D experiments, all while using conventional probes with spectrometers equipped with one receiver. POE allow the concatenation of multiple 2D or 3D pulse sequences into a single experiment, thus potentially combining all of the aforementioned advances, boosting the capability of ssNMR spectrometers at least two-fold without the addition of any hardware. In this perspective, we describe the first generation of POE, such as dual acquisition MAS (or DUMAS) methods, and then illustrate the evolution of these experiments into MEIOSIS, a method that enables the simultaneous acquisition of multiple 2D and 3D spectra. Using these new pulse schemes for the solid-state NMR investigation of biopolymers makes it possible to obtain sequential resonance assignments, as well as distance restraints, in about half the experimental time. While designed for acquisition of heteronuclei, these new experiments can be easily implemented for proton detection and coupled with other recent advancements, such as dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP), to improve signal to noise. Finally, we illustrate the application of these methods to microcrystalline protein preparations as well as single and multi-span membrane proteins reconstituted in lipid membranes.

  9. Multiple acquisition of magic angle spinning solid-state NMR experiments using one receiver: application to microcrystalline and membrane protein preparations.

    PubMed

    Gopinath, T; Veglia, Gianluigi

    2015-04-01

    Solid-state NMR spectroscopy of proteins is a notoriously low-throughput technique. Relatively low-sensitivity and poor resolution of protein samples require long acquisition times for multidimensional NMR experiments. To speed up data acquisition, we developed a family of experiments called Polarization Optimized Experiments (POE), in which we utilized the orphan spin operators that are discarded in classical multidimensional NMR experiments, recovering them to allow simultaneous acquisition of multiple 2D and 3D experiments, all while using conventional probes with spectrometers equipped with one receiver. POE allow the concatenation of multiple 2D or 3D pulse sequences into a single experiment, thus potentially combining all of the aforementioned advances, boosting the capability of ssNMR spectrometers at least two-fold without the addition of any hardware. In this perspective, we describe the first generation of POE, such as dual acquisition MAS (or DUMAS) methods, and then illustrate the evolution of these experiments into MEIOSIS, a method that enables the simultaneous acquisition of multiple 2D and 3D spectra. Using these new pulse schemes for the solid-state NMR investigation of biopolymers makes it possible to obtain sequential resonance assignments, as well as distance restraints, in about half the experimental time. While designed for acquisition of heteronuclei, these new experiments can be easily implemented for proton detection and coupled with other recent advancements, such as dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP), to improve signal to noise. Finally, we illustrate the application of these methods to microcrystalline protein preparations as well as single and multi-span membrane proteins reconstituted in lipid membranes. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  10. Multiple Acquisition of Magic Angle Spinning Solid-State NMR Experiments Using One Receiver: Application to Microcrystalline and Membrane Protein Preparations

    PubMed Central

    Gopinath, T.; Veglia, Gianluigi

    2015-01-01

    Solid-State NMR spectroscopy of proteins is a notoriously low-throughput technique. Relatively low-sensitivity and poor resolution of protein samples require long acquisition times for multidimensional NMR experiments. To speed up data acquisition, we developed a family of experiments called Polarization Optimized Experiments (POE), in which we utilized the orphan spin operators that are discarded in classical multidimensional NMR experiments, recovering them to allow simultaneous acquisition of multiple 2D and 3D experiments, all while using conventional probes with spectrometers equipped with one receiver. POEs allow the concatenation of multiple 2D or 3D pulse sequences into a single experiment, thus potentially combining all of the aforementioned advances, boosting the capability of ssNMR spectrometers at least two-fold without the addition of any hardware. In this Perspective, we describe the first generation of POEs, such as dual acquisition MAS (or DUMAS) methods, and then illustrate the evolution of these experiments into MEIOSIS, a method that enables the simultaneous acquisition of multiple 2D and 3D spectra. Using these new pulse schemes for the solid-state NMR investigation of biopolymers makes it possible to obtain sequential resonance assignments, as well as distance restraints, in about half the experimental time. While designed for acquisition of heteronuclei, these new experiments can be easily implemented for proton detection and coupled with other recent advancements, such as dynamic polarization, to improve signal to noise. Finally, we illustrate the application of these methods to microcrystalline protein preparations as well as single and multi-span membrane proteins reconstituted in lipid membranes. PMID:25797011

  11. Organ specific mapping of in vivo redox state in control and cigarette smoke-exposed mice using EPR/NMR co-imaging

    PubMed Central

    Caia, George L.; Efimova, Olga V.; Velayutham, Murugesan; El-Mahdy, Mohamed A.; Abdelghany, Tamer M.; Kesselring, Eric; Petryakov, Sergey; Sun, Ziqi; Samouilov, Alexandre; Zweier, Jay L.

    2014-01-01

    In vivo mapping of alterations in redox status is important for understanding organ specific pathology and disease. While electron paramagnetic resonance imaging (EPRI) enables spatial mapping of free radicals, it does not provide anatomic visualization of the body. Proton MRI is well suited to provide anatomical visualization. We applied EPR/NMR co-imaging instrumentation to map and monitor the redox state of living mice under normal or oxidative stress conditions induced by secondhand cigarette smoke (SHS) exposure. A hybrid co-imaging instrument, EPRI (1.2 GHz) / proton MRI (16.18 MHz), suitable for whole-body co-imaging of mice was utilized with common magnet and gradients along with dual EPR/NMR resonators that enable co-imaging without sample movement. The metabolism of the nitroxide probe, 3–carbamoyl–proxyl (3-CP), was used to map the redox state of control and SHS-exposed mice. Co-imaging allowed precise 3D mapping of radical distribution and reduction in major organs such as the heart, lungs, liver, bladder and kidneys. Reductive metabolism was markedly decreased in SHS-exposed mice and EPR/NMR co-imaging allowed quantitative assessment of this throughout the body. Thus, in vivo EPR/NMR co-imaging enables in vivo organ specific mapping of free radical metabolism and redox stress and the alterations that occur in the pathogenesis of disease. PMID:22296801

  12. Organ specific mapping of in vivo redox state in control and cigarette smoke-exposed mice using EPR/NMR co-imaging

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Caia, George L.; Efimova, Olga V.; Velayutham, Murugesan; El-Mahdy, Mohamed A.; Abdelghany, Tamer M.; Kesselring, Eric; Petryakov, Sergey; Sun, Ziqi; Samouilov, Alexandre; Zweier, Jay L.

    2012-03-01

    In vivo mapping of alterations in redox status is important for understanding organ specific pathology and disease. While electron paramagnetic resonance imaging (EPRI) enables spatial mapping of free radicals, it does not provide anatomic visualization of the body. Proton MRI is well suited to provide anatomical visualization. We applied EPR/NMR co-imaging instrumentation to map and monitor the redox state of living mice under normal or oxidative stress conditions induced by secondhand cigarette smoke (SHS) exposure. A hybrid co-imaging instrument, EPRI (1.2 GHz)/proton MRI (16.18 MHz), suitable for whole-body co-imaging of mice was utilized with common magnet and gradients along with dual EPR/NMR resonators that enable co-imaging without sample movement. The metabolism of the nitroxide probe, 3-carbamoyl-proxyl (3-CP), was used to map the redox state of control and SHS-exposed mice. Co-imaging allowed precise 3D mapping of radical distribution and reduction in major organs such as the heart, lungs, liver, bladder and kidneys. Reductive metabolism was markedly decreased in SHS-exposed mice and EPR/NMR co-imaging allowed quantitative assessment of this throughout the body. Thus, in vivo EPR/NMR co-imaging enables in vivo organ specific mapping of free radical metabolism and redox stress and the alterations that occur in the pathogenesis of disease.

  13. Metrological approaches to organic chemical purity: primary reference materials for vitamin D metabolites.

    PubMed

    Nelson, Michael A; Bedner, Mary; Lang, Brian E; Toman, Blaza; Lippa, Katrice A

    2015-11-01

    Given the critical role of pure, organic compound primary reference standards used to characterize and certify chemical Certified Reference Materials (CRMs), it is essential that associated mass purity assessments be fit-for-purpose, represented by an appropriate uncertainty interval, and metrologically sound. The mass fraction purities (% g/g) of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) reference standards used to produce and certify values for clinical vitamin D metabolite CRMs were investigated by multiple orthogonal quantitative measurement techniques. Quantitative (1)H-nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (qNMR) was performed to establish traceability of these materials to the International System of Units (SI) and to directly assess the principal analyte species. The 25(OH)D standards contained volatile and water impurities, as well as structurally-related impurities that are difficult to observe by chromatographic methods or to distinguish from the principal 25(OH)D species by one-dimensional NMR. These impurities have the potential to introduce significant biases to purity investigations in which a limited number of measurands are quantified. Combining complementary information from multiple analytical methods, using both direct and indirect measurement techniques, enabled mitigation of these biases. Purities of 25(OH)D reference standards and associated uncertainties were determined using frequentist and Bayesian statistical models to combine data acquired via qNMR, liquid chromatography with UV absorbance and atmospheric pressure-chemical ionization mass spectrometric detection (LC-UV, LC-ACPI-MS), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and Karl Fischer (KF) titration.

  14. 3D TOCSY-HSQC NMR for metabolic flux analysis using non-uniform sampling

    DOE PAGES

    Reardon, Patrick N.; Marean-Reardon, Carrie L.; Bukovec, Melanie A.; ...

    2016-02-05

    13C-Metabolic Flux Analysis ( 13C-MFA) is rapidly being recognized as the authoritative method for determining fluxes through metabolic networks. Site-specific 13C enrichment information obtained using NMR spectroscopy is a valuable input for 13C-MFA experiments. Chemical shift overlaps in the 1D or 2D NMR experiments typically used for 13C-MFA frequently hinder assignment and quantitation of site-specific 13C enrichment. Here we propose the use of a 3D TOCSY-HSQC experiment for 13C-MFA. We employ Non-Uniform Sampling (NUS) to reduce the acquisition time of the experiment to a few hours, making it practical for use in 13C-MFA experiments. Our data show that the NUSmore » experiment is linear and quantitative. Identification of metabolites in complex mixtures, such as a biomass hydrolysate, is simplified by virtue of the 13C chemical shift obtained in the experiment. In addition, the experiment reports 13C-labeling information that reveals the position specific labeling of subsets of isotopomers. As a result, the information provided by this technique will enable more accurate estimation of metabolic fluxes in larger metabolic networks.« less

  15. Bonding structure in amorphous carbon nitride: A spectroscopic and nuclear magnetic resonance study

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sánchez-López, J. C.; Donnet, C.; Lefèbvre, F.; Fernández-Ramos, C.; Fernández, A.

    2001-07-01

    Since the prediction of Liu and Cohen [Science 245, 841 (1989)] of the potential extraordinary mechanical properties of crystalline β-C3N4, many authors have attempted its synthesis. However, in most cases, the obtained materials are amorphous phases with a complex bonding structure. Their characterization is complicated due to the absence of a reference compound, the lack of long-range order, and the poor knowledge about their bonding structure. In this article, we present 1H, 13C, and 15N solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) measurements for the determination of the bonding types in amorphous CNx films. NMR measurements do not require long-range order and are able to clearly identify the signals from the sp2- and sp3-bonded phases. The analysis of the data obtained by other characterization techniques, such as infrared spectroscopy, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, electron energy-loss spectroscopy, and x-ray absorption near-edge spectroscopy on the same sample, based on the information acquired by NMR, enables the description of a structure model for the studied amorphous-CNx phase prepared by dc-magnetron sputtering and to revise the interpretation found in the literature.

  16. The PAW/GIPAW approach for computing NMR parameters: a new dimension added to NMR study of solids.

    PubMed

    Charpentier, Thibault

    2011-07-01

    In 2001, Mauri and Pickard introduced the gauge including projected augmented wave (GIPAW) method that enabled for the first time the calculation of all-electron NMR parameters in solids, i.e. accounting for periodic boundary conditions. The GIPAW method roots in the plane wave pseudopotential formalism of the density functional theory (DFT), and avoids the use of the cluster approximation. This method has undoubtedly revitalized the interest in quantum chemical calculations in the solid-state NMR community. It has quickly evolved and improved so that the calculation of the key components of NMR interactions, namely the shielding and electric field gradient tensors, has now become a routine for most of the common nuclei studied in NMR. Availability of reliable implementations in several software packages (CASTEP, Quantum Espresso, PARATEC) make its usage more and more increasingly popular, maybe indispensable in near future for all material NMR studies. The majority of nuclei of the periodic table have already been investigated by GIPAW, and because of its high accuracy it is quickly becoming an essential tool for interpreting and understanding experimental NMR spectra, providing reliable assignments of the observed resonances to crystallographic sites or enabling a priori prediction of NMR data. The continuous increase of computing power makes ever larger (and thus more realistic) systems amenable to first-principles analysis. In the near future perspectives, as the incorporation of dynamical effects and/or disorder are still at their early developments, these areas will certainly be the prime target. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  17. Integration of Microfractionation, qNMR and Zebrafish Screening for the In Vivo Bioassay-Guided Isolation and Quantitative Bioactivity Analysis of Natural Products

    PubMed Central

    Maes, Jan; Siverio-Mota, Dany; Marcourt, Laurence; Munck, Sebastian; Kamuhabwa, Appolinary R.; Moshi, Mainen J.; Esguerra, Camila V.; de Witte, Peter A. M.; Crawford, Alexander D.; Wolfender, Jean-Luc

    2013-01-01

    Natural products (NPs) are an attractive source of chemical diversity for small-molecule drug discovery. Several challenges nevertheless persist with respect to NP discovery, including the time and effort required for bioassay-guided isolation of bioactive NPs, and the limited biomedical relevance to date of in vitro bioassays used in this context. With regard to bioassays, zebrafish have recently emerged as an effective model system for chemical biology, allowing in vivo high-content screens that are compatible with microgram amounts of compound. For the deconvolution of the complex extracts into their individual constituents, recent progress has been achieved on several fronts as analytical techniques now enable the rapid microfractionation of extracts, and microflow NMR methods have developed to the point of allowing the identification of microgram amounts of NPs. Here we combine advanced analytical methods with high-content screening in zebrafish to create an integrated platform for microgram-scale, in vivo NP discovery. We use this platform for the bioassay-guided fractionation of an East African medicinal plant, Rhynchosia viscosa, resulting in the identification of both known and novel isoflavone derivatives with anti-angiogenic and anti-inflammatory activity. Quantitative microflow NMR is used both to determine the structure of bioactive compounds and to quantify them for direct dose-response experiments at the microgram scale. The key advantages of this approach are (1) the microgram scale at which both biological and analytical experiments can be performed, (2) the speed and the rationality of the bioassay-guided fractionation – generic for NP extracts of diverse origin – that requires only limited sample-specific optimization and (3) the use of microflow NMR for quantification, enabling the identification and dose-response experiments with only tens of micrograms of each compound. This study demonstrates that a complete in vivo bioassay-guided fractionation can be performed with only 20 mg of NP extract within a few days. PMID:23700445

  18. Computer Code for Interpreting 13C NMR Relaxation Measurements with Specific Models of Molecular Motion: The Rigid Isotropic and Symmetric Top Rotor Models and the Flexible Symmetric Top Rotor Model

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2017-01-01

    unlimited. 13. SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES 14. ABSTRACT: Carbon-13 nuclear magnetic resonance (13C NMR) spectroscopy is a powerful technique for...FLEXIBLE SYMMETRIC TOP ROTOR MODEL 1. INTRODUCTION Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy is a tremendously powerful technique for...application of NMR spectroscopy concerns the property of molecular motion, which is related to many physical, and even biological, functions of molecules in

  19. Capillary pressure curves for low permeability chalk obtained by NMR imaging of core saturation profiles

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Norgaard, J.V.; Olsen, D.; Springer, N.

    1995-12-31

    A new technique for obtaining water-oil capillary pressure curves, based on NMR imaging of the saturation distribution in flooded cores is presented. In this technique, a steady state fluid saturation profile is developed by flooding the core at a constant flow rate. At the steady state situation where the saturation distribution no longer changes, the local pressure difference between the wetting and non-wetting phases represents the capillary pressure. The saturation profile is measured using an NMR technique and for a drainage case, the pressure in the non-wetting phase is calculated numerically. The paper presents the NMR technique and the proceduremore » for calculating the pressure distribution in the sample. Inhomogeneous samples produce irregular saturation profiles, which may be interpreted in terms of variation in permeability, porosity, and capillary pressure. Capillary pressure curves for North Sea chalk obtained by the new technique show good agreement with capillary pressure curves obtained by traditional techniques.« less

  20. Boosting production yield of biomedical peptides

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Manatt, S. L.

    1978-01-01

    Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) technique is employed to monitor synthesis of biomedical peptides. Application of NMR technique may improve production yields of insulin, ACTH, and growth hormones, as well as other synthesized biomedical peptides.

  1. Multispectral Analysis of NMR Imagery

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Butterfield, R. L.; Vannier, M. W. And Associates; Jordan, D.

    1985-01-01

    Conference paper discusses initial efforts to adapt multispectral satellite-image analysis to nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) scans of human body. Flexibility of these techniques makes it possible to present NMR data in variety of formats, including pseudocolor composite images of pathological internal features. Techniques do not have to be greatly modified from form in which used to produce satellite maps of such Earth features as water, rock, or foliage.

  2. Diffusion MRI in the heart.

    PubMed

    Mekkaoui, Choukri; Reese, Timothy G; Jackowski, Marcel P; Bhat, Himanshu; Sosnovik, David E

    2017-03-01

    Diffusion MRI provides unique information on the structure, organization, and integrity of the myocardium without the need for exogenous contrast agents. Diffusion MRI in the heart, however, has proven technically challenging because of the intrinsic non-rigid deformation during the cardiac cycle, displacement of the myocardium due to respiratory motion, signal inhomogeneity within the thorax, and short transverse relaxation times. Recently developed accelerated diffusion-weighted MR acquisition sequences combined with advanced post-processing techniques have improved the accuracy and efficiency of diffusion MRI in the myocardium. In this review, we describe the solutions and approaches that have been developed to enable diffusion MRI of the heart in vivo, including a dual-gated stimulated echo approach, a velocity- (M 1 ) or an acceleration- (M 2 ) compensated pulsed gradient spin echo approach, and the use of principal component analysis filtering. The structure of the myocardium and the application of these techniques in ischemic heart disease are also briefly reviewed. The advent of clinical MR systems with stronger gradients will likely facilitate the translation of cardiac diffusion MRI into clinical use. The addition of diffusion MRI to the well-established set of cardiovascular imaging techniques should lead to new and complementary approaches for the diagnosis and evaluation of patients with heart disease. © 2015 The Authors. NMR in Biomedicine published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. © 2015 The Authors. NMR in Biomedicine published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  3. Solution NMR Spectroscopy in Target-Based Drug Discovery.

    PubMed

    Li, Yan; Kang, Congbao

    2017-08-23

    Solution NMR spectroscopy is a powerful tool to study protein structures and dynamics under physiological conditions. This technique is particularly useful in target-based drug discovery projects as it provides protein-ligand binding information in solution. Accumulated studies have shown that NMR will play more and more important roles in multiple steps of the drug discovery process. In a fragment-based drug discovery process, ligand-observed and protein-observed NMR spectroscopy can be applied to screen fragments with low binding affinities. The screened fragments can be further optimized into drug-like molecules. In combination with other biophysical techniques, NMR will guide structure-based drug discovery. In this review, we describe the possible roles of NMR spectroscopy in drug discovery. We also illustrate the challenges encountered in the drug discovery process. We include several examples demonstrating the roles of NMR in target-based drug discoveries such as hit identification, ranking ligand binding affinities, and mapping the ligand binding site. We also speculate the possible roles of NMR in target engagement based on recent processes in in-cell NMR spectroscopy.

  4. Hyperpolarized NMR: d-DNP, PHIP, and SABRE.

    PubMed

    Kovtunov, Kirill Viktorovich; Pokochueva, Ekaterina; Salnikov, Oleg; Cousin, Samuel; Kurzbach, Dennis; Vuichoud, Basile; Jannin, Sami; Chekmenev, Eduard; Goodson, Boyd; Barskiy, Danila; Koptyug, Igor

    2018-05-23

    NMR signals intensities can be enhanced by several orders of magnitude via utilization of techniques for hyperpolarization of different molecules, and it allows one to overcome the main sensitivity challenge of modern NMR/MRI techniques. Hyperpolarized fluids can be successfully used in different applications of material science and biomedicine. This focus review covers the fundamentals of the preparation of hyperpolarized liquids and gases via dissolution dynamic nuclear polarization (d-DNP) and parahydrogen-based techniques such as signal amplification by reversible exchange (SABRE) and parahydrogen-induced polarization (PHIP) in both heterogeneous and homogeneous processes. The different novel aspects of hyperpolarized fluids formation and utilization along with the possibility of NMR signal enhancement observation are described. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  5. Development of high resolution NMR spectroscopy as a structural tool

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Feeney, James

    1992-06-01

    The discovery of the nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) phenomenon and its development and exploitation as a scientific tool provide an excellent basis for a case-study for examining the factors which control the evolution of scientific techniques. Since the detection of the NMR phenomenon and the subsequent rapid discovery of all the important NMR spectral parameters in the late 1940s, the method has emerged as one of the most powerful techniques for determining structures of molecules in solution and for analysis of complex mixtures. The method has made a dramatic impact on the development of structural chemistry over the last 30 years and is now one of the key techniques in this area. Support for NMR instrumentation attracts a dominant slice of public funding in most scientifically developed countries. The technique is an excellent example of how instrumentation and technology have revolutionised structural chemistry and it is worth exploring how it has been developed so successfully. Clearly its wide range of application and the relatively direct connection between the NMR data and molecular structure has created a major market for the instrumentation. This has provided several competing manufacturers with the incentive to develop better and better instruments. Understanding the complexity of the basics of NMR spectroscopy has been an ongoing challenge attracting the attention of physicists. The well-organised specialist NMR literature and regular scientific meetings have ensured rapid exploitation of any theoretical advances that have a practical relevance. In parallel, the commercial development of the technology has allowed the fruits of such theoretical advances to be enjoyed by the wider scientific community.

  6. NMR-based automated protein structure determination.

    PubMed

    Würz, Julia M; Kazemi, Sina; Schmidt, Elena; Bagaria, Anurag; Güntert, Peter

    2017-08-15

    NMR spectra analysis for protein structure determination can now in many cases be performed by automated computational methods. This overview of the computational methods for NMR protein structure analysis presents recent automated methods for signal identification in multidimensional NMR spectra, sequence-specific resonance assignment, collection of conformational restraints, and structure calculation, as implemented in the CYANA software package. These algorithms are sufficiently reliable and integrated into one software package to enable the fully automated structure determination of proteins starting from NMR spectra without manual interventions or corrections at intermediate steps, with an accuracy of 1-2 Å backbone RMSD in comparison with manually solved reference structures. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  7. A "special perspectives" issue: Recent achievements and new directions in biomolecular solid state NMR

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tycko, Robert

    2015-04-01

    Twenty years ago, applications of solid state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) methods to real problems involving biological systems or biological materials were few and far between. Starting in the 1980s, a small number of research groups had begun to explore the possibility of obtaining structural and dynamical information about peptides, proteins, and other biopolymers from solid state NMR spectra. Progress was initially slow due to the relatively primitive state of solid state NMR probes, spectrometers, sample preparation methods, and pulse sequence techniques, coupled with the small number of people contributing to this research area. By the early 1990s, with the advent of new ideas about pulse sequence techniques such as dipolar recoupling, improvements in techniques for orienting membrane proteins and in technology for magic-angle spinning (MAS), improvements in the capabilities of commercial NMR spectrometers, and general developments in multidimensional spectroscopy, it began to appear that biomolecular solid state NMR might have a viable future. It was not until 1993 that the annual number of publications in this area crept above twenty.

  8. Capillary toroid cavity detector for high pressure NMR

    DOEpatents

    Gerald, II, Rex E.; Chen, Michael J.; Klingler, Robert J.; Rathke, Jerome W.; ter Horst, Marc

    2007-09-11

    A Toroid Cavity Detector (TCD) is provided for implementing nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) studies of chemical reactions under conditions of high pressures and temperatures. A toroid cavity contains an elongated central conductor extending within the toroid cavity. The toroid cavity and central conductor generate an RF magnetic field for NMR analysis. A flow-through capillary sample container is located within the toroid cavity adjacent to the central conductor to subject a sample material flowing through the capillary to a static magnetic field and to enable NMR spectra to be recorded of the material in the capillary under a temperature and high pressure environment.

  9. MAS NMR of HIV-1 protein assemblies

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Suiter, Christopher L.; Quinn, Caitlin M.; Lu, Manman; Hou, Guangjin; Zhang, Huilan; Polenova, Tatyana

    2015-04-01

    The negative global impact of the AIDS pandemic is well known. In this perspective article, the utility of magic angle spinning (MAS) NMR spectroscopy to answer pressing questions related to the structure and dynamics of HIV-1 protein assemblies is examined. In recent years, MAS NMR has undergone major technological developments enabling studies of large viral assemblies. We discuss some of these evolving methods and technologies and provide a perspective on the current state of MAS NMR as applied to the investigations into structure and dynamics of HIV-1 assemblies of CA capsid protein and of Gag maturation intermediates.

  10. In situ solid-state NMR and XRD studies of the ADOR process and the unusual structure of zeolite IPC-6

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Morris, Samuel A.; Bignami, Giulia P. M.; Tian, Yuyang; Navarro, Marta; Firth, Daniel S.; Čejka, Jiří; Wheatley, Paul S.; Dawson, Daniel M.; Slawinski, Wojciech A.; Wragg, David S.; Morris, Russell E.; Ashbrook, Sharon E.

    2017-10-01

    The assembly-disassembly-organization-reassembly (ADOR) mechanism is a recent method for preparing inorganic framework materials and, in particular, zeolites. This flexible approach has enabled the synthesis of isoreticular families of zeolites with unprecedented continuous control over porosity, and the design and preparation of materials that would have been difficult—or even impossible—to obtain using traditional hydrothermal techniques. Applying the ADOR process to a parent zeolite with the UTL framework topology, for example, has led to six previously unknown zeolites (named IPC-n, where n = 2, 4, 6, 7, 9 and 10). To realize the full potential of the ADOR method, however, a further understanding of the complex mechanism at play is needed. Here, we probe the disassembly, organization and reassembly steps of the ADOR process through a combination of in situ solid-state NMR spectroscopy and powder X-ray diffraction experiments. We further use the insight gained to explain the formation of the unusual structure of zeolite IPC-6.

  11. Improved nuclear magnetic resonance apparatus having semitoroidal rf coil for use in topical NMR and NMR imaging

    DOEpatents

    Fukushima, E.; Roeder, S.B.W.; Assink, R.A.; Gibson, A.A.V.

    1984-01-01

    An improved nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) apparatus for use in topical magnetic resonance (TMR) spectroscopy and other remote sensing NMR applications includes a semitoroidal radio frequency (rf) coil. The semitoroidal rf coil produces an effective alternating magnetic field at a distance from the poles of the coil, so as to enable NMR measurements to be taken from selected regions inside an object, particularly including human and other living subjects. The semitoroidal rf coil is relatively insensitive to magnetic interference from metallic objects located behind the coil, thereby rendering the coil particularly suited for use in both conventional and superconducting NMR magnets. The semitoroidal NMR coil can be constructed so that it emits little or no excess rf electric field associated with the rf magnetic field, thus avoiding adverse effects due to dielectric heating of the sample or to any other interaction of the electric field with the sample.

  12. Nuclear magnetic resonance apparatus having semitoroidal rf coil for use in topical NMR and NMR imaging

    DOEpatents

    Fukushima, Eiichi; Roeder, Stephen B. W.; Assink, Roger A.; Gibson, Atholl A. V.

    1986-01-01

    An improved nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) apparatus for use in topical magnetic resonance (TMR) spectroscopy and other remote sensing NMR applications includes a semitoroidal radio-frequency (rf) coil. The semitoroidal rf coil produces an effective alternating magnetic field at a distance from the poles of the coil, so as to enable NMR measurements to be taken from selected regions inside an object, particularly including human and other living subjects. The semitoroidal rf coil is relatively insensitive to magnetic interference from metallic objects located behind the coil, thereby rendering the coil particularly suited for use in both conventional and superconducting NMR magnets. The semitoroidal NMR coil can be constructed so that it emits little or no excess rf electric field associated with the rf magnetic field, thus avoiding adverse effects due to dielectric heating of the sample or to any other interaction of the electric field with the sample.

  13. RF-SABRE: A Way to Continuous Spin Hyperpolarization at High Magnetic Fields.

    PubMed

    Pravdivtsev, Andrey N; Yurkovskaya, Alexandra V; Vieth, Hans-Martin; Ivanov, Konstantin L

    2015-10-29

    A new technique is developed that allows one to carry out the signal amplification by reversible exchange (SABRE) experiments at high magnetic field. SABRE is a hyperpolarization method, which utilizes transfer of spin order from para-hydrogen to the spins of a substrate in transient iridium complexes. Previously, it has been thought that such a transfer of spin order is only efficient at low magnetic fields, notably, at level anti-crossing (LAC) regions. Here it is demonstrated that LAC conditions can also be fulfilled at high fields under the action of a RF field. The high-field RF-SABRE experiment can be implemented using commercially available nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machines and does not require technically demanding field-cycling. The achievable NMR enhancements are around 100 for several substrates as compared to their NMR signals at thermal equilibrium conditions at 4.7 T. The frequency dependence of RF-SABRE is comprised of well pronounced peaks and dips, whose position and amplitude are conditioned solely by the magnetic resonance parameters such as chemical shifts and scalar coupling of the spin system involved in the polarization transfer and by the amplitude of the RF field. Thus, the proposed method can serve as a new sensitive tool for probing transient complexes. Simulations of the dependence of magnetization transfer (i.e., NMR signal amplifications) on the frequency and amplitude of the RF field are in good agreement with the developed theoretical approach. Furthermore, the method enables continuous re-hyperpolarization of the SABRE substrate over a long period of time, giving a straightforward way to repetitive NMR experiments.

  14. Detection of platinum dihydride bisphosphine complexes and studies of their reactivity through para-hydrogen-enhanced NMR methods.

    PubMed

    Godard, Cyril; López-Serrano, Joaquín; Gálvez-López, María-Dolores; Roselló-Merino, Marta; Duckett, Simon B; Khazal, Iman; Lledós, Agustí; Whitwood, Adrian C

    2008-01-01

    In-situ NMR studies on the reactions of Pt{CH2 = CHSi(Me)2}2O)(PCy3) with phosphines, HSiEt3 and--hydrogen or Pt(L)(L')(Me)(2) alone enable the detection of cis-Pt(L)(L')(H)2 [L = PCy3 and L' = PCy2H, PPh3 or PCy3] which then undergo hydride site interchange and H2 reductive elimination on the NMR timescale.

  15. Direct imaging of neural currents using ultra-low field magnetic resonance techniques

    DOEpatents

    Volegov, Petr L [Los Alamos, NM; Matlashov, Andrei N [Los Alamos, NM; Mosher, John C [Los Alamos, NM; Espy, Michelle A [Los Alamos, NM; Kraus, Jr., Robert H.

    2009-08-11

    Using resonant interactions to directly and tomographically image neural activity in the human brain using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques at ultra-low field (ULF), the present inventors have established an approach that is sensitive to magnetic field distributions local to the spin population in cortex at the Larmor frequency of the measurement field. Because the Larmor frequency can be readily manipulated (through varying B.sub.m), one can also envision using ULF-DNI to image the frequency distribution of the local fields in cortex. Such information, taken together with simultaneous acquisition of MEG and ULF-NMR signals, enables non-invasive exploration of the correlation between local fields induced by neural activity in cortex and more `distant` measures of brain activity such as MEG and EEG.

  16. PSYCHE Pure Shift NMR Spectroscopy.

    PubMed

    Foroozandeh, Mohammadali; Morris, Gareth; Nilsson, Mathias

    2018-03-13

    Broadband homodecoupling techniques in NMR, also known as "pure shift" methods, aim to enhance spectral resolution by suppressing the effects of homonuclear coupling interactions to turn multiplet signals into singlets. Such techniques typically work by selecting a subset of "active" nuclear spins to observe, and selectively inverting the remaining, "passive", spins to reverse the effects of coupling. Pure Shift Yielded by Chirp Excitation (PSYCHE) is one such method; it is relatively recent, but has already been successfully implemented in a range of different NMR experiments. Paradoxically, PSYCHE is one of the trickiest of pure shift NMR techniques to understand but one of the easiest to use. Here we offer some insights into theoretical and practical aspects of the method, and into the effects and importance of the experimental parameters. Some recent improvements that enhance the spectral purity of PSYCHE spectra will be presented, and some experimental frameworks including examples in 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopy, for the implementation of PSYCHE will be introduced. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  17. Fine refinement of solid state structure of racemic form of phospho-tyrosine employing NMR Crystallography approach.

    PubMed

    Paluch, Piotr; Pawlak, Tomasz; Oszajca, Marcin; Lasocha, Wieslaw; Potrzebowski, Marek J

    2015-02-01

    We present step by step facets important in NMR Crystallography strategy employing O-phospho-dl-tyrosine as model sample. The significance of three major techniques being components of this approach: solid state NMR (SS NMR), X-ray diffraction of powdered sample (PXRD) and theoretical calculations (Gauge Invariant Projector Augmented Wave; GIPAW) is discussed. Each experimental technique provides different set of structural constraints. From the PXRD measurement the size of the unit cell, space group and roughly refined molecular structure are established. SS NMR provides information about content of crystallographic asymmetric unit, local geometry, molecular motion in the crystal lattice and hydrogen bonding pattern. GIPAW calculations are employed for validation of quality of elucidation and fine refinement of structure. Crystal and molecular structure of O-phospho-dl-tyrosine solved by NMR Crystallography is deposited at Cambridge Crystallographic Data Center under number CCDC 1005924. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  18. Assessment of higher order structure comparability in therapeutic proteins using nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy.

    PubMed

    Amezcua, Carlos A; Szabo, Christina M

    2013-06-01

    In this work, we applied nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy to rapidly assess higher order structure (HOS) comparability in protein samples. Using a variation of the NMR fingerprinting approach described by Panjwani et al. [2010. J Pharm Sci 99(8):3334-3342], three nonglycosylated proteins spanning a molecular weight range of 6.5-67 kDa were analyzed. A simple statistical method termed easy comparability of HOS by NMR (ECHOS-NMR) was developed. In this method, HOS similarity between two samples is measured via the correlation coefficient derived from linear regression analysis of binned NMR spectra. Applications of this method include HOS comparability assessment during new product development, manufacturing process changes, supplier changes, next-generation products, and the development of biosimilars to name just a few. We foresee ECHOS-NMR becoming a routine technique applied to comparability exercises used to complement data from other analytical techniques. Copyright © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  19. THz Dynamic Nuclear Polarization NMR

    PubMed Central

    Nanni, Emilio A.; Barnes, Alexander B.; Griffin, Robert G.; Temkin, Richard J.

    2013-01-01

    Dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) increases the sensitivity of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy by using high frequency microwaves to transfer the polarization of the electrons to the nuclear spins. The enhancement in NMR sensitivity can amount to a factor of well above 100, enabling faster data acquisition and greatly improved NMR measurements. With the increasing magnetic fields (up to 23 T) used in NMR research, the required frequency for DNP falls into the THz band (140–600 GHz). Gyrotrons have been developed to meet the demanding specifications for DNP NMR, including power levels of tens of watts; frequency stability of a few megahertz; and power stability of 1% over runs that last for several days to weeks. Continuous gyrotron frequency tuning of over 1 GHz has also been demonstrated. The complete DNP NMR system must include a low loss transmission line; an optimized antenna; and a holder for efficient coupling of the THz radiation to the sample. This paper describes the DNP NMR process and illustrates the THz systems needed for this demanding spectroscopic application. THz DNP NMR is a rapidly developing, exciting area of THz science and technology. PMID:24639915

  20. A Primer of Fourier Transform NMR.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Macomber, Roger S.

    1985-01-01

    Fourier transform nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) is a new spectroscopic technique that is often omitted from undergraduate curricula because of lack of instructional materials. Therefore, information is provided to introduce students to the technique of data collection and transformation into the frequency domain. (JN)

  1. Customizing model membranes and samples for NMR spectroscopic studies of complex membrane proteins.

    PubMed

    Sanders, C R; Oxenoid, K

    2000-11-23

    Both solution and solid state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) techniques for structural determination are advancing rapidly such that it is possible to contemplate bringing these techniques to bear upon integral membrane proteins having multiple transmembrane segments. This review outlines existing and emerging options for model membrane media for use in such studies and surveys the special considerations which must be taken into account when preparing larger membrane proteins for NMR spectroscopic studies.

  2. NMR studies of multiphase flows II

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Altobelli, S.A.; Caprihan, A.; Fukushima, E.

    NMR techniques for measurements of spatial distribution of material phase, velocity and velocity fluctuation are being developed and refined. Versions of these techniques which provide time average liquid fraction and fluid phase velocity have been applied to several concentrated suspension systems which will not be discussed extensively here. Technical developments required to further extend the use of NMR to the multi-phase flow arena and to provide measurements of previously unobtainable parameters are the focus of this report.

  3. Real-time oil-saturation monitoring in rock cores with low-field NMR.

    PubMed

    Mitchell, J; Howe, A M; Clarke, A

    2015-07-01

    Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) provides a powerful suite of tools for studying oil in reservoir core plugs at the laboratory scale. Low-field magnets are preferred for well-log calibration and to minimize magnetic-susceptibility-induced internal gradients in the porous medium. We demonstrate that careful data processing, combined with prior knowledge of the sample properties, enables real-time acquisition and interpretation of saturation state (relative amount of oil and water in the pores of a rock). Robust discrimination of oil and brine is achieved with diffusion weighting. We use this real-time analysis to monitor the forced displacement of oil from porous materials (sintered glass beads and sandstones) and to generate capillary desaturation curves. The real-time output enables in situ modification of the flood protocol and accurate control of the saturation state prior to the acquisition of standard NMR core analysis data, such as diffusion-relaxation correlations. Although applications to oil recovery and core analysis are demonstrated, the implementation highlights the general practicality of low-field NMR as an inline sensor for real-time industrial process control. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  4. Polymeric proanthocyanidins 13C NMR studies of procyanidins

    Treesearch

    Lawrence J. Porter; Roger H. Newman; Lai Yeap Foo; Herbert Wong; Richard W. Hemingway

    1982-01-01

    Proanthocyanidin polymers have been shown to consist entirely of flavan-3-ol units by a combination of techniques including 13C n.m.r. spectroscopy. The 13C n.m.r. spectra of the polymers and related molecules are now considered in more detail. Prior to this study UC n.m.r. data has been published of procyanidins and...

  5. Bridge over troubled proline: assignment of intrinsically disordered proteins using (HCA)CON(CAN)H and (HCA)N(CA)CO(N)H experiments concomitantly with HNCO and i(HCA)CO(CA)NH.

    PubMed

    Hellman, Maarit; Piirainen, Henni; Jaakola, Veli-Pekka; Permi, Perttu

    2014-01-01

    NMR spectroscopy is by far the most versatile and information rich technique to study intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs). While NMR is able to offer residue level information on structure and dynamics, assignment of chemical shift resonances in IDPs is not a straightforward process. Consequently, numerous pulse sequences and assignment protocols have been developed during past several years, targeted especially for the assignment of IDPs, including experiments that employ H(N), H(α) or (13)C detection combined with two to six indirectly detected dimensions. Here we propose two new HN-detection based pulse sequences, (HCA)CON(CAN)H and (HCA)N(CA)CO(N)H, that provide correlations with (1)H(N)(i - 1), (13)C'(i - 1) and (15)N(i), and (1)H(N)(i + 1), (13)C'(i) and (15)N(i) frequencies, respectively. Most importantly, they offer sequential links across the proline bridges and enable filling the single proline gaps during the assignment. We show that the novel experiments can efficiently complement the information available from existing HNCO and intraresidual i(HCA)CO(CA)NH pulse sequences and their concomitant usage enabled >95 % assignment of backbone resonances in cytoplasmic tail of adenosine receptor A2A in comparison to 73 % complete assignment using the HNCO/i(HCA)CO(CA)NH data alone.

  6. Deuterium and lithium-6 MAS NMR studies of manganese oxide electrode materials

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Paik, Younkee

    Electrolytic manganese dioxide (EMD) is used world wide as the cathode materials in both lithium and alkaline primary (non-rechargeable) batteries. We have developed deuterium and lithium MAS NMR techniques to study EMD and related manganese oxides and hydroxides, where diffraction techniques are of limited value due to a highly defective nature of the structures. Deuterons in EMD, manganite, groutite, and deuterium-intercalated pyrolusite and ramsdellite were detected by NMR, for the first time, and their locations and motions in the structures were analyzed by applying variable temperature NMR techniques. Discharge mechanisms of EMD in alkaline (aqueous) electrolytes were studied, in conjunction with step potential electrochemical spectroscopic (SPECS) method, and five distinctive discharge processes were proposed. EMD is usually heat-treated at about 300--400°C to remove water to be used in lithium batteries. Details of the effects of heat-treatment, such as structural and compositional changes as a function of heat-treatment temperature, were studied by a combination of MAS NMR, XRD, and thermogravimetric analysis. Lithium local environments in heat-treated EMD (HEMD) that were discharged in lithium cells, were described in terms of related environments found in model compounds pyrolusite and ramsdellite where specific Li + sites were detected by MAS NMR and the hyperfine shift scale method of Grey et al. Acid-leaching of Li2MnO3 represents an approach for synthesizing new or modified manganese oxide electrode materials for lithium rechargeable batteries. Progressive removal of lithium from specific crystallographic sites, followed by a gradual change of the crystal structure, was monitored by a combination of NMR and XRD techniques.

  7. NMR Methods, Applications and Trends for Groundwater Evaluation and Management

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Walsh, D. O.; Grunewald, E. D.

    2011-12-01

    Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) measurements have a tremendous potential for improving groundwater characterization, as they provide direct detection and measurement of groundwater and unique information about pore-scale properties. NMR measurements, commonly used in chemistry and medicine, are utilized in geophysical investigations through non-invasive surface NMR (SNMR) or downhole NMR logging measurements. Our recent and ongoing research has focused on improving the performance and interpretation of NMR field measurements for groundwater characterization. Engineering advancements have addressed several key technical challenges associated with SNMR measurements. Susceptibility of SNMR measurements to environmental noise has been dramatically reduced through the development of multi-channel acquisition hardware and noise-cancellation software. Multi-channel instrumentation (up to 12 channels) has also enabled more efficient 2D and 3D imaging. Previous limitations in measuring NMR signals from water in silt, clay and magnetic geology have been addressed by shortening the instrument dead-time from 40 ms to 4 ms, and increasing the power output. Improved pulse sequences have been developed to more accurately estimate NMR relaxation times and their distributions, which are sensitive to pore size distributions. Cumulatively, these advancements have vastly expanded the range of environments in which SNMR measurements can be obtained, enabling detection of groundwater in smaller pores, in magnetic geology, in the unsaturated zone, and nearby to infrastructure (presented here in case studies). NMR logging can provide high-resolution estimates of bound and mobile water content and pore size distributions. While NMR logging has been utilized in oil and gas applications for decades, its use in groundwater investigations has been limited by the large size and high cost of oilfield NMR logging tools and services. Recently, engineering efforts funded by the US Department of Energy have produced an NMR logging tool that is much smaller and less costly than comparable oilfield NMR logging tools. This system is specifically designed for near surface groundwater investigations, incorporates small diameter probes (as small as 1.67 inches diameter) and man-portable surface stations, and provides NMR data and information content on par with oilfield NMR logging tools. A direct-push variant of this logging tool has also been developed. Key challenges associated with small diameter tools include inherently lower SNR and logging speeds, the desire to extend the sensitive zone as far as possible into unconsolidated formations, and simultaneously maintaining high power and signal fidelity. Our ongoing research in groundwater NMR aims to integrating surface and borehole measurements for regional-scale permeability mapping, and to develop in-place NMR sensors for long term monitoring of contaminant and remediation processes. In addition to groundwater resource characterization, promising new applications of NMR include assessing water content in ice and permafrost, management of groundwater in mining operations, and evaluation and management of groundwater in civil engineering applications.

  8. LC-NMR Technique in the Analysis of Phytosterols in Natural Extracts

    PubMed Central

    Horník, Štěpán; Sajfrtová, Marie; Sýkora, Jan; Březinová, Anna; Wimmer, Zdeněk

    2013-01-01

    The ability of LC-NMR to detect simultaneously free and conjugated phytosterols in natural extracts was tested. The advantages and disadvantages of a gradient HPLC-NMR method were compared to the fast composition screening using SEC-NMR method. Fractions of free and conjugated phytosterols were isolated and analyzed by isocratic HPLC-NMR methods. The results of qualitative and quantitative analyses were in a good agreement with the literature data. PMID:24455424

  9. Assigning the NMR Spectrum of Glycidol: An Advanced Organic Chemistry Exercise

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Helms, Eric; Arpaia, Nicholas; Widener, Melissa

    2007-01-01

    Various one- and two-dimensional NMR experiments have been found to be extremely useful for assigning the proton and carbon NMR spectra of glycidol. The technique provides extremely valuable information aiding in the complete assignment of the peaks.

  10. Pulsed-field-gradient measurements of time-dependent gas diffusion

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mair, R. W.; Cory, D. G.; Peled, S.; Tseng, C. H.; Patz, S.; Walsworth, R. L.

    1998-01-01

    Pulsed-field-gradient NMR techniques are demonstrated for measurements of time-dependent gas diffusion. The standard PGSE technique and variants, applied to a free gas mixture of thermally polarized xenon and O2, are found to provide a reproducible measure of the xenon diffusion coefficient (5.71 x 10(-6) m2 s-1 for 1 atm of pure xenon), in excellent agreement with previous, non-NMR measurements. The utility of pulsed-field-gradient NMR techniques is demonstrated by the first measurement of time-dependent (i.e., restricted) gas diffusion inside a porous medium (a random pack of glass beads), with results that agree well with theory. Two modified NMR pulse sequences derived from the PGSE technique (named the Pulsed Gradient Echo, or PGE, and the Pulsed Gradient Multiple Spin Echo, or PGMSE) are also applied to measurements of time dependent diffusion of laser polarized xenon gas, with results in good agreement with previous measurements on thermally polarized gas. The PGMSE technique is found to be superior to the PGE method, and to standard PGSE techniques and variants, for efficiently measuring laser polarized noble gas diffusion over a wide range of diffusion times. Copyright 1998 Academic Press.

  11. Spectroscopy and crystal structures of natural stereoisomers of neoclerodane diterpenoids from Teucrium yemense of Saudi medicinal plant

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nur-e-Alam, Mohammad; Kanthasamy, Gopikkaa; Yousaf, Muhammad; Alqahtani, Ali S.; Ghabbour, Hazem A.; Al-Rehaily, Adnan J.

    2017-11-01

    3-O-deacetylteugracilin (1) and teugracilin B (2), two natural stereoisomers, are isolated from Teucrium yemense (Defl). These two compounds are almost identical to each other, differing only at the C6 stereocenter. We now crystallise these two compounds and for the first time, determine the crystal structure through single crystal X-ray diffraction, and the stereochemistry for all positions using spectroscopic data. These techniques enable us to establish the difference between the two compounds. Careful interpretation of the results indicates that HRMS and 1 and 2D NMR spectroscopy, are in agreement with single crystal X-ray diffraction data.

  12. Implementation of picoSpin Benchtop NMR Instruments into Organic Chemistry Teaching Laboratories through Spectral Analysis of Fischer Esterification Products

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Yearty, Kasey L.; Sharp, Joseph T.; Meehan, Emma K.; Wallace, Doyle R.; Jackson, Douglas M.; Morrison, Richard W.

    2017-01-01

    [Superscript 1]H NMR analysis is an important analytical technique presented in introductory organic chemistry courses. NMR instrument access is limited for undergraduate organic chemistry students due to the size of the instrument, price of NMR solvents, and the maintenance level required for instrument upkeep. The University of Georgia Chemistry…

  13. Quantitative measurement of regional blood flow with gadolinium diethylenetriaminepentaacetate bolus track NMR imaging in cerebral infarcts in rats: validation with the iodo[14C]antipyrine technique.

    PubMed Central

    Wittlich, F; Kohno, K; Mies, G; Norris, D G; Hoehn-Berlage, M

    1995-01-01

    NMR bolus track measurements were correlated with autoradiographically determined regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF). The NMR method is based on bolus infusion of the contrast agent gadolinium diethylenetriaminepentaacetate and high-speed T*2-sensitive NMR imaging. The first pass of the contrast agent through the image plane causes a transient decrease of the signal intensity. This time course of the signal intensity is transformed into relative concentrations of the contrast agent in each pixel. The mean transit time and relative blood flow and volume are calculated from such indicator dilution curves. We investigated whether this NMR technique correctly expresses the relative rCBF. The relative blood flow data, calculated from NMR bolus track experiments, and the absolute values of iodo[14C]antipyrine autoradiography were compared. A linear relationship was observed, indicating the proportionality of the transient NMR signal change with CBF. Excellent interindividual reproducibility of calibration constants is observed (r = 0.963). For a given NMR protocol, bolus track measurements calibrated with autoradiography after the experiment allow determination of absolute values for rCBF and regional blood volume. Images Fig. 2 Fig. 3 PMID:7892189

  14. Advanced solid-state NMR spectroscopy of natural organic matter

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Solid-state NMR is essential for the characterization of natural organic matter (NOM) and is gaining importance in geosciences and environmental sciences. This review is intended to highlight advanced solid-state NMR techniques, especially the systematic approach to NOM characterization, and their ...

  15. Membrane lateral compressibility determined by NMR and x-ray diffraction: effect of acyl chain polyunsaturation.

    PubMed Central

    Koenig, B W; Strey, H H; Gawrisch, K

    1997-01-01

    The elastic area compressibility modulus, Ka, of lamellar liquid crystalline bilayers was determined by a new experimental approach using 2H-NMR order parameters of lipid hydrocarbon chains together with lamellar repeat spacings measured by x-ray diffraction. The combination of NMR and x-ray techniques yields accurate determination of lateral area per lipid molecule. Samples of saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated phospholipids were equilibrated with polyethylene glycol (PEG) 20,000 solutions in water at concentrations from 0 to 55 wt % PEG at 30 degrees C. This procedure is equivalent to applying 0 to 8 dyn/cm lateral pressure to the bilayers. The resulting reductions in area per lipid were measured with a resolution of +/-0.2 A2 and the fractional area decrease was proportional to applied lateral pressure. For 1,2-dimyristoyl(d54)-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine, 1-stearoyl(d35)-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (SOPC-d35), and 1-stearoyl(d35)-2-docosahexaenoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (SDPC-d35) cross-sectional areas per molecule in excess water of 59.5, 61.4, and 69.2 A2 and bilayer elastic area compressibility moduli of 141, 221, and 121 dyn/cm were determined, respectively. Combining NMR and x-ray results enables the determination of compressibility differences between saturated and unsaturated hydrocarbon chains. In mixed-chain SOPC-d35 both chains have similar compressibility moduli; however, in mixed-chain polyunsaturated SDPC-d35, the saturated stearic acid chain appears to be far less compressible than the polyunsaturated docosahexaenoic acid chain. Images FIGURE 3 FIGURE 5 PMID:9336191

  16. A simple hand‐held magnet array for efficient and reproducible SABRE hyperpolarisation using manual sample shaking

    PubMed Central

    Richardson, Peter M.; Jackson, Scott; Parrott, Andrew J.; Nordon, Alison; Duckett, Simon B.

    2018-01-01

    Signal amplification by reversible exchange (SABRE) is a hyperpolarisation technique that catalytically transfers nuclear polarisation from parahydrogen, the singlet nuclear isomer of H2, to a substrate in solution. The SABRE exchange reaction is carried out in a polarisation transfer field (PTF) of tens of gauss before transfer to a stronger magnetic field for nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) detection. In the simplest implementation, polarisation transfer is achieved by shaking the sample in the stray field of a superconducting NMR magnet. Although convenient, this method suffers from limited reproducibility and cannot be used with NMR spectrometers that do not have appreciable stray fields, such as benchtop instruments. Here, we use a simple hand‐held permanent magnet array to provide the necessary PTF during sample shaking. We find that the use of this array provides a 25% increase in SABRE enhancement over the stray field approach, while also providing improved reproducibility. Arrays with a range of PTFs were tested, and the PTF‐dependent SABRE enhancements were found to be in excellent agreement with comparable experiments carried out using an automated flow system where an electromagnet is used to generate the PTF. We anticipate that this approach will improve the efficiency and reproducibility of SABRE experiments carried out using manual shaking and will be particularly useful for benchtop NMR, where a suitable stray field is not readily accessible. The ability to construct arrays with a range of PTFs will also enable the rapid optimisation of SABRE enhancement as function of PTF for new substrate and catalyst systems. PMID:29193324

  17. Recent developments and applications of saturation transfer difference nuclear magnetic resonance (STD NMR) spectroscopy.

    PubMed

    Wagstaff, Jane L; Taylor, Samantha L; Howard, Mark J

    2013-04-05

    This review aims to illustrate that STD NMR is not simply a method for drug screening and discovery, but has qualitative and quantitative applications that can answer fundamental and applied biological and biomedical questions involving molecular interactions between ligands and proteins. We begin with a basic introduction to the technique of STD NMR and report on recent advances and biological applications of STD including studies to follow the interactions of non-steroidal anti-inflammatories, minimum binding requirements for virus infection and understating inhibition of amyloid fibre formation. We expand on this introduction by reporting recent STD NMR studies of live-cell receptor systems, new methodologies using scanning STD, magic-angle spinning STD and approaches to use STD NMR in a quantitative fashion for dissociation constants and group epitope mapping (GEM) determination. We finish by outlining new approaches that have potential to influence future applications of the technique; NMR isotope-editing, heteronuclear multidimensional STD and (19)F STD methods that are becoming more amenable due to the latest NMR equipment technologies.

  18. Solid-state 27Al MRI and NMR thermometry for catalytic applications with conventional (liquids) MRI instrumentation and techniques.

    PubMed

    Koptyug, Igor V; Sagdeev, Dmitry R; Gerkema, Edo; Van As, Henk; Sagdeev, Renad Z

    2005-07-01

    Multidimensional images of Al2O3 pellets, cordierite monolith, glass tube, polycrystalline V2O5 and other materials have been detected by 27Al, 51V, and 23Na NMR imaging using techniques and instrumentation conventionally employed for imaging of liquids. These results demonstrate that, contrary to the widely accepted opinion, imaging of "rigid" solids does not necessarily require utilization of solid state NMR imaging approaches, pulse sequences and hardware even for quadrupolar nuclei which exhibit line widths in excess of 100 kHz, such as 51V in polycrystalline V2O5. It is further demonstrated that both 27Al NMR signal intensity and spin-lattice relaxation time decrease with increasing temperature and thus can potentially serve as temperature sensitive parameters for spatially resolved NMR thermometry.

  19. Online low-field NMR spectroscopy for process control of an industrial lithiation reaction-automated data analysis.

    PubMed

    Kern, Simon; Meyer, Klas; Guhl, Svetlana; Gräßer, Patrick; Paul, Andrea; King, Rudibert; Maiwald, Michael

    2018-05-01

    Monitoring specific chemical properties is the key to chemical process control. Today, mainly optical online methods are applied, which require time- and cost-intensive calibration effort. NMR spectroscopy, with its advantage being a direct comparison method without need for calibration, has a high potential for enabling closed-loop process control while exhibiting short set-up times. Compact NMR instruments make NMR spectroscopy accessible in industrial and rough environments for process monitoring and advanced process control strategies. We present a fully automated data analysis approach which is completely based on physically motivated spectral models as first principles information (indirect hard modeling-IHM) and applied it to a given pharmaceutical lithiation reaction in the framework of the European Union's Horizon 2020 project CONSENS. Online low-field NMR (LF NMR) data was analyzed by IHM with low calibration effort, compared to a multivariate PLS-R (partial least squares regression) approach, and both validated using online high-field NMR (HF NMR) spectroscopy. Graphical abstract NMR sensor module for monitoring of the aromatic coupling of 1-fluoro-2-nitrobenzene (FNB) with aniline to 2-nitrodiphenylamine (NDPA) using lithium-bis(trimethylsilyl) amide (Li-HMDS) in continuous operation. Online 43.5 MHz low-field NMR (LF) was compared to 500 MHz high-field NMR spectroscopy (HF) as reference method.

  20. Optimization of cell disruption methods for efficient recovery of bioactive metabolites via NMR of three freshwater microalgae (chlorophyta).

    PubMed

    Ma, Nyuk Ling; Teh, Kit Yinn; Lam, Su Shiung; Kaben, Anne Marie; Cha, Thye San

    2015-08-01

    This study demonstrates the use of NMR techniques coupled with chemometric analysis as a high throughput data mining method to identify and examine the efficiency of different disruption techniques tested on microalgae (Chlorella variabilis, Scenedesmus regularis and Ankistrodesmus gracilis). The yield and chemical diversity from the disruptions together with the effects of pre-oven and pre-freeze drying prior to disruption techniques were discussed. HCl extraction showed the highest recovery of oil compounds from the disrupted microalgae (up to 90%). In contrast, NMR analysis showed the highest intensity of bioactive metabolites obtained for homogenized extracts pre-treated with freeze-drying, indicating that homogenizing is a more favorable approach to recover bioactive substances from the disrupted microalgae. The results show the potential of NMR as a useful metabolic fingerprinting tool for assessing compound diversity in complex microalgae extracts. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. CONNJUR R: An annotation strategy for fostering reproducibility in bio-NMR: protein spectral assignment

    PubMed Central

    Fenwick, Matthew; Hoch, Jeffrey C.; Ulrich, Eldon; Gryk, Michael R.

    2015-01-01

    Reproducibility is a cornerstone of the scientific method, essential for validation of results by independent laboratories and the sine qua non of scientific progress. A key step toward reproducibility of biomolecular NMR studies was the establishment of public data repositories (PDB and BMRB). Nevertheless, bio-NMR studies routinely fall short of the requirement for reproducibility that all the data needed to reproduce the results are published. A key limitation is that considerable metadata goes unpublished, notably manual interventions that are typically applied during the assignment of multidimensional NMR spectra. A general solution to this problem has been elusive, in part because of the wide range of approaches and software packages employed in the analysis of protein NMR spectra. Here we describe an approach for capturing missing metadata during the assignment of protein NMR spectra that can be generalized to arbitrary workflows, different software packages, other biomolecules, or other stages of data analysis in bio-NMR. We also present extensions to the NMR-STAR data dictionary that enable machine archival and retrieval of the “missing” metadata. PMID:26253947

  2. Adaptation of High-Throughput Screening in Drug Discovery—Toxicological Screening Tests

    PubMed Central

    Szymański, Paweł; Markowicz, Magdalena; Mikiciuk-Olasik, Elżbieta

    2012-01-01

    High-throughput screening (HTS) is one of the newest techniques used in drug design and may be applied in biological and chemical sciences. This method, due to utilization of robots, detectors and software that regulate the whole process, enables a series of analyses of chemical compounds to be conducted in a short time and the affinity of biological structures which is often related to toxicity to be defined. Since 2008 we have implemented the automation of this technique and as a consequence, the possibility to examine 100,000 compounds per day. The HTS method is more frequently utilized in conjunction with analytical techniques such as NMR or coupled methods e.g., LC-MS/MS. Series of studies enable the establishment of the rate of affinity for targets or the level of toxicity. Moreover, researches are conducted concerning conjugation of nanoparticles with drugs and the determination of the toxicity of such structures. For these purposes there are frequently used cell lines. Due to the miniaturization of all systems, it is possible to examine the compound’s toxicity having only 1–3 mg of this compound. Determination of cytotoxicity in this way leads to a significant decrease in the expenditure and to a reduction in the length of the study. PMID:22312262

  3. Measurement of Solution Viscosity via Diffusion-Ordered NMR Spectroscopy (DOSY)

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Li, Weibin; Kagan, Gerald; Hopson, Russell; Williard, Paul G.

    2011-01-01

    Increasingly, the undergraduate chemistry curriculum includes nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Advanced NMR techniques are often taught including two-dimensional gradient-based experiments. An investigation of intermolecular forces including viscosity, by a variety of methods, is often integrated in the undergraduate physical and…

  4. Nuclear magnetic resonance probe head design for precision strain control

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Kissikov, T.; Sarkar, R.; Bush, B. T.

    Here, we present the design and construction of an NMR probe to investigate single crystals under strain at cryogenic temperatures. The probe head incorporates a piezoelectric-based apparatus from Razorbill Instruments that enables both compressive and tensile strain tuning up to strain values on the order of 0.3% with a precision of 0.001%. 75As NMR in BaFe 2As 2 reveals large changes to the electric field gradient and indicates that the strain is homogeneous to within 16% over the volume of the NMR coil.

  5. Nuclear magnetic resonance probe head design for precision strain control

    DOE PAGES

    Kissikov, T.; Sarkar, R.; Bush, B. T.; ...

    2017-10-03

    Here, we present the design and construction of an NMR probe to investigate single crystals under strain at cryogenic temperatures. The probe head incorporates a piezoelectric-based apparatus from Razorbill Instruments that enables both compressive and tensile strain tuning up to strain values on the order of 0.3% with a precision of 0.001%. 75As NMR in BaFe 2As 2 reveals large changes to the electric field gradient and indicates that the strain is homogeneous to within 16% over the volume of the NMR coil.

  6. NMR of thin layers using a meanderline surface coil

    DOEpatents

    Cowgill, Donald F.

    2001-01-01

    A miniature meanderline sensor coil which extends the capabilities of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) to provide analysis of thin planar samples and surface layer geometries. The sensor coil allows standard NMR techniques to be used to examine thin planar (or curved) layers, extending NMRs utility to many problems of modern interest. This technique can be used to examine contact layers, non-destructively depth profile into films, or image multiple layers in a 3-dimensional sense. It lends itself to high resolution NMR techniques of magic angle spinning and thus can be used to examine the bonding and electronic structure in layered materials or to observe the chemistry associated with aging coatings. Coupling this sensor coil technology with an arrangement of small magnets will produce a penetrator probe for remote in-situ chemical analysis of groundwater or contaminant sediments. Alternatively, the sensor coil can be further miniaturized to provide sub-micron depth resolution within thin films or to orthoscopically examine living tissue. This thin-layer NMR technique using a stationary meanderline coil in a series-resonant circuit has been demonstrated and it has been determined that the flat meanderline geometry has about he same detection sensitivity as a solenoidal coil, but is specifically tailored to examine planar material layers, while avoiding signals from the bulk.

  7. Monoterpene Unknowns Identified Using IR, [to the first power]H-NMR, [to the thirteenth power]C-NMR, DEPT, COSY, and HETCOR

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Alty, Lisa T.

    2005-01-01

    A study identifies a compound from a set of monoterpenes using infrared (IR) and one-dimensional (1D) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) techniques. After identifying the unknown, each carbon and proton signal can be interpreted and assigned to the structure using the information in the two-dimensional (2D) NMR spectra, correlation spectroscopy…

  8. Refinement of NMR structures using implicit solvent and advanced sampling techniques.

    PubMed

    Chen, Jianhan; Im, Wonpil; Brooks, Charles L

    2004-12-15

    NMR biomolecular structure calculations exploit simulated annealing methods for conformational sampling and require a relatively high level of redundancy in the experimental restraints to determine quality three-dimensional structures. Recent advances in generalized Born (GB) implicit solvent models should make it possible to combine information from both experimental measurements and accurate empirical force fields to improve the quality of NMR-derived structures. In this paper, we study the influence of implicit solvent on the refinement of protein NMR structures and identify an optimal protocol of utilizing these improved force fields. To do so, we carry out structure refinement experiments for model proteins with published NMR structures using full NMR restraints and subsets of them. We also investigate the application of advanced sampling techniques to NMR structure refinement. Similar to the observations of Xia et al. (J.Biomol. NMR 2002, 22, 317-331), we find that the impact of implicit solvent is rather small when there is a sufficient number of experimental restraints (such as in the final stage of NMR structure determination), whether implicit solvent is used throughout the calculation or only in the final refinement step. The application of advanced sampling techniques also seems to have minimal impact in this case. However, when the experimental data are limited, we demonstrate that refinement with implicit solvent can substantially improve the quality of the structures. In particular, when combined with an advanced sampling technique, the replica exchange (REX) method, near-native structures can be rapidly moved toward the native basin. The REX method provides both enhanced sampling and automatic selection of the most native-like (lowest energy) structures. An optimal protocol based on our studies first generates an ensemble of initial structures that maximally satisfy the available experimental data with conventional NMR software using a simplified force field and then refines these structures with implicit solvent using the REX method. We systematically examine the reliability and efficacy of this protocol using four proteins of various sizes ranging from the 56-residue B1 domain of Streptococcal protein G to the 370-residue Maltose-binding protein. Significant improvement in the structures was observed in all cases when refinement was based on low-redundancy restraint data. The proposed protocol is anticipated to be particularly useful in early stages of NMR structure determination where a reliable estimate of the native fold from limited data can significantly expedite the overall process. This refinement procedure is also expected to be useful when redundant experimental data are not readily available, such as for large multidomain biomolecules and in solid-state NMR structure determination.

  9. Using NMR and molecular dynamics to link structure and dynamics effects of the universal base 8-aza, 7-deaza, N8 linked adenosine analog

    PubMed Central

    Spring-Connell, Alexander M.; Evich, Marina G.; Debelak, Harald; Seela, Frank; Germann, Markus W.

    2016-01-01

    A truly universal nucleobase enables a host of novel applications such as simplified templates for PCR primers, randomized sequencing and DNA based devices. A universal base must pair indiscriminately to each of the canonical bases with little or preferably no destabilization of the overall duplex. In reality, many candidates either destabilize the duplex or do not base pair indiscriminatingly. The novel base 8-aza-7-deazaadenine (pyrazolo[3,4-d]pyrimidin- 4-amine) N8-(2′deoxyribonucleoside), a deoxyadenosine analog (UB), pairs with each of the natural DNA bases with little sequence preference. We have utilized NMR complemented with molecular dynamic calculations to characterize the structure and dynamics of a UB incorporated into a DNA duplex. The UB participates in base stacking with little to no perturbation of the local structure yet forms an unusual base pair that samples multiple conformations. These local dynamics result in the complete disappearance of a single UB proton resonance under native conditions. Accommodation of the UB is additionally stabilized via heightened backbone conformational sampling. NMR combined with various computational techniques has allowed for a comprehensive characterization of both structural and dynamic effects of the UB in a DNA duplex and underlines that the UB as a strong candidate for universal base applications. PMID:27566150

  10. The "long tail" of the protein tumbling correlation function: observation by (1)H NMR relaxometry in a wide frequency and concentration range.

    PubMed

    Roos, Matthias; Hofmann, Marius; Link, Susanne; Ott, Maria; Balbach, Jochen; Rössler, Ernst; Saalwächter, Kay; Krushelnitsky, Alexey

    2015-12-01

    Inter-protein interactions in solution affect the auto-correlation function of Brownian tumbling not only in terms of a simple increase of the correlation time, they also lead to the appearance of a weak slow component ("long tail") of the correlation function due to a slowly changing local anisotropy of the microenvironment. The conventional protocol of correlation time estimation from the relaxation rate ratio R1/R2 assumes a single-component tumbling correlation function, and thus can provide incorrect results as soon as the "long tail" is of relevance. This effect, however, has been underestimated in many instances. In this work we present a detailed systematic study of the tumbling correlation function of two proteins, lysozyme and bovine serum albumin, at different concentrations and temperatures using proton field-cycling relaxometry combined with R1ρ and R2 measurements. Unlike high-field NMR relaxation methods, these techniques enable a detailed study of dynamics on a time scale longer than the normal protein tumbling correlation time and, thus, a reliable estimate of the parameters of the "long tail". In this work we analyze the concentration dependence of the intensity and correlation time of the slow component and perform simulations of high-field (15)N NMR relaxation data demonstrating the importance of taking the "long tail" in the analysis into account.

  11. NMR Studies of Low-Gamma Nuclei in Solids

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Wasylishen, Roderick E.; Forgeron, Michelle A.; Siegel, Renee

    2006-07-24

    Over the past five years we have devoted considerable time to solid-state NMR investigaitons of nuclei, which are traditionally known as "difficult" because of their small magnetic moments. These include quadrupolar nuclei such as 35Cl, 53 Cr, 91Zr, 95Mo, 99Ru, 131 Xe, as well as spin-1/2 nuclei such as 109Ag. While NMR studies of such isotopes remain challenging, the use of moderate to high magnetic field strengths together with a variety of enhancement techniques is leading to many interesting applications. In this talk some of our successes in studying these isotopes will be presented. For example, we will present preliminarymore » results of 131Xe NMR studies of solid sodium perxenate, as well as 109Ag NMR studies of silver dialkylphosphites. Our experience using population enhancement techniques that utilize hyperbolic secant pulses will also be discussed.« less

  12. A Training Program in Breast Cancer Research Using NMR Techniques

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2005-07-01

    to explore the application NMR molecular imaging techniques developed in this program in detection of amyloid plaques in the Alzheimer diseased mouse...one is to utilize the molecular imaging technique to exploit new application in imaging of amyloid plaques in Alzheimer disease. A abridge of each...matched, non-demented elderly suggests that volumetric studies of ante-mortem neuroimages may provide an early marker of AD in aging populations. In

  13. Indirect detection of infinite-speed MAS solid-state NMR spectra

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Perras, Frédéric A.; Venkatesh, Amrit; Hanrahan, Michael P.

    Heavy spin-1/2 nuclides are known to possess very large chemical shift anisotropies that can challenge even the most advanced magic-angle-spinning (MAS) techniques. Wide manifolds of overlapping spinning sidebands and insufficient excitation bandwidths often obfuscate meaningful spectral information and force the use of static, low-resolution solid-state (SS)NMR methods for the characterization of materials. In order to address these issues, we have merged fast-magic-angle-turning (MAT) and dipolar heteronuclear multiple-quantum coherence (D-HMQC) experiments to obtain D-HMQC-MAT pulse sequences which enable the rapid acquisition of 2D SSNMR spectra that correlate isotropic 1H chemical shifts to the indirectly detected isotropic “infinite-MAS” spectra of heavy spin-1/2more » nuclides. Furthermore, for these nuclides, the combination of fast MAS and 1H detection provides a high sensitivity, which rivals the DNP-enhanced ultra-wideline SSNMR. The new pulse sequences were used to determine the Pt coordination environments in a complex mixture of decomposition products of transplatin and in a metal-organic framework with Pt ions coordinated to the linker ligands.« less

  14. Indirect detection of infinite-speed MAS solid-state NMR spectra

    DOE PAGES

    Perras, Frédéric A.; Venkatesh, Amrit; Hanrahan, Michael P.; ...

    2017-01-18

    Heavy spin-1/2 nuclides are known to possess very large chemical shift anisotropies that can challenge even the most advanced magic-angle-spinning (MAS) techniques. Wide manifolds of overlapping spinning sidebands and insufficient excitation bandwidths often obfuscate meaningful spectral information and force the use of static, low-resolution solid-state (SS)NMR methods for the characterization of materials. In order to address these issues, we have merged fast-magic-angle-turning (MAT) and dipolar heteronuclear multiple-quantum coherence (D-HMQC) experiments to obtain D-HMQC-MAT pulse sequences which enable the rapid acquisition of 2D SSNMR spectra that correlate isotropic 1H chemical shifts to the indirectly detected isotropic “infinite-MAS” spectra of heavy spin-1/2more » nuclides. Furthermore, for these nuclides, the combination of fast MAS and 1H detection provides a high sensitivity, which rivals the DNP-enhanced ultra-wideline SSNMR. The new pulse sequences were used to determine the Pt coordination environments in a complex mixture of decomposition products of transplatin and in a metal-organic framework with Pt ions coordinated to the linker ligands.« less

  15. Evaluation of stereo-array isotope labeling (SAIL) patterns for automated structural analysis of proteins with CYANA.

    PubMed

    Ikeya, Teppei; Terauchi, Tsutomu; Güntert, Peter; Kainosho, Masatsune

    2006-07-01

    Recently we have developed the stereo-array isotope labeling (SAIL) technique to overcome the conventional molecular size limitation in NMR protein structure determination by employing complete stereo- and regiospecific patterns of stable isotopes. SAIL sharpens signals and simplifies spectra without the loss of requisite structural information, thus making large classes of proteins newly accessible to detailed solution structure determination. The automated structure calculation program CYANA can efficiently analyze SAIL-NOESY spectra and calculate structures without manual analysis. Nevertheless, the original SAIL method might not be capable of determining the structures of proteins larger than 50 kDa or membrane proteins, for which the spectra are characterized by many broadened and overlapped peaks. Here we have carried out simulations of new SAIL patterns optimized for minimal relaxation and overlap, to evaluate the combined use of SAIL and CYANA for solving the structures of larger proteins and membrane proteins. The modified approach reduces the number of peaks to nearly half of that observed with uniform labeling, while still yielding well-defined structures and is expected to enable NMR structure determinations of these challenging systems.

  16. Indirect detection of infinite-speed MAS solid-state NMR spectra

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Perras, Frédéric A.; Venkatesh, Amrit; Hanrahan, Michael P.; Goh, Tian Wei; Huang, Wenyu; Rossini, Aaron J.; Pruski, Marek

    2017-03-01

    Heavy spin-1/2 nuclides are known to possess very large chemical shift anisotropies that can challenge even the most advanced magic-angle-spinning (MAS) techniques. Wide manifolds of overlapping spinning sidebands and insufficient excitation bandwidths often obfuscate meaningful spectral information and force the use of static, low-resolution solid-state (SS)NMR methods for the characterization of materials. To address these issues, we have merged fast-magic-angle-turning (MAT) and dipolar heteronuclear multiple-quantum coherence (D-HMQC) experiments to obtain D-HMQC-MAT pulse sequences which enable the rapid acquisition of 2D SSNMR spectra that correlate isotropic 1H chemical shifts to the indirectly detected isotropic "infinite-MAS" spectra of heavy spin-1/2 nuclides. For these nuclides, the combination of fast MAS and 1H detection provides a high sensitivity, which rivals the DNP-enhanced ultra-wideline SSNMR. The new pulse sequences were used to determine the Pt coordination environments in a complex mixture of decomposition products of transplatin and in a metal-organic framework with Pt ions coordinated to the linker ligands.

  17. Characterization of the crosslinking reaction in high performance phenolic resins

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Patel, Jigneshkumar; Zou, Guo Xiang; Hsu, Shaw Ling; university of massachusetts/Polymer science; Engineering Team

    In this study, a combination of thermal analysis, infrared spectroscopy (near and mid) in conjunction with low field NMR, was used to characterize the crosslinking reaction involving phenol formaldehyde resin and a crosslinking agent, Hexamethylenetetramine (HMTA). The strong hydrogen bonds in the resin and the completely crystalline HMTA (Tm = 280 °C) severely hamper the crosslinking process. Yet the addition of a small amount of plasticizer can induce a highly efficient crosslinking reaction to achieve the desired mechanical properties needed in a number of high performance organic-inorganic composites. The infrared spectroscopy clarifies the dissolution process of the crystalline crosslinker and the specific interactions needed to achieve miscibility of the reactants. The thermal analysis enabled us to follow the changing mobility of the system as a function of temperature. The low field NMR with the T1 inverse recovery technique allowed us to monitor the crosslinking process directly. For the first time, it is now possible to identify the functionality of the plasticizer and correlate the crosslinked structure achieved to the macroscopic performance needed for high performance organic-inorganic composites.

  18. Heteronuclear Multidimensional Protein NMR in a Teaching Laboratory

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wright, Nathan T.

    2016-01-01

    Heteronuclear multidimensional NMR techniques are commonly used to study protein structure, function, and dynamics, yet they are rarely taught at the undergraduate level. Here, we describe a senior undergraduate laboratory where students collect, process, and analyze heteronuclear multidimensional NMR experiments using an unstudied Ig domain (Ig2…

  19. Automated Solid Phase Extraction (SPE) LC/NMR Applied to the Structural Analysis of Extractable Compounds from a Pharmaceutical Packaging Material of Construction.

    PubMed

    Norwood, Daniel L; Mullis, James O; Davis, Mark; Pennino, Scott; Egert, Thomas; Gonnella, Nina C

    2013-01-01

    The structural analysis (i.e., identification) of organic chemical entities leached into drug product formulations has traditionally been accomplished with techniques involving the combination of chromatography with mass spectrometry. These include gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) for volatile and semi-volatile compounds, and various forms of liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS or HPLC/MS) for semi-volatile and relatively non-volatile compounds. GC/MS and LC/MS techniques are complementary for structural analysis of leachables and potentially leachable organic compounds produced via laboratory extraction of pharmaceutical container closure/delivery system components and corresponding materials of construction. Both hyphenated analytical techniques possess the separating capability, compound specific detection attributes, and sensitivity required to effectively analyze complex mixtures of trace level organic compounds. However, hyphenated techniques based on mass spectrometry are limited by the inability to determine complete bond connectivity, the inability to distinguish between many types of structural isomers, and the inability to unambiguously determine aromatic substitution patterns. Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) does not have these limitations; hence it can serve as a complement to mass spectrometry. However, NMR technology is inherently insensitive and its ability to interface with chromatography has been historically challenging. This article describes the application of NMR coupled with liquid chromatography and automated solid phase extraction (SPE-LC/NMR) to the structural analysis of extractable organic compounds from a pharmaceutical packaging material of construction. The SPE-LC/NMR technology combined with micro-cryoprobe technology afforded the sensitivity and sample mass required for full structure elucidation. Optimization of the SPE-LC/NMR analytical method was achieved using a series of model compounds representing the chemical diversity of extractables. This study demonstrates the complementary nature of SPE-LC/NMR with LC/MS for this particular pharmaceutical application. The identification of impurities leached into drugs from the components and materials associated with pharmaceutical containers, packaging components, and materials has historically been done using laboratory techniques based on the combination of chromatography with mass spectrometry. Such analytical techniques are widely recognized as having the selectivity and sensitivity required to separate the complex mixtures of impurities often encountered in such identification studies, including both the identification of leachable impurities as well as potential leachable impurities produced by laboratory extraction of packaging components and materials. However, while mass spectrometry-based analytical techniques have limitations for this application, newer analytical techniques based on the combination of chromatography with nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy provide an added dimension of structural definition. This article describes the development, optimization, and application of an analytical technique based on the combination of chromatography and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy to the identification of potential leachable impurities from a pharmaceutical packaging material. The complementary nature of the analytical techniques for this particular pharmaceutical application is demonstrated.

  20. Nmrglue: an open source Python package for the analysis of multidimensional NMR data.

    PubMed

    Helmus, Jonathan J; Jaroniec, Christopher P

    2013-04-01

    Nmrglue, an open source Python package for working with multidimensional NMR data, is described. When used in combination with other Python scientific libraries, nmrglue provides a highly flexible and robust environment for spectral processing, analysis and visualization and includes a number of common utilities such as linear prediction, peak picking and lineshape fitting. The package also enables existing NMR software programs to be readily tied together, currently facilitating the reading, writing and conversion of data stored in Bruker, Agilent/Varian, NMRPipe, Sparky, SIMPSON, and Rowland NMR Toolkit file formats. In addition to standard applications, the versatility offered by nmrglue makes the package particularly suitable for tasks that include manipulating raw spectrometer data files, automated quantitative analysis of multidimensional NMR spectra with irregular lineshapes such as those frequently encountered in the context of biomacromolecular solid-state NMR, and rapid implementation and development of unconventional data processing methods such as covariance NMR and other non-Fourier approaches. Detailed documentation, install files and source code for nmrglue are freely available at http://nmrglue.com. The source code can be redistributed and modified under the New BSD license.

  1. Nmrglue: An Open Source Python Package for the Analysis of Multidimensional NMR Data

    PubMed Central

    Helmus, Jonathan J.; Jaroniec, Christopher P.

    2013-01-01

    Nmrglue, an open source Python package for working with multidimensional NMR data, is described. When used in combination with other Python scientific libraries, nmrglue provides a highly flexible and robust environment for spectral processing, analysis and visualization and includes a number of common utilities such as linear prediction, peak picking and lineshape fitting. The package also enables existing NMR software programs to be readily tied together, currently facilitating the reading, writing and conversion of data stored in Bruker, Agilent/Varian, NMRPipe, Sparky, SIMPSON, and Rowland NMR Toolkit file formats. In addition to standard applications, the versatility offered by nmrglue makes the package particularly suitable for tasks that include manipulating raw spectrometer data files, automated quantitative analysis of multidimensional NMR spectra with irregular lineshapes such as those frequently encountered in the context of biomacromolecular solid-state NMR, and rapid implementation and development of unconventional data processing methods such as covariance NMR and other non-Fourier approaches. Detailed documentation, install files and source code for nmrglue are freely available at http://nmrglue.com. The source code can be redistributed and modified under the New BSD license. PMID:23456039

  2. A reactor for high-throughput high-pressure nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Beach, N. J.; Knapp, S. M. M.; Landis, C. R., E-mail: landis@chem.wisc.edu

    The design of a reactor for operando nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) monitoring of high-pressure gas-liquid reactions is described. The Wisconsin High Pressure NMR Reactor (WiHP-NMRR) design comprises four modules: a sapphire NMR tube with titanium tube holder rated for pressures as high as 1000 psig (68 atm) and temperatures ranging from −90 to 90 °C, a gas circulation system that maintains equilibrium concentrations of dissolved gases during gas-consuming or gas-releasing reactions, a liquid injection apparatus that is capable of adding measured amounts of solutions to the reactor under high pressure conditions, and a rapid wash system that enables the reactor tomore » be cleaned without removal from the NMR instrument. The WiHP-NMRR is compatible with commercial 10 mm NMR probes. Reactions performed in the WiHP-NMRR yield high quality, information-rich, and multinuclear NMR data over the entire reaction time course with rapid experimental turnaround.« less

  3. Profiling planktonic biomass using element-specific, multicomponent nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy.

    PubMed

    Komatsu, Takanori; Kobayashi, Toshiya; Hatanaka, Minoru; Kikuchi, Jun

    2015-06-02

    Planktonic metabolism plays crucial roles in Earth's elemental cycles. Chemical speciation as well as elemental stoichiometry is important for advancing our understanding of planktonic roles in biogeochemical cycles. In this study, a multicomponent solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) approach is proposed for chemical speciation of cellular components, using several advanced NMR techniques. Measurements by ssNMR were performed on (13)C and (15)N-labeled Euglena gracilis, a flagellated protist. 3D dipolar-assisted rotational resonance, double-cross-polarization (1)H-(13)C correlation spectroscopy, and (1)H-(13)C solid-state heteronuclear single quantum correlation spectroscopy successively allowed characterization of cellular components. These techniques were then applied to E. gracilis cultured in high and low ammonium media to demonstrate the power of this method for profiling and comparing cellular components. Cellular NMR spectra indicated that ammonium induced both paramylon degradation and amination. Arginine was stored as a nitrogen reserve and ammonium replaced by arginine catabolism via the arginine dihydrolase pathway. (15)N and (31)P cellular ssNMR indicated arginine and polyphosphate accumulation in E. gracilis, respectively. This chemical speciation technique will contribute to environmental research by providing detailed information on environmental chemical properties.

  4. Rectangle Surface Coil Array in a Grid Arrangement for Resonance Imaging

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2016-02-13

    switchable array, RF magnetic field, NQR , MRI, NMR, tuning, decoupling I. INTRODUCTION ESONANCE imaging can be accomplished using Nuclear Magnetic...Resonance (NMR) or Nuclear Quadrupole Resonance ( NQR ) techniques. REF [1] and [6] explain the differences between NMR and NQR . What NMR and NQR ...of resonance NQR frequency of 28.1MHz. The matching and tuning is explain in detail in the next section of this paper. Rectangle Surface Coil

  5. Intermediate couplings: NMR at the solids-liquids interface

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Spence, Megan

    2006-03-01

    Anisotropic interactions like dipolar couplings and chemical shift anisotropy have long offered solid-state NMR spectroscopists valuable structural information. Recently, solution-state NMR structural studies have begun to exploit residual dipolar couplings of biological molecules in weakly anisotropic solutions. These residual couplings are about 0.1% of the coupling magnitudes observed in the solid state, allowing simple, high-resolution NMR spectra to be retained. In this work, we examine the membrane-associated opioid, leucine enkephalin (lenk), in which the ordering is ten times larger than that for residual dipolar coupling experiments, requiring a combination of solution-state and solid-state NMR techniques. We adapted conventional solid-state NMR techniques like adiabatic cross- polarization and REDOR for use with such a system, and measured small amide bond dipolar couplings in order to determine the orientation of the amide bonds (and therefore the peptide) with respect to the membrane surface. However, the couplings measured indicate large structural rearrangements on the surface and contradict the published structures obtained by NOESY constraints, a reminder that such methods are of limited use in the presence of large-scale dynamics.

  6. Mechanisms of amyloid formation revealed by solution NMR

    PubMed Central

    Karamanos, Theodoros K.; Kalverda, Arnout P.; Thompson, Gary S.; Radford, Sheena E.

    2015-01-01

    Amyloid fibrils are proteinaceous elongated aggregates involved in more than fifty human diseases. Recent advances in electron microscopy and solid state NMR have allowed the characterization of fibril structures to different extents of refinement. However, structural details about the mechanism of fibril formation remain relatively poorly defined. This is mainly due to the complex, heterogeneous and transient nature of the species responsible for assembly; properties that make them difficult to detect and characterize in structural detail using biophysical techniques. The ability of solution NMR spectroscopy to investigate exchange between multiple protein states, to characterize transient and low-population species, and to study high molecular weight assemblies, render NMR an invaluable technique for studies of amyloid assembly. In this article we review state-of-the-art solution NMR methods for investigations of: (a) protein dynamics that lead to the formation of aggregation-prone species; (b) amyloidogenic intrinsically disordered proteins; and (c) protein–protein interactions on pathway to fibril formation. Together, these topics highlight the power and potential of NMR to provide atomic level information about the molecular mechanisms of one of the most fascinating problems in structural biology. PMID:26282197

  7. (+)-Thalianatriene and (-)-Retigeranin B Catalyzed by Sesterterpene Synthases from Arabidopsis thaliana.

    PubMed

    Shao, Jie; Chen, Qing-Wen; Lv, Hua-Jun; He, Juan; Liu, Zhi-Feng; Lu, Yan-Na; Liu, Hai-Li; Wang, Guo-Dong; Wang, Yong

    2017-04-07

    Two GFPPS linked (+)-thalianatriene (1) and (-)-retigeranin B (2) sesterterpene synthase genes were identified from the genome of Arabidopsis thaliana. 1 possesses an unprecedented 11-6-5 tricyclic ring system, while 2 contains a characteristic 5-5-5-6-5 pentacyclic ring system. Their structures were determined by extensive NMR spectroscopy, chemical derivatization, and X-ray crystallography. The variable-temp NMR measurement of 3, a diepoxy-bearing derivative of 1, enables us to completely assign the NMR signals of the two conformers as 3a (67%, UUU) and 3b (33%, UUD). A plausible biosynthesis mechanism of 1 was proposed.

  8. Characterization of ferrous-methylthymol blue-polyvinyl alcohol gel dosimeters using nuclear magnetic resonance and optical techniques

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rabaeh, Khalid A.; Eyadeh, Molham M.; Hailat, Tariq F.; Aldweri, Feras M.; Alheet, Samer M.; Eid, Rania M.

    2018-07-01

    A new composition of Ferrous sulphate-Metheylthymol blue (MTB)-Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) dosimeter is introduced in this work and evaluated using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and absorbance spectrophotometry techniques. The Fricke-MTB-PVA dosimeters were irradiated using a medical linear accelerator in a cubic water phantom. The dose response of the dosimeters was investigated using NMR in terms of spin-spin relaxation rate (R2), and ultraviolet and visible regions (UV-Vis) spectrophotometry in terms of absorbance. The dosimeter presents a linear dose response for doses up to 20 Gy with UV-Vis and 40 Gy with NMR method. The sample with 0.1 mM MTB, 5% PVA by weight showed highest dose sensitivity for both techniques. The Fricke-MTB-PVA dosimeter developed in this work has a significant advance over the Fricke-MTB-gelatin system: the NMR sensitivity was remarkably improved; the auto-oxidation rate was seven times lower, and no significant dose rate or photon energy effects were observed.

  9. NMR in Pulsed Magnetic Fields on the Orthogonal Shastry-Sutherland spin system SrCu2 (BO3)2

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Stern, Raivo; Kohlrautz, Jonas; Kühne, Hannes; Greene, Liz; Wosnitza, Jochen; Haase, Jügen

    2015-03-01

    SrCu2(BO3)2 is a quasi-two-dimensional spin system consisting of Cu2+ ions which form orthogonal spin singlet dimers, also known as the Shastry-Sutherland lattice, in the ground state. Though this system has been studied extensively using a variety of techniques to probe the spin triplet excitations, including recent magnetization measurements over 100 T, microscopic techniques, such as nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), could provide further insight into the spin excitations and spin-coupling mechanisms. We demonstrate the feasibility of performing NMR on real physics system in pulsed magnets. We present 11B NMR spectra measured in pulsed magnetic fields up to 53 T, and compare those with prior results obtained in static magnetic fields. Herewith we prove the efficacy of this technique and then extend to higher fields to fully explore the spin structure of the 1/3 plateau. Support by EMFL, DFG, ETAg (EML+ & PUT210).

  10. An Analytical Technique to Elucidate Field Impurities From Manufacturing Uncertainties of an Double Pancake Type HTS Insert for High Field LTS/HTS NMR Magnets

    PubMed Central

    Hahn, Seung-yong; Ahn, Min Cheol; Bobrov, Emanuel Saul; Bascuñán, Juan; Iwasa, Yukikazu

    2010-01-01

    This paper addresses adverse effects of dimensional uncertainties of an HTS insert assembled with double-pancake coils on spatial field homogeneity. Each DP coil was wound with Bi2223 tapes having dimensional tolerances larger than one order of magnitude of those accepted for LTS wires used in conventional NMR magnets. The paper presents: 1) dimensional variations measured in two LTS/HTS NMR magnets, 350 MHz (LH350) and 700 MHz (LH700), both built and operated at the Francis Bitter Magnet Laboratory; and 2) an analytical technique and its application to elucidate the field impurities measured with the two LTS/HTS magnets. Field impurities computed with the analytical model and those measured with the two LTS/HTS magnets agree quite well, demonstrating that this analytical technique is applicable to design a DP-assembled HTS insert with an improved field homogeneity for a high-field LTS/HTS NMR magnet. PMID:20407595

  11. Bayesian reconstruction of projection reconstruction NMR (PR-NMR).

    PubMed

    Yoon, Ji Won

    2014-11-01

    Projection reconstruction nuclear magnetic resonance (PR-NMR) is a technique for generating multidimensional NMR spectra. A small number of projections from lower-dimensional NMR spectra are used to reconstruct the multidimensional NMR spectra. In our previous work, it was shown that multidimensional NMR spectra are efficiently reconstructed using peak-by-peak based reversible jump Markov chain Monte Carlo (RJMCMC) algorithm. We propose an extended and generalized RJMCMC algorithm replacing a simple linear model with a linear mixed model to reconstruct close NMR spectra into true spectra. This statistical method generates samples in a Bayesian scheme. Our proposed algorithm is tested on a set of six projections derived from the three-dimensional 700 MHz HNCO spectrum of a protein HasA. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. On the use of ultracentrifugal devices for routine sample preparation in biomolecular magic-angle-spinning NMR

    PubMed Central

    Mandal, Abhishek; Boatz, Jennifer C.; Wheeler, Travis; van der Wel, Patrick C. A.

    2017-01-01

    A number of recent advances in the field of magic-angle-spinning (MAS) solid-state NMR have enabled its application to a range of biological systems of ever increasing complexity. To retain biological relevance, these samples are increasingly studied in a hydrated state. At the same time, experimental feasibility requires the sample preparation process to attain a high sample concentration within the final MAS rotor. We discuss these considerations, and how they have led to a number of different approaches to MAS NMR sample preparation. We describe our experience of how custom-made (or commercially available) ultracentrifugal devices can facilitate a simple, fast and reliable sample preparation process. A number of groups have since adopted such tools, in some cases to prepare samples for sedimentation-style MAS NMR experiments. Here we argue for a more widespread adoption of their use for routine MAS NMR sample preparation. PMID:28229262

  13. Parahydrogen-enhanced zero-field nuclear magnetic resonance

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Theis, T.; Ganssle, P.; Kervern, G.; Knappe, S.; Kitching, J.; Ledbetter, M. P.; Budker, D.; Pines, A.

    2011-07-01

    Nuclear magnetic resonance, conventionally detected in magnetic fields of several tesla, is a powerful analytical tool for the determination of molecular identity, structure and function. With the advent of prepolarization methods and detection schemes using atomic magnetometers or superconducting quantum interference devices, interest in NMR in fields comparable to the Earth's magnetic field and below (down to zero field) has been revived. Despite the use of superconducting quantum interference devices or atomic magnetometers, low-field NMR typically suffers from low sensitivity compared with conventional high-field NMR. Here we demonstrate direct detection of zero-field NMR signals generated through parahydrogen-induced polarization, enabling high-resolution NMR without the use of any magnets. The sensitivity is sufficient to observe spectra exhibiting 13C-1H scalar nuclear spin-spin couplings (known as J couplings) in compounds with 13C in natural abundance, without the need for signal averaging. The resulting spectra show distinct features that aid chemical fingerprinting.

  14. Application of random coherence order selection in gradient-enhanced multidimensional NMR

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bostock, Mark J.; Nietlispach, Daniel

    2016-03-01

    Development of multidimensional NMR is essential to many applications, for example in high resolution structural studies of biomolecules. Multidimensional techniques enable separation of NMR signals over several dimensions, improving signal resolution, whilst also allowing identification of new connectivities. However, these advantages come at a significant cost. The Fourier transform theorem requires acquisition of a grid of regularly spaced points to satisfy the Nyquist criterion, while frequency discrimination and acquisition of a pure phase spectrum require acquisition of both quadrature components for each time point in every indirect (non-acquisition) dimension, adding a factor of 2 N -1 to the number of free- induction decays which must be acquired, where N is the number of dimensions. Compressed sensing (CS) ℓ 1-norm minimisation in combination with non-uniform sampling (NUS) has been shown to be extremely successful in overcoming the Nyquist criterion. Previously, maximum entropy reconstruction has also been used to overcome the limitation of frequency discrimination, processing data acquired with only one quadrature component at a given time interval, known as random phase detection (RPD), allowing a factor of two reduction in the number of points for each indirect dimension (Maciejewski et al. 2011 PNAS 108 16640). However, whilst this approach can be easily applied in situations where the quadrature components are acquired as amplitude modulated data, the same principle is not easily extended to phase modulated (P-/N-type) experiments where data is acquired in the form exp (iωt) or exp (-iωt), and which make up many of the multidimensional experiments used in modern NMR. Here we demonstrate a modification of the CS ℓ 1-norm approach to allow random coherence order selection (RCS) for phase modulated experiments; we generalise the nomenclature for RCS and RPD as random quadrature detection (RQD). With this method, the power of RQD can be extended to the full suite of experiments available to modern NMR spectroscopy, allowing resolution enhancements for all indirect dimensions; alone or in combination with NUS, RQD can be used to improve experimental resolution, or shorten experiment times, of considerable benefit to the challenging applications undertaken by modern NMR.

  15. A simple hand-held magnet array for efficient and reproducible SABRE hyperpolarisation using manual sample shaking.

    PubMed

    Richardson, Peter M; Jackson, Scott; Parrott, Andrew J; Nordon, Alison; Duckett, Simon B; Halse, Meghan E

    2018-07-01

    Signal amplification by reversible exchange (SABRE) is a hyperpolarisation technique that catalytically transfers nuclear polarisation from parahydrogen, the singlet nuclear isomer of H 2 , to a substrate in solution. The SABRE exchange reaction is carried out in a polarisation transfer field (PTF) of tens of gauss before transfer to a stronger magnetic field for nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) detection. In the simplest implementation, polarisation transfer is achieved by shaking the sample in the stray field of a superconducting NMR magnet. Although convenient, this method suffers from limited reproducibility and cannot be used with NMR spectrometers that do not have appreciable stray fields, such as benchtop instruments. Here, we use a simple hand-held permanent magnet array to provide the necessary PTF during sample shaking. We find that the use of this array provides a 25% increase in SABRE enhancement over the stray field approach, while also providing improved reproducibility. Arrays with a range of PTFs were tested, and the PTF-dependent SABRE enhancements were found to be in excellent agreement with comparable experiments carried out using an automated flow system where an electromagnet is used to generate the PTF. We anticipate that this approach will improve the efficiency and reproducibility of SABRE experiments carried out using manual shaking and will be particularly useful for benchtop NMR, where a suitable stray field is not readily accessible. The ability to construct arrays with a range of PTFs will also enable the rapid optimisation of SABRE enhancement as function of PTF for new substrate and catalyst systems. © 2017 The Authors Magnetic Resonance in Chemistry Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  16. NMR study on (1alpha, 2beta, 4beta, 5alpha, 7beta)-7-[(hydroxydi-2-thienylacetyl) oxy]-9,9-dimethyl-3-oxa-9-azoniatricyclo [3.3.1.0(2,4)] nonane bromide monohydrate.

    PubMed

    Lin, Zhenguang; Mu, Yingdi; Liu, Yihui; Ren, Yeming; Lin, Jimao

    2010-03-01

    The structure of (1alpha, 2beta, 4beta, 5alpha, 7beta)-7-[(hydroxydi-2-thienylacetyl) oxy]-9,9-dimethyl-3-oxa-9-azoniatricyclo [3.3.1.0(2,4)] nonane bromide monohydrate was studied using 1D and 2D NMR techniques. Complete NMR assignments of the compound were obtained using DEPT, H-H COSY, as well as HMQC and HMBC heteronuclear correlation techniques. Copyright 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  17. Enhanced detection of aldehydes in Extra-Virgin Olive Oil by means of band selective NMR spectroscopy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dugo, Giacomo; Rotondo, Archimede; Mallamace, Domenico; Cicero, Nicola; Salvo, Andrea; Rotondo, Enrico; Corsaro, Carmelo

    2015-02-01

    High resolution Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy is a very powerful tool for comprehensive food analyses and especially for Extra-Virgin Olive Oils (EVOOs). We use the NMR technique to study the spectral region of aldehydes (8-10 ppm) for EVOOs coming from the south part of Italy. We perform novel experiments by using mono and bidimensional band selective spin-echo pulse sequences and identify four structural classes of aldehydes in EVOOs. For the first time such species are identified in EVOOs without any chemical treatment; only dilution with CDCl3 is employed. This would allow the discrimination of different EVOOs for the aldehydes content increasing the potentiality of the NMR technique in the screening of metabolites for geographical characterization of EVOOs.

  18. An Introduction to Biological NMR Spectroscopy*

    PubMed Central

    Marion, Dominique

    2013-01-01

    NMR spectroscopy is a powerful tool for biologists interested in the structure, dynamics, and interactions of biological macromolecules. This review aims at presenting in an accessible manner the requirements and limitations of this technique. As an introduction, the history of NMR will highlight how the method evolved from physics to chemistry and finally to biology over several decades. We then introduce the NMR spectral parameters used in structural biology, namely the chemical shift, the J-coupling, nuclear Overhauser effects, and residual dipolar couplings. Resonance assignment, the required step for any further NMR study, bears a resemblance to jigsaw puzzle strategy. The NMR spectral parameters are then converted into angle and distances and used as input using restrained molecular dynamics to compute a bundle of structures. When interpreting a NMR-derived structure, the biologist has to judge its quality on the basis of the statistics provided. When the 3D structure is a priori known by other means, the molecular interaction with a partner can be mapped by NMR: information on the binding interface as well as on kinetic and thermodynamic constants can be gathered. NMR is suitable to monitor, over a wide range of frequencies, protein fluctuations that play a crucial role in their biological function. In the last section of this review, intrinsically disordered proteins, which have escaped the attention of classical structural biology, are discussed in the perspective of NMR, one of the rare available techniques able to describe structural ensembles. This Tutorial is part of the International Proteomics Tutorial Programme (IPTP 16 MCP). PMID:23831612

  19. A Multidisciplinary Approach to High Throughput Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy

    PubMed Central

    Pourmodheji, Hossein; Ghafar-Zadeh, Ebrahim; Magierowski, Sebastian

    2016-01-01

    Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) is a non-contact, powerful structure-elucidation technique for biochemical analysis. NMR spectroscopy is used extensively in a variety of life science applications including drug discovery. However, existing NMR technology is limited in that it cannot run a large number of experiments simultaneously in one unit. Recent advances in micro-fabrication technologies have attracted the attention of researchers to overcome these limitations and significantly accelerate the drug discovery process by developing the next generation of high-throughput NMR spectrometers using Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS). In this paper, we examine this paradigm shift and explore new design strategies for the development of the next generation of high-throughput NMR spectrometers using CMOS technology. A CMOS NMR system consists of an array of high sensitivity micro-coils integrated with interfacing radio-frequency circuits on the same chip. Herein, we first discuss the key challenges and recent advances in the field of CMOS NMR technology, and then a new design strategy is put forward for the design and implementation of highly sensitive and high-throughput CMOS NMR spectrometers. We thereafter discuss the functionality and applicability of the proposed techniques by demonstrating the results. For microelectronic researchers starting to work in the field of CMOS NMR technology, this paper serves as a tutorial with comprehensive review of state-of-the-art technologies and their performance levels. Based on these levels, the CMOS NMR approach offers unique advantages for high resolution, time-sensitive and high-throughput bimolecular analysis required in a variety of life science applications including drug discovery. PMID:27294925

  20. Sensitivity enhancement by chromatographic peak concentration with ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy for minor impurity analysis.

    PubMed

    Tokunaga, Takashi; Akagi, Ken-Ichi; Okamoto, Masahiko

    2017-07-28

    High performance liquid chromatography can be coupled with nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy to give a powerful analytical method known as liquid chromatography-nuclear magnetic resonance (LC-NMR) spectroscopy, which can be used to determine the chemical structures of the components of complex mixtures. However, intrinsic limitations in the sensitivity of NMR spectroscopy have restricted the scope of this procedure, and resolving these limitations remains a critical problem for analysis. In this study, we coupled ultra-high performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) with NMR to give a simple and versatile analytical method with higher sensitivity than conventional LC-NMR. UHPLC separation enabled the concentration of individual peaks to give a volume similar to that of the NMR flow cell, thereby maximizing the sensitivity to the theoretical upper limit. The UHPLC concentration of compound peaks present at typical impurity levels (5.0-13.1 nmol) in a mixture led to at most three-fold increase in the signal-to-noise ratio compared with LC-NMR. Furthermore, we demonstrated the use of UHPLC-NMR for obtaining structural information of a minor impurity in a reaction mixture in actual laboratory-scale development of a synthetic process. Using UHPLC-NMR, the experimental run times for chromatography and NMR were greatly reduced compared with LC-NMR. UHPLC-NMR successfully overcomes the difficulties associated with analyses of minor components in a complex mixture by LC-NMR, which are problematic even when an ultra-high field magnet and cryogenic probe are used. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  1. Structure determination of helical filaments by solid-state NMR spectroscopy

    PubMed Central

    Ahmed, Mumdooh; Spehr, Johannes; König, Renate; Lünsdorf, Heinrich; Rand, Ulfert; Lührs, Thorsten; Ritter, Christiane

    2016-01-01

    The controlled formation of filamentous protein complexes plays a crucial role in many biological systems and represents an emerging paradigm in signal transduction. The mitochondrial antiviral signaling protein (MAVS) is a central signal transduction hub in innate immunity that is activated by a receptor-induced conversion into helical superstructures (filaments) assembled from its globular caspase activation and recruitment domain. Solid-state NMR (ssNMR) spectroscopy has become one of the most powerful techniques for atomic resolution structures of protein fibrils. However, for helical filaments, the determination of the correct symmetry parameters has remained a significant hurdle for any structural technique and could thus far not be precisely derived from ssNMR data. Here, we solved the atomic resolution structure of helical MAVSCARD filaments exclusively from ssNMR data. We present a generally applicable approach that systematically explores the helical symmetry space by efficient modeling of the helical structure restrained by interprotomer ssNMR distance restraints. Together with classical automated NMR structure calculation, this allowed us to faithfully determine the symmetry that defines the entire assembly. To validate our structure, we probed the protomer arrangement by solvent paramagnetic resonance enhancement, analysis of chemical shift differences relative to the solution NMR structure of the monomer, and mutagenesis. We provide detailed information on the atomic contacts that determine filament stability and describe mechanistic details on the formation of signaling-competent MAVS filaments from inactive monomers. PMID:26733681

  2. Application of pulsed field gradient NMR techniques for investigating binding of flavor compounds to macromolecules.

    PubMed

    Jung, Da-Mi; De Ropp, Jeffrey S; Ebeler, Susan E

    2002-07-17

    Two diffusion-based NMR techniques are presented and used to investigate the binding of selected flavor compounds to macromolecules. A pulsed field gradient NMR (PFG-NMR) method was applied to measure the apparent diffusion coefficients of four alkanone compounds as they associated with bovine serum albumin (BSA). The change in the apparent diffusion coefficient as a function of the BSA/alkanone ratio was fitted to yield binding constants (K(a)()) and binding stoichiometry (n) for each alkanone. The results showed that the apparent diffusion coefficients of alkanones increased with a decrease in the BSA/alkanone ratios, and the measured values of K(a)() and n were comparable with those obtained with other methods and depended on the alkanone structure. A diffusion-based nuclear Overhauser effect (called diffusion NOE pumping) method was also applied to screen mixtures of flavor compounds and identify those that have a binding affinity to complex macromolecules. Using this technique benzaldehyde and vanillin were observed to bind with bovine serum albumin, whereas 2-phenylethanol was identified as a nonbinding or weakly binding ligand with BSA. The diffusion NOE pumping method was also applied to a hydro alcoholic solution of cacao bean tannin extracts to which a mixture of ethylbenzoate, benzaldehyde, and 2-phenylethanol was added. The diffusion NOE pumping technique clearly indicated that ethylbenzoate had a stronger binding affinity to the polymeric (-)-epicatechin units of the cacao bean tannin extracts than the other two flavor compounds. The results successfully demonstrate the potential applications of diffusion-based NMR techniques for studying flavors and nonvolatile food matrix interactions.

  3. Micro-scale NMR Experiments for Monitoring the Optimization of Membrane Protein Solutions for Structural Biology.

    PubMed

    Horst, Reto; Wüthrich, Kurt

    2015-07-20

    Reconstitution of integral membrane proteins (IMP) in aqueous solutions of detergent micelles has been extensively used in structural biology, using either X-ray crystallography or NMR in solution. Further progress could be achieved by establishing a rational basis for the selection of detergent and buffer conditions, since the stringent bottleneck that slows down the structural biology of IMPs is the preparation of diffracting crystals or concentrated solutions of stable isotope labeled IMPs. Here, we describe procedures to monitor the quality of aqueous solutions of [ 2 H, 15 N]-labeled IMPs reconstituted in detergent micelles. This approach has been developed for studies of β-barrel IMPs, where it was successfully applied for numerous NMR structure determinations, and it has also been adapted for use with α-helical IMPs, in particular GPCRs, in guiding crystallization trials and optimizing samples for NMR studies (Horst et al ., 2013). 2D [ 15 N, 1 H]-correlation maps are used as "fingerprints" to assess the foldedness of the IMP in solution. For promising samples, these "inexpensive" data are then supplemented with measurements of the translational and rotational diffusion coefficients, which give information on the shape and size of the IMP/detergent mixed micelles. Using microcoil equipment for these NMR experiments enables data collection with only micrograms of protein and detergent. This makes serial screens of variable solution conditions viable, enabling the optimization of parameters such as the detergent concentration, sample temperature, pH and the composition of the buffer.

  4. Which kind of aromatic structures are produced during biomass charring? New insights provided by modern solid-state NMR spectroscopy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Knicker, Heike; Paneque-Carmona, Marina; Velasco-Molina, Marta; de la Rosa, José Maria; León-Ovelar, Laura Regina; Fernandez-Boy, Elena

    2017-04-01

    Intense research on biochar and charcoal of the last years has revealed that depending on the production conditions, the chemical and physical characteristics of their aromatic network can greatly vary. Since such variations are determining the behavior and stability of charred material in soils, a better understanding of the structural changes occurring during their heating and the impact of those changes on their function is needed. One method to characterize pyrogenic organic matter (PyOM) represents solid-state 13C NMR spectroscopy applying the cross polarization (CP) magic angle spinning technique (MAS). A drawback of this technique is that the quantification of NMR spectra of samples with highly condensed and proton-depleted structures is assumed to be bias. Typical samples with such attributes are charcoals produced at temperatures above 700°C under pyrolytic conditions. Commonly their high condensation degree leads to graphenic structures that are not only reducing the CP efficiency but create also a conductive lattice which acts as a shield and prevents the entering of the excitation pulse into the sample during the NMR experiments. Since the latter can damage the NMR probe and in the most cases the obtained NMR spectra show only one broad signal assignable to aromatic C, this technique is rarely applied for characterizing high temperature chars or soot. As a consequence, a more detailed knowledge of the nature of the aromatic ring systems is still missing. The latter is also true for the aromatic domains of PyOM produced at lower temperatures, since older NMR instruments operating at low magnetic fields deliver solid-state 13C NMR spectra with low resolution which turns a more detailed analysis of the aromatic chemical shift region into a challenging task. In order to overcome this disadvantages, modern NMR spectroscopy offers not only instruments with greatly improved resolution but also special pulse sequences for NMR experiments which allow a more detailed chemical shift assignment. Applying the latter to various charcoals and biochars, we intended to test their usefulness for a better characterization of PyOM and elucidation how specific aromatic features can affect their behavior in soils. We could demonstrate that furans represent the major compound class of low temperature chars produced from woody material. As indicated by 2D techniques, residual alkyl C in such chars has minor covalent binding to the aromatic network. Reducing the electrical conductivity of high-temperature chars by addition of aluminum oxide permitted the application of the cross CP technique. Determination of the relaxation and CP dynamics confirmed high rigidity of their aromatic domains which were dominated by coronene-type moieties. In contrast to common view, we could demonstrate that quantifiable CP NMR spectra can be obtained from high temperature chars with contact times of 3 to 5 ms and pulse delays > 3 s.

  5. Characterization and elimination of undesirable protein residues in plant cell walls for enhancing lignin analysis by solution-state 2D gel-NMR methods

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Proteins exist in every plant cell wall. Certain protein residues interfere with lignin characterization and quantification. The current solution-state 2D-NMR technique (gel-NMR) for whole plant cell wall structural profiling provides detailed information regarding cell walls and proteins. However, ...

  6. qHNMR Analysis of Purity of Common Organic Solvents--An Undergraduate Quantitative Analysis Laboratory Experiment

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bell, Peter T.; Whaley, W. Lance; Tochterman, Alyssa D.; Mueller, Karl S.; Schultz, Linda D.

    2017-01-01

    NMR spectroscopy is currently a premier technique for structural elucidation of organic molecules. Quantitative NMR (qNMR) methodology has developed more slowly but is now widely accepted, especially in the areas of natural product and medicinal chemistry. However, many undergraduate students are not routinely exposed to this important concept.…

  7. Solid-Cryogen Cooling Technique for Superconducting Magnets of NMR and MRI

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Iwasa, Yukikazu; Bascuñán, Juan; Hahn, Seungyong; Park, Dong Keun

    This paper describes a solid-cryogen cooling technique currently being developed at the M.I.T. Francis Bitter Magnet Laboratory for application to superconducting magnets of NMR and MRI. The technique is particularly appropriate for "dry" magnets that do not rely on liquid cryogen, e.g., liquid helium (LHe), as their primary cooling sources. In addition, the advantages of a cryocirculator (a combination of a cryocooler and a working fluid circulator) over a cryocooler as the primary cooling source for dry magnets are described. The four magnets described here, all incorporating this cooling technique described and currently being developed at the FBML, are: 1) a solid-nitrogen (SN2)-cooled Nb3Sn 500-MHz/200-mm MRI magnet with an operating temperature range between 4.2 K (nominal) and 6.0 K (maximum with its primary cooling source off); 2) an SN2-cooled MgB2 0.5-T/800-mm MRI magnet, 1015 K; 3) an SN2-cooled compact YBCO "annulus" 100-MHz/9-mm NMR magnet, 10-15 K; 4) an SN2-cooled 1.5T/75-mm NbTi magnet for slow magic-angle-spinning NMR/MRI, 4.5-5.5 K.

  8. Recent Advances in Characterization of Lignin Polymer by Solution-State Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) Methodology

    PubMed Central

    Wen, Jia-Long; Sun, Shao-Long; Xue, Bai-Liang; Sun, Run-Cang

    2013-01-01

    The demand for efficient utilization of biomass induces a detailed analysis of the fundamental chemical structures of biomass, especially the complex structures of lignin polymers, which have long been recognized for their negative impact on biorefinery. Traditionally, it has been attempted to reveal the complicated and heterogeneous structure of lignin by a series of chemical analyses, such as thioacidolysis (TA), nitrobenzene oxidation (NBO), and derivatization followed by reductive cleavage (DFRC). Recent advances in nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) technology undoubtedly have made solution-state NMR become the most widely used technique in structural characterization of lignin due to its versatility in illustrating structural features and structural transformations of lignin polymers. As one of the most promising diagnostic tools, NMR provides unambiguous evidence for specific structures as well as quantitative structural information. The recent advances in two-dimensional solution-state NMR techniques for structural analysis of lignin in isolated and whole cell wall states (in situ), as well as their applications are reviewed. PMID:28809313

  9. EASY: a simple tool for simultaneously removing background, deadtime and acoustic ringing in quantitative NMR spectroscopy--part I: basic principle and applications.

    PubMed

    Jaeger, Christian; Hemmann, Felix

    2014-01-01

    Elimination of Artifacts in NMR SpectroscopY (EASY) is a simple but very effective tool to remove simultaneously any real NMR probe background signal, any spectral distortions due to deadtime ringdown effects and -specifically- severe acoustic ringing artifacts in NMR spectra of low-gamma nuclei. EASY enables and maintains quantitative NMR (qNMR) as only a single pulse (preferably 90°) is used for data acquisition. After the acquisition of the first scan (it contains the wanted NMR signal and the background/deadtime/ringing artifacts) the same experiment is repeated immediately afterwards before the T1 waiting delay. This second scan contains only the background/deadtime/ringing parts. Hence, the simple difference of both yields clean NMR line shapes free of artefacts. In this Part I various examples for complete (1)H, (11)B, (13)C, (19)F probe background removal due to construction parts of the NMR probes are presented. Furthermore, (25)Mg EASY of Mg(OH)2 is presented and this example shows how extremely strong acoustic ringing can be suppressed (more than a factor of 200) such that phase and baseline correction for spectra acquired with a single pulse is no longer a problem. EASY is also a step towards deadtime-free data acquisition as these effects are also canceled completely. EASY can be combined with any other NMR experiment, including 2D NMR, if baseline distortions are a big problem. © 2013 Published by Elsevier Inc.

  10. NMR Techniques in Metabolomic Studies: A Quick Overview on Examples of Utilization.

    PubMed

    Kruk, Joanna; Doskocz, Marek; Jodłowska, Elżbieta; Zacharzewska, Anna; Łakomiec, Joanna; Czaja, Kornelia; Kujawski, Jacek

    2017-01-01

    Metabolomics is a rapidly developing branch of science that concentrates on identifying biologically active molecules with potential biomarker properties. To define the best biomarkers for diseases, metabolomics uses both models (in vitro, animals) and human, as well as, various techniques such as mass spectroscopy, gas chromatography, liquid chromatography, infrared and UV-VIS spectroscopy and nuclear magnetic resonance. The last one takes advantage of the magnetic properties of certain nuclei, such as 1 H, 13 C, 31 P, 19 F, especially their ability to absorb and emit energy, what is crucial for analyzing samples. Among many spectroscopic NMR techniques not only one-dimensional (1D) techniques are known, but for many years two-dimensional (2D, for example, COSY, DOSY, JRES, HETCORE, HMQS), three-dimensional (3D, DART-MS, HRMAS, HSQC, HMBC) and solid-state NMR have been used. In this paper, authors taking apart fundamental division of nuclear magnetic resonance techniques intend to shown their wide application in metabolomic studies, especially in identifying biomarkers.

  11. Multidimensional High-Resolution Magic Angle Spinning and Solution-State NMR Characterization of 13C-labeled Plant Metabolites and Lignocellulose

    PubMed Central

    Mori, Tetsuya; Tsuboi, Yuuri; Ishida, Nobuhiro; Nishikubo, Nobuyuki; Demura, Taku; Kikuchi, Jun

    2015-01-01

    Lignocellulose, which includes mainly cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin, is a potential resource for the production of chemicals and for other applications. For effective production of materials derived from biomass, it is important to characterize the metabolites and polymeric components of the biomass. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy has been used to identify biomass components; however, the NMR spectra of metabolites and lignocellulose components are ambiguously assigned in many cases due to overlapping chemical shift peaks. Using our 13C-labeling technique in higher plants such as poplar samples, we demonstrated that overlapping peaks could be resolved by three-dimensional NMR experiments to more accurately assign chemical shifts compared with two-dimensional NMR measurements. Metabolites of the 13C-poplar were measured by high-resolution magic angle spinning NMR spectroscopy, which allows sample analysis without solvent extraction, while lignocellulose components of the 13C-poplar dissolved in dimethylsulfoxide/pyridine solvent were analyzed by solution-state NMR techniques. Using these methods, we were able to unambiguously assign chemical shifts of small and macromolecular components in 13C-poplar samples. Furthermore, using samples of less than 5 mg, we could differentiate between two kinds of genes that were overexpressed in poplar samples, which produced clearly modified plant cell wall components. PMID:26143886

  12. New generation NMR bioreactor coupled with high-resolution NMR spectroscopy leads to novel discoveries in Moorella thermoaceticum metabolic profiles

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Xue, Junfeng; Isern, Nancy G.; Ewing, R James

    An in-situ nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) bioreactor was developed and employed to monitor microbial metabolism under batch-growth conditions in real time. We selected Moorella thermoacetica ATCC 49707 as a test case. M. thermoacetica (formerly Clostridium thermoaceticum) is a strictly anaerobic, thermophilic, acetogenic, gram-positive bacterium with potential for industrial production of chemicals. The metabolic profiles of M. thermoacetica were characterized during growth in batch mode on xylose (a component of lignocellulosic biomass) using the new generation NMR bioreactor in combination with high-resolution, high sensitivity NMR (HR-NMR) spectroscopy. In-situ NMR measurements were performed using water-suppressed H-1 NMR spectroscopy at an NMR frequencymore » of 500 MHz, and aliquots of the bioreactor contents were taken for 600 MHz HR-NMR spectroscopy at specific intervals to confirm metabolite identifications and expand metabolite coverage. M. thermoacetica demonstrated the metabolic potential to produce formate, ethanol and methanol from xylose, in addition to its known capability of producing acetic acid. Real-time monitoring of bioreactor conditions showed a temporary pH decrease, with a concomitant increase in formic acid during exponential growth. Fermentation experiments performed outside of the magnet showed that the strong magnetic field employed for NMR detection did not significantly affect cell metabolism. Use of the in-situ NMR bioreactor facilitated monitoring of the fermentation process in real time, enabling identification of intermediate and end-point metabolites and their correlation with pH and biomass produced during culture growth. Real-time monitoring of culture metabolism using the NMR bioreactor in combination with the HR-NMR spectroscopy will allow optimization of the metabolism of microorganisms producing valuable bioproducts.« less

  13. Advances in solid-state NMR of cellulose.

    PubMed

    Foston, Marcus

    2014-06-01

    Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy is a well-established analytical and enabling technology in biofuel research. Over the past few decades, lignocellulosic biomass and its conversion to supplement or displace non-renewable feedstocks has attracted increasing interest. The application of solid-state NMR spectroscopy has long been seen as an important tool in the study of cellulose and lignocellulose structure, biosynthesis, and deconstruction, especially considering the limited number of effective solvent systems and the significance of plant cell wall three-dimensional microstructure and component interaction to conversion yield and rate profiles. This article reviews common and recent applications of solid-state NMR spectroscopy methods that provide insight into the structural and dynamic processes of cellulose that control bulk properties and biofuel conversion. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  14. Bacterial Expression and Purification of the Amyloidogenic Peptide PAPf39 for Multidimensional NMR Spectroscopy

    PubMed Central

    Shanmuganathan, Aranganathan; Bishop, Anthony C.; French, Kinsley C.; McCallum, Scott A.; Makhatadze, George I.

    2013-01-01

    PAPf39 is a 39 residue peptide fragment from human prostatic acidic phosphatase that forms amyloid fibrils in semen. These fibrils have been implicated in facilitating HIV transmission. To enable structural studies of PAPf39 by NMR spectroscopy, efficient methods allowing the production of milligram quantities of isotopically labeled peptide are essential. Here, we report the high-yield expression, as a fusion to ubiquitin at the N-terminus and an intein at the C-terminus, and purification of uniformly labeled 13C- and 15N-labeled PAPf39 peptide. This allows the study of the PAPf39 monomer conformational ensemble by NMR spectroscopy. To this end, we performed the NMR chemical shift assignment of the PAPf39 peptide in the monomeric state at low pH. PMID:23314347

  15. Continuous hyperpolarization with parahydrogen in a membrane reactor

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lehmkuhl, Sören; Wiese, Martin; Schubert, Lukas; Held, Mathias; Küppers, Markus; Wessling, Matthias; Blümich, Bernhard

    2018-06-01

    Hyperpolarization methods entail a high potential to boost the sensitivity of NMR. Even though the "Signal Amplification by Reversible Exchange" (SABRE) approach uses para-enriched hydrogen, p-H2, to repeatedly achieve high polarization levels on target molecules without altering their chemical structure, such studies are often limited to batch experiments in NMR tubes. Alternatively, this work introduces a continuous flow setup including a membrane reactor for the p-H2, supply and consecutive detection in a 1 T NMR spectrometer. Two SABRE substrates pyridine and nicotinamide were hyperpolarized, and more than 1000-fold signal enhancement was found. Our strategy combines low-field NMR spectrometry and a membrane flow reactor. This enables precise control of the experimental conditions such as liquid and gas pressures, and volume flow for ensuring repeatable maximum polarization.

  16. Novel nuclear magnetic resonance techniques for studying biological molecules

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Laws, David Douglas

    2000-06-01

    Over the fifty-five year history of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR), considerable progress has been made in the development of techniques for studying the structure, function, and dynamics of biological molecules. The majority of this research has involved the development of multi-dimensional NMR experiments for studying molecules in solution, although in recent years a number of groups have begun to explore NMR methods for studying biological systems in the solid-state. Despite this new effort, a need still exists for the development of techniques that improve sensitivity, maximize information, and take advantage of all the NMR interactions available in biological molecules. Inmore » this dissertation, a variety of novel NMR techniques for studying biomolecules are discussed. A method for determining backbone (Φ/Ψ) dihedral angles by comparing experimentally determined 13C a, chemical-shift anisotropies with theoretical calculations is presented, along with a brief description of the theory behind chemical-shift computation in proteins and peptides. The utility of the Spin-Polarization Induced Nuclear Overhauser Effect (SPINOE) to selectively enhance NMR signals in solution is examined in a variety of systems, as are methods for extracting structural information from cross-relaxation rates that can be measured in SPINOE experiments. Techniques for the production of supercritical and liquid laser-polarized xenon are discussed, as well as the prospects for using optically pumped xenon as a polarizing solvent. In addition, a detailed study of the structure of PrP 89-143 is presented. PrP 89-143 is a 54 residue fragment of the prion proteins which, upon mutation and aggregation, can induce prion diseases in transgenic mice. Whereas the structure of the wild-type PrP 89-143 is a generally unstructured mixture of α-helical and β-sheet conformers in the solid state, the aggregates formed from the PrP 89-143 mutants appear to be mostly β-sheet.« less

  17. Modeling of temperature-induced near-infrared and low-field time-domain nuclear magnetic resonance spectral variation: chemometric prediction of limonene and water content in spray-dried delivery systems.

    PubMed

    Andrade, Letícia; Farhat, Imad A; Aeberhardt, Kasia; Bro, Rasmus; Engelsen, Søren Balling

    2009-02-01

    The influence of temperature on near-infrared (NIR) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy complicates the industrial applications of both spectroscopic methods. The focus of this study is to analyze and model the effect of temperature variation on NIR spectra and NMR relaxation data. Different multivariate methods were tested for constructing robust prediction models based on NIR and NMR data acquired at various temperatures. Data were acquired on model spray-dried limonene systems at five temperatures in the range from 20 degrees C to 60 degrees C and partial least squares (PLS) regression models were computed for limonene and water predictions. The predictive ability of the models computed on the NIR spectra (acquired at various temperatures) improved significantly when data were preprocessed using extended inverted signal correction (EISC). The average PLS regression prediction error was reduced to 0.2%, corresponding to 1.9% and 3.4% of the full range of limonene and water reference values, respectively. The removal of variation induced by temperature prior to calibration, by direct orthogonalization (DO), slightly enhanced the predictive ability of the models based on NMR data. Bilinear PLS models, with implicit inclusion of the temperature, enabled limonene and water predictions by NMR with an error of 0.3% (corresponding to 2.8% and 7.0% of the full range of limonene and water). For NMR, and in contrast to the NIR results, modeling the data using multi-way N-PLS improved the models' performance. N-PLS models, in which temperature was included as an extra variable, enabled more accurate prediction, especially for limonene (prediction error was reduced to 0.2%). Overall, this study proved that it is possible to develop models for limonene and water content prediction based on NIR and NMR data, independent of the measurement temperature.

  18. Recent advances in nuclear magnetic resonance quantum information processing.

    PubMed

    Criger, Ben; Passante, Gina; Park, Daniel; Laflamme, Raymond

    2012-10-13

    Quantum information processors have the potential to drastically change the way we communicate and process information. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) has been one of the first experimental implementations of quantum information processing (QIP) and continues to be an excellent testbed to develop new QIP techniques. We review the recent progress made in NMR QIP, focusing on decoupling, pulse engineering and indirect nuclear control. These advances have enhanced the capabilities of NMR QIP, and have useful applications in both traditional NMR and other QIP architectures.

  19. 1H MAS NMR (magic-angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance) techniques for the quantitative determination of hydrogen types in solid catalysts and supports.

    PubMed

    Kennedy, Gordon J; Afeworki, Mobae; Calabro, David C; Chase, Clarence E; Smiley, Randolph J

    2004-06-01

    Distinct hydrogen species are present in important inorganic solids such as zeolites, silicoaluminophosphates (SAPOs), mesoporous materials, amorphous silicas, and aluminas. These H species include hydrogens associated with acidic sites such as Al(OH)Si, non-framework aluminum sites, silanols, and surface functionalities. Direct and quantitative methodology to identify, measure, and monitor these hydrogen species are key to monitoring catalyst activity, optimizing synthesis conditions, tracking post-synthesis structural modifications, and in the preparation of novel catalytic materials. Many workers have developed several techniques to address these issues, including 1H MAS NMR (magic-angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance). 1H MAS NMR offers many potential advantages over other techniques, but care is needed in recognizing experimental limitations and developing sample handling and NMR methodology to obtain quantitatively reliable data. A simplified approach is described that permits vacuum dehydration of multiple samples simultaneously and directly in the MAS rotor without the need for epoxy, flame sealing, or extensive glovebox use. We have found that careful optimization of important NMR conditions, such as magnetic field homogeneity and magic angle setting are necessary to acquire quantitative, high-resolution spectra that accurately measure the concentrations of the different hydrogen species present. Details of this 1H MAS NMR methodology with representative applications to zeolites, SAPOs, M41S, and silicas as a function of synthesis conditions and post-synthesis treatments (i.e., steaming, thermal dehydroxylation, and functionalization) are presented.

  20. Multidimensional NMR approaches towards highly resolved, sensitive and high-throughput quantitative metabolomics.

    PubMed

    Marchand, Jérémy; Martineau, Estelle; Guitton, Yann; Dervilly-Pinel, Gaud; Giraudeau, Patrick

    2017-02-01

    Multi-dimensional NMR is an appealing approach for dealing with the challenging complexity of biological samples in metabolomics. This article describes how spectroscopists have recently challenged their imagination in order to make 2D NMR a powerful tool for quantitative metabolomics, based on innovative pulse sequences combined with meticulous analytical chemistry approaches. Clever time-saving strategies have also been explored to make 2D NMR a high-throughput tool for metabolomics, relying on alternative data acquisition schemes such as ultrafast NMR. Currently, much work is aimed at drastically boosting the NMR sensitivity thanks to hyperpolarisation techniques, which have been used in combination with fast acquisition methods and could greatly expand the application potential of NMR metabolomics. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. Comparison of IRMS and NMR spectrometry for the determination of intramolecular 13C isotope composition: application to ethanol.

    PubMed

    Gilbert, Alexis; Hattori, Ryota; Silvestre, Virginie; Wasano, Nariaki; Akoka, Serge; Hirano, Satoshi; Yamada, Keita; Yoshida, Naohiro; Remaud, Gérald S

    2012-09-15

    Isotopic (13)C NMR is a relatively recent technique which allows the determination of intramolecular (13)C isotope composition at natural abundance. It has been used in various scientific fields such as authentication, counterfeiting or plant metabolism. Although its precision has already been evaluated, the determination of its trueness remains still challenging. To deal with that issue, a comparison with another normalized technique must be achieved. In this work, we compare the intramolecular (13)C isotope distribution of ethanol from different origins obtained using both Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometry (IRMS) and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectrometry techniques. The IRMS approach consists of the oxidation of ethanol to acetic acid followed by the degradation of the latter for the analysis of each fragments formed. We show here that the oxidation of ethanol to acetic acid does not bring any significant error on the determination of the site-specific δ(13)C (δ(13)C(i)) of ethanol using the IRMS approach. The difference between the data obtained for 16 samples from different origins using IRMS and NMR approaches is not statistically significant and remains below 0.3‰. These results are encouraging for the future studies using isotopic NMR, especially in combination with the IRMS approach. Copyright © 2012. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  2. Spectroscopic techniques (Mössbauer spectrometry, NMR, ESR,…) as tools to resolve doubtful NMR images: Study of the craniopharyngioma tumor

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rimbert, J. N.; Dumas, F.; Lafargue, C.; Kellershohn, C.; Brunelle, F.; Lallemand, D.

    1990-07-01

    Craniopharyngioma, an intracranial tumor, exhibits hyperintensity in the Spin-Echo-T2-NMR image and a hyposignal in the SE-T1-image. However, in some cases (15-20% cases), hypersignals are seen in both SE-T1 and T2-MRI. Using spectroscopic techniques, Mössbauer spectrometry in particular, we have demonstrated that the T1 hypersignal is due to ferritin, dissolved in the cystic liquid, after tumor cell lysis, in the course of time. Other possible reasons inducing a shortening of the T1 relaxation time (presence of lipids, intratumoral hemorrhage) have been rejected.

  3. Structural comparison of Gilsonite and Trinidad Lake Asphalt using 13C-NMR technique

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nciri, Nader; Cho, Namjun

    2017-04-01

    The recent increased importance of natural asphalt as an alternative binder for sustainable road pavement has dictated that more knowledge should be acquired about its structure and properties. Earlier, Carbon-13 NMR spectroscopy has been applied to very few natural bituminous materials. In this work, two types of raw binders namely Gilsonite and Trinidad Lake asphalt (TLA) have been subjected to an extensive investigation by using 13C-NMR technique. Results have shown that valuable chemical data can be readily withdrawn on aromatic ring structures and ring substituents in natural asphalts derived from different sources. The chemical significance of these findings will be discussed.

  4. Carbon-13 and proton nuclear magnetic resonance analysis of shale-derived refinery products and jet fuels and of experimental referee broadened-specification jet fuels

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Dalling, D. K.; Bailey, B. K.; Pugmire, R. J.

    1984-01-01

    A proton and carbon-13 nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) study was conducted of Ashland shale oil refinery products, experimental referee broadened-specification jet fuels, and of related isoprenoid model compounds. Supercritical fluid chromatography techniques using carbon dioxide were developed on a preparative scale, so that samples could be quantitatively separated into saturates and aromatic fractions for study by NMR. An optimized average parameter treatment was developed, and the NMR results were analyzed in terms of the resulting average parameters; formulation of model mixtures was demonstrated. Application of novel spectroscopic techniques to fuel samples was investigated.

  5. Micromixer-based time-resolved NMR: applications to ubiquitin protein conformation.

    PubMed

    Kakuta, Masaya; Jayawickrama, Dimuthu A; Wolters, Andrew M; Manz, Andreas; Sweedler, Jonathan V

    2003-02-15

    Time-resolved NMR spectroscopy is used to studychanges in protein conformation based on the elapsed time after a change in the solvent composition of a protein solution. The use of a micromixer and a continuous-flow method is described where the contents of two capillary flows are mixed rapidly, and then the NMR spectra of the combined flow are recorded at precise time points. The distance after mixing the two fluids and flow rates define the solvent-protein interaction time; this method allows the measurement of NMR spectra at precise mixing time points independent of spectral acquisition time. Integration of a micromixer and a microcoil NMR probe enables low-microliter volumes to be used without losing significant sensitivity in the NMR measurement. Ubiquitin, the model compound, changes its conformation from native to A-state at low pH and in 40% or higher methanol/water solvents. Proton NMR resonances of the His-68 and the Tyr-59 of ubiquitin are used to probe the conformational changes. Mixing ubiquitin and methanol solutions under low pH at microliter per minute flow rates yields both native and A-states. As the flow rate decreases, yielding longer reaction times, the population of the A-state increases. The micromixer-NMR system can probe reaction kinetics on a time scale of seconds.

  6. Effect of multiple freeze-thaw cycles on the quality of instant sea cucumber: Emphatically on water status of by LF-NMR and MRI.

    PubMed

    Tan, Mingqian; Lin, Zhuyi; Zu, Yinxue; Zhu, Beiwei; Cheng, Shasha

    2018-07-01

    Instant sea cucumber has become one popular product due to its convenience to eat, favourable taste and minimal loss of nutrients and bioactive components. However, there was rare information about the water dynamic of instant sea cucumber subjected to multiple freeze-thaw cycles. In this study, low-field nuclear magnetic resonance (LF-NMR) and magnetic resonance image (MRI) were employed to investigate the effect of freeze-thaw cycles on water status of instant sea cucumber. Four water populations corresponding to strongly bound water, weakly bound water, immobile water and free water were observed in instant sea cucumber. With the increase of freeze-thaw cycles, the transverse relaxation time of immobile and free water increased, while the peak area of free water decreased significantly. MRI enabled the visualization of water migration of instant sea cucumber during multiple freeze-thaw cycles. Multiple freeze-thaw cycles also led to significant changes of other quality properties including thawing loss, WHC, color parameters, texture and protein content, and enlarge the interspace between fiber network in microstructure. Good correlations between T 22 , A 22 , A 23 and thaw loss, WHC, L*, hardness and collagen content (0.873 ≤ r ≤ 0.958) revealed LF-NMR may be an effective real-time monitoring method of these physicochemical parameters as a non-destructive technique. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. Demetalation of Fe, Mn, and Cu chelates and complexes: application to the NMR analysis of micronutrient fertilizers.

    PubMed

    López-Rayo, Sandra; Lucena, Juan J; Laghi, Luca; Cremonini, Mauro A

    2011-12-28

    The application of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) for the quality control of fertilizers based on Fe(3+), Mn(2+), and Cu(2+) chelates and complexes is precluded by the strong paramagnetism of metals. Recently, a method based on the use of ferrocyanide has been described to remove iron from commercial iron chelates based on the o,o-EDDHA [ethylenediamine-N,N'bis(2-hydroxyphenylacetic)acid] chelating agent for their analysis and quantification by NMR. The present work extended that procedure to other paramagnetic ions, manganese and copper, and other chelating, EDTA (ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid), IDHA [N-(1,2-dicarboxyethyl)-d,l-aspartic acid], and complexing agents, gluconate and heptagluconate. Results showed that the removal of the paramagnetic ions was complete, allowing us to obtain (1)H NMR spectra characterized by narrow peaks. The quantification of the ligands by NMR and high-performance liquid chromatography showed that their complete recovery was granted. The NMR analysis enabled detection and quantification of unknown impurities without the need of pure compounds as internal standards.

  8. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) study of the effect of cisplatin on the metabolic profile of MG-63 osteosarcoma cells.

    PubMed

    Duarte, Iola F; Lamego, Ines; Marques, Joana; Marques, M Paula M; Blaise, Benjamin J; Gil, Ana M

    2010-11-05

    In the present study, (1)H HRMAS NMR spectroscopy was used to assess the changes in the intracellular metabolic profile of MG-63 human osteosarcoma (OS) cells induced by the chemotherapy agent cisplatin (CDDP) at different times of exposure. Multivariate analysis was applied to the cells spectra, enabling consistent variation patterns to be detected and drug-specific metabolic effects to be identified. Statistical recoupling of variables (SRV) analysis and spectral integration enabled the most relevant spectral changes to be evaluated, revealing significant time-dependent alterations in lipids, choline-containing compounds, some amino acids, polyalcohols, and nitrogenated bases. The metabolic relevance of these compounds in the response of MG-63 cells to CDDP treatment is discussed.

  9. Augmentation of oxygen transport by various hemoglobins as determined by pulsed field gradient NMR.

    PubMed

    Budhiraja, Vikas; Hellums, J David; Post, Jan F M

    2002-11-01

    Diffusion of oxyhemoglobin has been shown to augment the oxygen transport inside the red blood cells. Measurement of hemoglobin diffusion coefficients by pulsed-field gradient (PFG) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) technique can be used for estimating this augmentation effect. Self-diffusion coefficients of polymerized and unpolymerized bovine hemoglobin (Hb) and several other proteins were measured using this technique. The Hb diffusion coefficient was used to determine the effective permeability of oxygen and augmentation of oxygen transport through samples of Hb solutions due to diffusion of oxyhemoglobin. The values compared well with our previous diffusion cell measurements of effective diffusivity and augmentation. Our NMR studies show that even at low concentrations the augmentation of oxygen transport due to diffusion can be significant. The PFG NMR technique can thus provide an accurate and easy method for measuring augmentation of oxygen transport, especially in dilute samples of Hb. The results on polyhemoglobin and high-molecular-weight hemoglobin are of both basic interest and practical value in assessing the promise and performance of hemoglobin-based blood substitutes.

  10. Novel selective TOCSY method enables NMR spectral elucidation of metabolomic mixtures

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    MacKinnon, Neil; While, Peter T.; Korvink, Jan G.

    2016-11-01

    Complex mixture analysis is routinely encountered in NMR-based investigations. With the aim of component identification, spectral complexity may be addressed chromatographically or spectroscopically, the latter being favored to reduce sample handling requirements. An attractive experiment is selective total correlation spectroscopy (sel-TOCSY), which is capable of providing tremendous spectral simplification and thereby enhancing assignment capability. Unfortunately, isolating a well resolved resonance is increasingly difficult as the complexity of the mixture increases and the assumption of single spin system excitation is no longer robust. We present TOCSY optimized mixture elucidation (TOOMIXED), a technique capable of performing spectral assignment particularly in the case where the assumption of single spin system excitation is relaxed. Key to the technique is the collection of a series of 1D sel-TOCSY experiments as a function of the isotropic mixing time (τm), resulting in a series of resonance intensities indicative of the underlying molecular structure. By comparing these τm -dependent intensity patterns with a library of pre-determined component spectra, one is able to regain assignment capability. After consideration of the technique's robustness, we tested TOOMIXED firstly on a model mixture. As a benchmark we were able to assign a molecule with high confidence in the case of selectively exciting an isolated resonance. Assignment confidence was not compromised when performing TOOMIXED on a resonance known to contain multiple overlapping signals, and in the worst case the method suggested a follow-up sel-TOCSY experiment to confirm an ambiguous assignment. TOOMIXED was then demonstrated on two realistic samples (whisky and urine), where under our conditions an approximate limit of detection of 0.6 mM was determined. Taking into account literature reports for the sel-TOCSY limit of detection, the technique should reach on the order of 10 μ M sensitivity. We anticipate this technique will be highly attractive to various analytical fields facing mixture analysis, including metabolomics, foodstuff analysis, pharmaceutical analysis, and forensics.

  11. NMR characterization of weak interactions between RhoGDI2 and fragment screening hits.

    PubMed

    Liu, Jiuyang; Gao, Jia; Li, Fudong; Ma, Rongsheng; Wei, Qingtao; Wang, Aidong; Wu, Jihui; Ruan, Ke

    2017-01-01

    The delineation of intrinsically weak interactions between novel targets and fragment screening hits has long limited the pace of hit-to-lead evolution. Rho guanine-nucleotide dissociation inhibitor 2 (RhoGDI2) is a novel target that lacks any chemical probes for the treatment of tumor metastasis. Protein-observed and ligand-observed NMR spectroscopy was used to characterize the weak interactions between RhoGDI2 and fragment screening hits. We identified three hits of RhoGDI2 using streamlined NMR fragment-based screening. The binding site residues were assigned using non-uniformly sampled C α - and H α -based three dimensional NMR spectra. The molecular docking to the proposed geranylgeranyl binding pocket of RhoGDI2 was guided by NMR restraints of chemical shift perturbations and ligand-observed transferred paramagnetic relaxation enhancement. We further validated the weak RhoGDI2-hit interactions using mutagenesis and structure-affinity analysis. Weak interactions between RhoGDI2 and fragment screening hits were delineated using an integrated NMR approach. Binders to RhoGDI2 as a potential anti-cancer target have been first reported, and their weak interactions were depicted using NMR spectroscopy. Our work highlights the powerfulness and the versatility of the integrative NMR techniques to provide valuable structural insight into the intrinsically weak interactions between RhoGDI2 and the fragment screening hits, which could hardly be conceived using other biochemical techniques. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  12. Application of ChemDraw NMR Tool: Correlation of Program-Generated 13C Chemical Shifts and pKa Values of para-Substituted Benzoic Acids

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Hongyi

    2005-09-01

    An application of ChemDraw NMR Tool was demonstrated by correlation of program-generated 13 C NMR chemical shifts and p K a values of para-substituted benzoic acids. Experimental 13 C NMR chemical shifts were analyzed in the same way for comparison. The project can be used as an assignment at the end of the first-year organic chemistry course to review topics or explore new techniques: Hammett equation, acid base equilibrium theory, electronic nature of functional groups, inductive and resonance effects, structure reactivity relationship, NMR spectroscopy, literature search, database search, and ChemDraw software.

  13. NMRbot: Python scripts enable high-throughput data collection on current Bruker BioSpin NMR spectrometers.

    PubMed

    Clos, Lawrence J; Jofre, M Fransisca; Ellinger, James J; Westler, William M; Markley, John L

    2013-06-01

    To facilitate the high-throughput acquisition of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) experimental data on large sets of samples, we have developed a simple and straightforward automated methodology that capitalizes on recent advances in Bruker BioSpin NMR spectrometer hardware and software. Given the daunting challenge for non-NMR experts to collect quality spectra, our goal was to increase user accessibility, provide customized functionality, and improve the consistency and reliability of resultant data. This methodology, NMRbot, is encoded in a set of scripts written in the Python programming language accessible within the Bruker BioSpin TopSpin ™ software. NMRbot improves automated data acquisition and offers novel tools for use in optimizing experimental parameters on the fly. This automated procedure has been successfully implemented for investigations in metabolomics, small-molecule library profiling, and protein-ligand titrations on four Bruker BioSpin NMR spectrometers at the National Magnetic Resonance Facility at Madison. The investigators reported benefits from ease of setup, improved spectral quality, convenient customizations, and overall time savings.

  14. Requirements on paramagnetic relaxation enhancement data for membrane protein structure determination by NMR.

    PubMed

    Gottstein, Daniel; Reckel, Sina; Dötsch, Volker; Güntert, Peter

    2012-06-06

    Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) structure calculations of the α-helical integral membrane proteins DsbB, GlpG, and halorhodopsin show that distance restraints from paramagnetic relaxation enhancement (PRE) can provide sufficient structural information to determine their structure with an accuracy of about 1.5 Å in the absence of other long-range conformational restraints. Our systematic study with simulated NMR data shows that about one spin label per transmembrane helix is necessary for obtaining enough PRE distance restraints to exclude wrong topologies, such as pseudo mirror images, if only limited other NMR restraints are available. Consequently, an experimentally realistic amount of PRE data enables α-helical membrane protein structure determinations that would not be feasible with the very limited amount of conventional NOESY data normally available for these systems. These findings are in line with our recent first de novo NMR structure determination of a heptahelical integral membrane protein, proteorhodopsin, that relied extensively on PRE data. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. Fast and Efficient Fragment-Based Lead Generation by Fully Automated Processing and Analysis of Ligand-Observed NMR Binding Data.

    PubMed

    Peng, Chen; Frommlet, Alexandra; Perez, Manuel; Cobas, Carlos; Blechschmidt, Anke; Dominguez, Santiago; Lingel, Andreas

    2016-04-14

    NMR binding assays are routinely applied in hit finding and validation during early stages of drug discovery, particularly for fragment-based lead generation. To this end, compound libraries are screened by ligand-observed NMR experiments such as STD, T1ρ, and CPMG to identify molecules interacting with a target. The analysis of a high number of complex spectra is performed largely manually and therefore represents a limiting step in hit generation campaigns. Here we report a novel integrated computational procedure that processes and analyzes ligand-observed proton and fluorine NMR binding data in a fully automated fashion. A performance evaluation comparing automated and manual analysis results on (19)F- and (1)H-detected data sets shows that the program delivers robust, high-confidence hit lists in a fraction of the time needed for manual analysis and greatly facilitates visual inspection of the associated NMR spectra. These features enable considerably higher throughput, the assessment of larger libraries, and shorter turn-around times.

  16. Comparison of phytate and other organic P forms in Mehlich-3 and Alkaline-EDTA matrices by ICP, NMR and mass spectrometry

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    The favored method of organic P identification over the last few decades has been 31P NMR. While this technique has the distinct advantage of speciating the organic P fraction, it has a relatively poor detection threshold (0.05 mg/ml), which typically limits 31P NMR to qualitative or confirmative ap...

  17. NMR Microscopy - Micron-Level Resolution.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kwok, Wing-Chi Edmund

    1990-01-01

    Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) has been developed into a powerful and widely used diagnostic tool since the invention of techniques using linear magnetic field gradients in 1973. The variety of imaging contrasts obtainable in MRI, such as spin density, relaxation times and flow rate, gives MRI a significant advantage over other imaging techniques. For common diagnostic applications, image resolutions have been in the order of millimeters with slice thicknesses in centimeters. For many research applications, however, resolutions in the order of tens of microns or smaller are needed. NMR Imaging in these high resolution disciplines is known as NMR microscopy. Compared with conventional microscopy, NMR microscopy has the advantage of being non-invasive and non-destructive. The major obstacles of NMR microscopy are low signal-to-noise ratio and effects due to spin diffusion. To overcome these difficulties, more sensitive RF probes and very high magnetic field gradients have to be used. The most effective way to increase sensitivity is to build smaller probes. Microscope probes of different designs have been built and evaluated. Magnetic field gradient coils that can produce linear field gradients up to 450 Gauss/cm were also assembled. In addition, since microscope probes often employ remote capacitors for RF tuning, the associated signal loss in the transmission line was studied. Imaging experiments have been carried out in a 2.1 Tesla small bore superconducting magnet using the typical two-dimensional spin warp imaging technique. Images have been acquired for both biological and non-biological samples. The highest resolution was obtained in an image of a nerve bundle from the spinal cord of a racoon and has an in-plane resolution of 4 microns. These experiments have demonstrated the potential application of NMR microscopy to pathological research, nervous system study and non -destructive testings of materials. One way to further improve NMR microscopy is to implement a higher static magnetic field which will increase signal strength. In the future, NMR microscopy should prove to be useful in the studies of cell linings, T1 & T2 relaxation mechanisms and NMR contrast agents.

  18. Toward nanomolar detection by NMR through SABRE hyperpolarization.

    PubMed

    Eshuis, Nan; Hermkens, Niels; van Weerdenburg, Bram J A; Feiters, Martin C; Rutjes, Floris P J T; Wijmenga, Sybren S; Tessari, Marco

    2014-02-19

    SABRE is a nuclear spin hyperpolarization technique based on the reversible association of a substrate molecule and para-hydrogen (p-H2) to a metal complex. During the lifetime of such a complex, generally fractions of a second, the spin order of p-H2 is transferred to the nuclear spins of the substrate molecule via a transient scalar coupling network, resulting in strongly enhanced NMR signals. This technique is generally applied at relatively high concentrations (mM), in large excess of substrate with respect to metal complex. Dilution of substrate ligands below stoichiometry results in progressive decrease of signal enhancement, which precludes the direct application of SABRE to the NMR analysis of low concentration (μM) solutions. Here, we show that the efficiency of SABRE at low substrate concentrations can be restored by addition of a suitable coordinating ligand to the solution. The proposed method allowed NMR detection below 1 μM in a single scan.

  19. Production of deuterated switchgrass by hydroponic cultivation

    DOE PAGES

    Evans, Barbara R.; Bali, Garima; Foston, Marcus B.; ...

    2015-04-21

    Deuterium enrichment of biological materials can potential enable expanded experimental use of small angle neutron scattering (SANS) to investigate molecular structural transitions of complex systems such as plant cell walls. Two key advances have been made that facilitate cultivation of switchgrass, an important forage and biofuel crop, for controlled isotopic enrichment: (1) perfusion system with individual chambers and (2) hydroponic growth from tiller cuttings. Plants were grown and maintained for several months with periodic harvest. Photosynthetic activity was monitored by measurement of CO 2 in outflow from the growth chambers. Plant morphology and composition appeared normal compared to matched controlsmore » grown with H 2O. Using this improved method, gram quantities of switchgrass leaves and stems were produced by continuous hydroponic cultivation using growth medium consisting of basal mineral salts in 50% D 2O. Deuterium incorporation was confirmed by detection of the O-D and C-D stretching peaks with FTIR and quantified by 1H- and 2H-NMR. Lastly, this capability to produce deuterated lignocellulosic biomass under controlled conditions will enhance investigation of cell wall structure and its deconstruction by neutron scattering and NMR techniques.« less

  20. A structural study of epoxidized natural rubber (ENR-50) and its cyclic dithiocarbonate derivative using NMR spectroscopy techniques.

    PubMed

    Hamzah, Rosniza; Bakar, Mohamad Abu; Khairuddean, Melati; Mohammed, Issam Ahmed; Adnan, Rohana

    2012-09-12

    A structural study of epoxidized natural rubber (ENR-50) and its cyclic dithiocarbonate derivative was carried out using NMR spectroscopy techniques. The overlapping (1)H-NMR signals of ENR-50 at δ 1.56, 1.68-1.70, 2.06, 2.15-2.17 ppm were successfully assigned. In this work, the <(13)C-NMR chemical shift assignments of ENR-50 were consistent to the previously reported work. A cyclic dithiocarbonate derivative of ENR-50 was synthesized from the reaction of purified ENR-50 with carbon disulfide (CS(2)), in the presence of 4-dimethylaminopyridine (DMAP) as catalyst at reflux temperature. The cyclic dithiocarbonate formation involved the epoxide ring opening of the ENR-50. This was followed by insertion of the C-S moiety of CS(2) at the oxygen attached to the quaternary carbon and methine carbon of epoxidized isoprene unit, respectively. The bands due to the C=S and C-O were clearly observed in the FTIR spectrum while the (1)H-NMR spectrum of the derivative revealed the peak attributed to the methylene protons had split. The (13)C-NMR spectrum of the derivative further indicates two new carbon peaks arising from the >C=S and quaternary carbon of cyclic dithiocarbonate. All other (1)H- and (13)C-NMR chemical shifts of the derivative remain unchanged with respect to the ENR-50.

  1. Probing porous media with gas diffusion NMR

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mair, R. W.; Wong, G. P.; Hoffmann, D.; Hurlimann, M. D.; Patz, S.; Schwartz, L. M.; Walsworth, R. L.

    1999-01-01

    We show that gas diffusion nuclear magnetic resonance (GD-NMR) provides a powerful technique for probing the structure of porous media. In random packs of glass beads, using both laser-polarized and thermally polarized xenon gas, we find that GD-NMR can accurately measure the pore space surface-area-to-volume ratio, S/V rho, and the tortuosity, alpha (the latter quantity being directly related to the system's transport properties). We also show that GD-NMR provides a good measure of the tortuosity of sandstone and complex carbonate rocks.

  2. Towards Single Biomolecule Imaging via Optical Nanoscale Magnetic Resonance Imaging.

    PubMed

    Boretti, Alberto; Rosa, Lorenzo; Castelletto, Stefania

    2015-09-09

    Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy is a physical marvel in which electromagnetic radiation is charged and discharged by nuclei in a magnetic field. In conventional NMR, the specific nuclei resonance frequency depends on the strength of the magnetic field and the magnetic properties of the isotope of the atoms. NMR is routinely utilized in clinical tests by converting nuclear spectroscopy in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and providing 3D, noninvasive biological imaging. While this technique has revolutionized biomedical science, measuring the magnetic resonance spectrum of single biomolecules is still an intangible aspiration, due to MRI resolution being limited to tens of micrometers. MRI and NMR have, however, recently greatly advanced, with many breakthroughs in nano-NMR and nano-MRI spurred by using spin sensors based on an atomic impurities in diamond. These techniques rely on magnetic dipole-dipole interactions rather than inductive detection. Here, novel nano-MRI methods based on nitrogen vacancy centers in diamond are highlighted, that provide a solution to the imaging of single biomolecules with nanoscale resolution in-vivo and in ambient conditions. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  3. Using NMR to Determine Protein Structure in Solution

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cavagnero, Silvia

    2003-02-01

    Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) is a marvelous spectroscopic technique that chemists, physicists, and biochemists routinely employ for their research around the world. This year half of the Nobel Prize for chemistry went to Kurt Wüthrich, who was recognized for the development of NMR-based techniques that lead to the structure determination of biomolecules in solution. In addition to implementing novel pulse sequences and software packages, Wüthrich also applied his methods to several biological systems of key importance to human health. These include the prion protein, which is heavily involved in the spongiform encephalopathy (best known as 'mad cow disease'), which recently caused numerous human deaths, particularly in the UK, due to ingestion of contaminated meat. Transverse relaxation optimized spectroscopy (TROSY) is the most intriguing new NMR method recently developed by Wüthrich and coworkers. This and other closely related pulse sequences promise to play a pivotal role in the extension of NMR to the conformational analysis of very large (up to the megadalton range) macromolecules and macromolecular complexes. More exciting new developments are expected in the near future.

  4. Pore size distribution calculation from 1H NMR signal and N2 adsorption-desorption techniques

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hassan, Jamal

    2012-09-01

    The pore size distribution (PSD) of nano-material MCM-41 is determined using two different approaches: N2 adsorption-desorption and 1H NMR signal of water confined in silica nano-pores of MCM-41. The first approach is based on the recently modified Kelvin equation [J.V. Rocha, D. Barrera, K. Sapag, Top. Catal. 54(2011) 121-134] which deals with the known underestimation in pore size distribution for the mesoporous materials such as MCM-41 by introducing a correction factor to the classical Kelvin equation. The second method employs the Gibbs-Thompson equation, using NMR, for melting point depression of liquid in confined geometries. The result shows that both approaches give similar pore size distribution to some extent, and also the NMR technique can be considered as an alternative direct method to obtain quantitative results especially for mesoporous materials. The pore diameter estimated for the nano-material used in this study was about 35 and 38 Å for the modified Kelvin and NMR methods respectively. A comparison between these methods and the classical Kelvin equation is also presented.

  5. Surface characterization of hydrophobic core-shell QDs using NMR techniques

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhang, Chengqi; Zeng, Birong; Palui, Goutam; Mattoussi, Hedi

    2018-02-01

    Using a few solution phase NMR spectroscopy techniques, including 1H NMR and 31P NMR, we have characterized the organic shell on CdSe-ZnS core-shell quantum dots and tracked changes in its composition when the QD dispersions are subjected to varying degrees of purification. Combining solution phase NMR with diffusion ordered spectroscopy (DOSY), we were able to distinguish between freely diffusing ligands in the sample from those bound on the surfaces. Additionally, matrix assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI) and FTIR measurements were used to provide complementary and supporting information on the organic ligand coating for these nanocrystals. We found that the organic shell is dominated by monomeric or oligomeric n-hexylphosphonic acid (HPA), along with small portion of 1-hexadecyl amine (HDA). The presence of TOP/TOPO (tri-n-octylphosphine / tri-noctylphosphine oxide) molecules is much smaller, even though large excess of TOP/TOPO were used during the QD growth. These results indicate that HPA (alkyl phosphonate) exhibits the strongest coordination affinity to ZnS-rich QD surfaces grown using the high temperature injection route.

  6. NMR of samples containing metal foils.

    PubMed

    Xiong, J; Lock, H; Tao, T; Keeler, C; Maciel, G E

    1999-07-01

    By using spool configurations of a sample containing aluminum foil, in which the axis of the spool is collinear with the RF coil axis, one can obtain high-quality 13C NMR spectra of static samples of organic material attached to the aluminum foil. By combining such a spool configuration (or, alternatively, analogous samples containing equivalent amounts of fine aluminum powder) with the magic-angle hopping (MAH) technique, one can achieve a high degree of isotropic averaging of the 13C spectrum. This opens to NMR techniques the study of a variety of samples containing macroscopic pieces of metal foils, e.g., thin films deposited on metal foils and electrochemical systems with species adsorbed on metal-foil electrodes.

  7. Exploiting periodic first-principles calculations in NMR spectroscopy of disordered solids.

    PubMed

    Ashbrook, Sharon E; Dawson, Daniel M

    2013-09-17

    Much of the information contained within solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra remains unexploited because of the challenges in obtaining high-resolution spectra and the difficulty in assigning those spectra. Recent advances that enable researchers to accurately and efficiently determine NMR parameters in periodic systems have revolutionized the application of density functional theory (DFT) calculations in solid-state NMR spectroscopy. These advances are particularly useful for experimentalists. The use of first-principles calculations aids in both the interpretation and assignment of the complex spectral line shapes observed for solids. Furthermore, calculations provide a method for evaluating potential structural models against experimental data for materials with poorly characterized structures. Determining the structure of well-ordered, periodic crystalline solids can be straightforward using methods that exploit Bragg diffraction. However, the deviations from periodicity, such as compositional, positional, or temporal disorder, often produce the physical properties (such as ferroelectricity or ionic conductivity) that may be of commercial interest. With its sensitivity to the atomic-scale environment, NMR provides a potentially useful tool for studying disordered materials, and the combination of experiment with first-principles calculations offers a particularly attractive approach. In this Account, we discuss some of the issues associated with the practical implementation of first-principles calculations of NMR parameters in solids. We then use two key examples to illustrate the structural insights that researchers can obtain when applying such calculations to disordered inorganic materials. First, we describe an investigation of cation disorder in Y2Ti(2-x)Sn(x)O7 pyrochlore ceramics using (89)Y and (119)Sn NMR. Researchers have proposed that these materials could serve as host phases for the encapsulation of lanthanide- and actinide-bearing radioactive waste. In a second example, we discuss how (17)O NMR can be used to probe the dynamic disorder of H in hydroxyl-humite minerals (nMg2SiO4·Mg(OH)2), and how (19)F NMR can be used to understand F substitution in these systems. The combination of first-principles calculations and multinuclear NMR spectroscopy facilitates the investigation of local structure, disorder, and dynamics in solids. We expect that applications will undoubtedly become more widespread with further advances in computational and experimental methods. Insight into the atomic-scale environment is a crucial first step in understanding the structure-property relationships in solids, and it enables the efficient design of future materials for a range of end uses.

  8. International NMR-based Environmental Metabolomics Intercomparison Exercise

    EPA Science Inventory

    Several fundamental requirements must be met so that NMR-based metabolomics and the related technique of metabonomics can be formally adopted into environmental monitoring and chemical risk assessment. Here we report an intercomparison exercise which has evaluated the effectivene...

  9. Unconventional Tight Reservoirs Characterization with Nuclear Magnetic Resonance

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Santiago, C. J. S.; Solatpour, R.; Kantzas, A.

    2017-12-01

    The increase in tight reservoir exploitation projects causes producing many papers each year on new, modern, and modified methods and techniques on estimating characteristics of these reservoirs. The most ambiguous of all basic reservoir property estimations deals with permeability. One of the logging methods that is advertised to predict permeability but is always met by skepticism is Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR). The ability of NMR to differentiate between bound and movable fluids and providing porosity increased the capability of NMR as a permeability prediction technique. This leads to a multitude of publications and the motivation of a review paper on this subject by Babadagli et al. (2002). The first part of this presentation is dedicated to an extensive review of the existing correlation models for NMR based estimates of tight reservoir permeability to update this topic. On the second part, the collected literature information is used to analyze new experimental data. The data are collected from tight reservoirs from Canada, the Middle East, and China. A case study is created to apply NMR measurement in the prediction of reservoir characterization parameters such as porosity, permeability, cut-offs, irreducible saturations etc. Moreover, permeability correlations are utilized to predict permeability. NMR experiments were conducted on water saturated cores. NMR T2 relaxation times were measured. NMR porosity, the geometric mean relaxation time (T2gm), Irreducible Bulk Volume (BVI), and Movable Bulk Volume (BVM) were calculated. The correlation coefficients were computed based on multiple regression analysis. Results are cross plots of NMR permeability versus the independently measured Klinkenberg corrected permeability. More complicated equations are discussed. Error analysis of models is presented and compared. This presentation is beneficial in understanding existing tight reservoir permeability models. The results can be used as a guide for choosing the best permeability estimation model for tight reservoirs data.

  10. In situ characterization of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) in collagen and model extracellular matrix by solid state NMR.

    PubMed

    Li, R; Rajan, R; Wong, W C V; Reid, D G; Duer, M J; Somovilla, V J; Martinez-Saez, N; Bernardes, G J L; Hayward, R; Shanahan, C M

    2017-12-14

    Non-enzymatic glycation of extracellular matrix with (U- 13 C 5 )-d-ribose-5-phosphate (R5P), enables in situ 2D ssNMR identification of many deleterious protein modifications and crosslinks, including previously unreported oxalamido and hemiaminal (CH 3 -CH(OH)NHR) substructures. Changes in charged residue proportions and distribution may be as important as crosslinking in provoking and understanding harmful tissue changes.

  11. LEGO-NMR spectroscopy: a method to visualize individual subunits in large heteromeric complexes.

    PubMed

    Mund, Markus; Overbeck, Jan H; Ullmann, Janina; Sprangers, Remco

    2013-10-18

    Seeing the big picture: Asymmetric macromolecular complexes that are NMR active in only a subset of their subunits can be prepared, thus decreasing NMR spectral complexity. For the hetero heptameric LSm1-7 and LSm2-8 rings NMR spectra of the individual subunits of the complete complex are obtained, showing a conserved RNA binding site. This LEGO-NMR technique makes large asymmetric complexes accessible to detailed NMR spectroscopic studies. © 2013 The Authors. Published by Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA. This is an open access article under the terms of Creative Commons the Attribution Non-Commercial NoDerivs License, which permits use and distribution in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, the use is non-commercial and no modifications or adaptations are made.

  12. Establishing resolution-improved NMR spectroscopy in high magnetic fields with unknown spatiotemporal variations

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Zhang, Zhiyong; Cai, Shuhui; Zheng, Zhenyao

    A half-century quest for higher magnetic fields has been an integral part of the progress undergone in the Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) study of materials’ structure and dynamics. Because 2D NMR relies on systematic changes in coherences’ phases as a function of an encoding time varied over a series of independent experiments, it generally cannot be applied in temporally unstable fields. This precludes most NMR methods from being used to characterize samples situated in hybrid or resistive magnets that are capable of achieving extremely high magnetic field strength. Recently, “ultrafast” NMR has been developed into an effective and widely applicablemore » methodology enabling the acquisition of a multidimensional NMR spectrum in a single scan; it can therefore be used to partially mitigate the effects of temporally varying magnetic fields. Nevertheless, the strong interference of fluctuating fields with the spatial encoding of ultrafast NMR still severely restricts measurement sensitivity and resolution. Here, we introduce a strategy for obtaining high resolution NMR spectra that exploits the immunity of intermolecular zero-quantum coherences (iZQCs) to field instabilities and inhomogeneities. The spatial encoding of iZQCs is combined with a J-modulated detection scheme that removes the influence of arbitrary field inhomogeneities during acquisition. This new method can acquire high-resolution one-dimensional NMR spectra in large inhomogeneous and fluctuating fields, and it is tested with fields experimentally modeled to mimic those of resistive and resistive-superconducting hybrid magnets.« less

  13. An improved 13C-tracer method for the study of lignin structure and reactions : differential 13C-NMR

    Treesearch

    Noritsugu Terashima; Dmitry Evtuguin; Carlos Pascoal Neto; Jim Parkas; Magnus Paulsson; Ulla Westermark; Sally Ralph; John Ralph

    2003-01-01

    The technique of selective 13C-enrichment of specific carbons in lignin combined with 13C-NMR differential spectrometry between spectra of 13C-enriched and unenriched lignins (Ä13C-NMR) provides definitive information on the structure of the lignin macromolecule. Improvements were made on, (1) specific 13C-enrichment of almost all carbons involved in inter-unit bonds...

  14. Perspectives on NMR in drug discovery: a technique comes of age

    PubMed Central

    Pellecchia, Maurizio; Bertini, Ivano; Cowburn, David; Dalvit, Claudio; Giralt, Ernest; Jahnke, Wolfgang; James, Thomas L.; Homans, Steve W.; Kessler, Horst; Luchinat, Claudio; Meyer, Bernd; Oschkinat, Hartmut; Peng, Jeff; Schwalbe, Harald; Siegal, Gregg

    2009-01-01

    In the past decade, the potential of harnessing the ability of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy to monitor intermolecular interactions as a tool for drug discovery has been increasingly appreciated in academia and industry. In this Perspective, we highlight some of the major applications of NMR in drug discovery, focusing on hit and lead generation, and provide a critical analysis of its current and potential utility. PMID:19172689

  15. Variable Temperature Nuclear Magnetic Resonance and Magnetic Resonance Imaging System as a Novel Technique for In Situ Monitoring of Food Phase Transition.

    PubMed

    Song, Yukun; Cheng, Shasha; Wang, Huihui; Zhu, Bei-Wei; Zhou, Dayong; Yang, Peiqiang; Tan, Mingqian

    2018-01-24

    A nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system with a 45 mm variable temperature (VT) sample probe (VT-NMR-MRI) was developed as an innovative technique for in situ monitoring of food phase transition. The system was designed to allow for dual deployment in either a freezing (-37 °C) or high temperature (150 °C) environment. The major breakthrough of the developed VT-NMR-MRI system is that it is able to measure the water states simultaneously in situ during food processing. The performance of the VT-NMR-MRI system was evaluated by measuring the phase transition for salmon flesh and hen egg samples. The NMR relaxometry results demonstrated that the freezing point of salmon flesh was -8.08 °C, and the salmon flesh denaturation temperature was 42.16 °C. The protein denaturation of egg was 70.61 °C, and the protein denaturation occurred at 24.12 min. Meanwhile, the use of MRI in phase transition of food was also investigated to gain internal structural information. All these results showed that the VT-NMR-MRI system provided an effective means for in situ monitoring of phase transition in food processing.

  16. First principles NMR study of fluorapatite under pressure.

    PubMed

    Pavan, Barbara; Ceresoli, Davide; Tecklenburg, Mary M J; Fornari, Marco

    2012-01-01

    NMR is the technique of election to probe the local properties of materials. Herein we present the results of density functional theory (DFT) ab initio calculations of the NMR parameters for fluorapatite (FAp), a calcium orthophosphate mineral belonging to the apatite family, by using the GIPAW method (Pickard and Mauri, 2001). Understanding the local effects of pressure on apatites is particularly relevant because of their important role in many solid state and biomedical applications. Apatites are open structures, which can undergo complex anisotropic deformations, and the response of NMR can elucidate the microscopic changes induced by an applied pressure. The computed NMR parameters proved to be in good agreement with the available experimental data. The structural evaluation of the material behavior under hydrostatic pressure (from -5 to +100 kbar) indicated a shrinkage of the diameter of the apatitic channel, and a strong correlation between NMR shielding and pressure, proving the sensitivity of this technique to even small changes in the chemical environment around the nuclei. This theoretical approach allows the exploration of all the different nuclei composing the material, thus providing a very useful guidance in the interpretation of experimental results, particularly valuable for the more challenging nuclei such as (43)Ca and (17)O. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  17. First Principles NMR Study of Fluorapatite under Pressure

    PubMed Central

    Pavan, Barbara; Ceresoli, Davide; Tecklenburg, Mary M. J.; Fornari, Marco

    2012-01-01

    NMR is the technique of election to probe the local properties of materials. Herein we present the results of density functional theory (DFT) ab initio calculations of the NMR parameters for fluorapatite (FAp), a calcium orthophosphate mineral belonging to the apatite family, by using the GIPAW method [Pickard and Mauri, 2001]. Understanding the local effects of pressure on apatites is particularly relevant because of their important role in many solid state and biomedical applications. Apatites are open structures, which can undergo complex anisotropic deformations, and the response of NMR can elucidate the microscopic changes induced by an applied pressure. The computed NMR parameters proved to be in good agreement with the available experimental data. The structural evaluation of the material behavior under hydrostatic pressure (from −5 to +100 kbar) indicated a shrinkage of the diameter of the apatitic channel, and a strong correlation between NMR shielding and pressure, proving the sensitivity of this technique to even small changes in the chemical environment around the nuclei. This theoretical approach allows the exploration of all the different nuclei composing the material, thus providing a very useful guidance in the interpretation of experimental results, particularly valuable for the more challenging nuclei such as 43Ca and 17O. PMID:22770669

  18. Protein Dynamics from NMR and Computer Simulation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wu, Qiong; Kravchenko, Olga; Kemple, Marvin; Likic, Vladimir; Klimtchuk, Elena; Prendergast, Franklyn

    2002-03-01

    Proteins exhibit internal motions from the millisecond to sub-nanosecond time scale. The challenge is to relate these internal motions to biological function. A strategy to address this aim is to apply a combination of several techniques including high-resolution NMR, computer simulation of molecular dynamics (MD), molecular graphics, and finally molecular biology, the latter to generate appropriate samples. Two difficulties that arise are: (1) the time scale which is most directly biologically relevant (ms to μs) is not readily accessible by these techniques and (2) the techniques focus on local and not collective motions. We will outline methods using ^13C-NMR to help alleviate the second problem, as applied to intestinal fatty acid binding protein, a relatively small intracellular protein believed to be involved in fatty acid transport and metabolism. This work is supported in part by PHS Grant GM34847 (FGP) and by a fellowship from the American Heart Association (QW).

  19. Theoretical and experimental NMR studies on muscimol from fly agaric mushroom (Amanita muscaria)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kupka, Teobald; Wieczorek, Piotr P.

    2016-01-01

    In this article we report results of combined theoretical and experimental NMR studies on muscimol, the bioactive alkaloid from fly agaric mushroom (Amanita muscaria). The assignment of 1H and 13C NMR spectra of muscimol in DMSO-d6 was supported by additional two-dimensional heteronuclear correlated spectra (2D NMR) and gauge independent atomic orbital (GIAO) NMR calculations using density functional theory (DFT). The effect of solvent in theoretical calculations was included via polarized continuum model (PCM) and the hybrid three-parameter B3LYP density functional in combination with 6-311++G(3df,2pd) basis set enabled calculation of reliable structures of non-ionized (neutral) molecule and its NH and zwitterionic forms in the gas phase, chloroform, DMSO and water. GIAO NMR calculations, using equilibrium and rovibrationally averaged geometry, at B3LYP/6-31G* and B3LYP/aug-cc-pVTZ-J levels of theory provided muscimol nuclear magnetic shieldings. The theoretical proton and carbon chemical shifts were critically compared with experimental NMR spectra measured in DMSO. Our results provide useful information on its structure in solution. We believe that such data could improve the understanding of basic features of muscimol at atomistic level and provide another tool in studies related to GABA analogs.

  20. Enhancing NMR of insensitive nuclei by transfer of SABRE spin hyperpolarization

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pravdivtsev, Andrey N.; Yurkovskaya, Alexandra V.; Zimmermann, Herbert; Vieth, Hans-Martin; Ivanov, Konstantin L.

    2016-09-01

    We describe the performance of methods for enhancing NMR (Nuclear Magnetic Resonance) signals of "insensitive", but important NMR nuclei, which are based on the SABRE (Signal Amplification By Reversible Exchange) technique, i.e., on spin order transfer from parahydrogen (H2 molecule in its nuclear singlet spin state) to a substrate in a transient organometallic complex. Here such transfer is performed at high magnetic fields by INEPT-type NMR pulse sequences, modified for SABRE. Signal enhancements up to three orders of magnitude are obtained for 15N nuclei; the possibility of sensitive detection of 2D-NMR 1H-15N spectra of SABRE complexes and substrates is demonstrated.

  1. Structural confirmation of regioisomers of Lopinavir impurities using MS and gradient COSY (1H and 13C NMR assignment of Lopinavir impurities).

    PubMed

    Siva Lakshmi Devi, A; Srinivasa Rao, Y; Suresh, Y; Yogeswar Reddy, M; Jyothi, G; Rajababu, B; Prasad, V S R; Umamaheswar Rao, V

    2007-05-01

    We report the complete (1)H and (13)C NMR assignment of impurities of six Lopinavir (2S)-N-[(2S, 4S, 5S)-5-{[2-(2,6-dimethylphenoxy)acetyl]amino}-4-hydroxy-1,6-diphenyl hexan-2-yl]-3-methyl-2-(2-oxo-1,3-diazinan-1-yl)butan- amide. Two of the impurities are regioisomers and GCOSY used to differentiate the two structures. The spectral assignments for all six impurities were achieved by concerted application of one and two-dimensional NMR techniques ((1)H NMR, (13)C NMR, DEPT, GCOSY, GHSQC and GHMBC). Copyright (c) 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  2. Combined In Situ Illumination-NMR-UV/Vis Spectroscopy: A New Mechanistic Tool in Photochemistry.

    PubMed

    Seegerer, Andreas; Nitschke, Philipp; Gschwind, Ruth M

    2018-06-18

    Synthetic applications in photochemistry are booming. Despite great progress in the development of new reactions, mechanistic investigations are still challenging. Therefore, we present a fully automated in situ combination of NMR spectroscopy, UV/Vis spectroscopy, and illumination to allow simultaneous and time-resolved detection of paramagnetic and diamagnetic species. This optical fiber-based setup enables the first acquisition of combined UV/Vis and NMR spectra in photocatalysis, as demonstrated on a conPET process. Furthermore, the broad applicability of combined UVNMR spectroscopy for light-induced processes is demonstrated on a structural and quantitative analysis of a photoswitch, including rate modulation and stabilization of transient species by temperature variation. Owing to the flexibility regarding the NMR hardware, temperature, and light sources, we expect wide-ranging applications of this setup in various research fields. © 2018 The Authors. Published by Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA.

  3. A 93Nb solid-state NMR and density functional theory study of four- and six-coordinate niobate systems.

    PubMed

    Hanna, John V; Pike, Kevin J; Charpentier, Thibault; Kemp, Thomas F; Smith, Mark E; Lucier, Bryan E G; Schurko, Robert W; Cahill, Lindsay S

    2010-03-08

    A variable B(0) field static (broadline) NMR study of a large suite of niobate materials has enabled the elucidation of high-precision measurement of (93)Nb NMR interaction parameters such as the isotropic chemical shift (delta(iso)), quadrupole coupling constant and asymmetry parameter (C(Q) and eta(Q)), chemical shift span/anisotropy and skew/asymmetry (Omega/Deltadelta and kappa/eta(delta)) and Euler angles (alpha, beta, gamma) describing the relative orientation of the quadrupolar and chemical shift tensorial frames. These measurements have been augmented with ab initio DFT calculations by using WIEN2k and NMR-CASTEP codes, which corroborate these reported values. Unlike previous assertions made about the inability to detect CSA (chemical shift anisotropy) contributions from Nb(V) in most oxo environments, this study emphasises that a thorough variable B(0) approach coupled with the VOCS (variable offset cumulative spectroscopy) technique for the acquisition of undistorted broad (-1/2<-->+1/2) central transition resonances facilitates the unambiguous observation of both quadrupolar and CSA contributions within these (93)Nb broadline data. These measurements reveal that the (93)Nb electric field gradient tensor is a particularly sensitive measure of the immediate and extended environments of the Nb(V) positions, with C(Q) values in the 0 to >80 MHz range being measured; similarly, the delta(iso) (covering an approximately 250 ppm range) and Omega values (covering a 0 to approximately 800 ppm range) characteristic of these niobate systems are also sensitive to structural disposition. However, their systematic rationalisation in terms of the Nb-O bond angles and distances defining the immediate Nb(V) oxo environment is complicated by longer-range influences that usually involve other heavy elements comprising the structure. It has also been established in this study that the best computational method(s) of analysis for the (93)Nb NMR interaction parameters generated here are the all-electron WIEN2k and the gauge included projector augmented wave (GIPAW) NMR-CASTEP DFT approaches, which account for the short- and long-range symmetries, periodicities and interaction-potential characteristics for all elements (and particularly the heavy elements) in comparison with Gaussian 03 methods, which focus on terminated portions of the total structure.

  4. Metabolic Analysis

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tolstikov, Vladimir V.

    Analysis of the metabolome with coverage of all of the possibly detectable components in the sample, rather than analysis of each individual metabolite at a given time, can be accomplished by metabolic analysis. Targeted and/or nontargeted approaches are applied as needed for particular experiments. Monitoring hundreds or more metabolites at a given time requires high-throughput and high-end techniques that enable screening for relative changes in, rather than absolute concentrations of, compounds within a wide dynamic range. Most of the analytical techniques useful for these purposes use GC or HPLC/UPLC separation modules coupled to a fast and accurate mass spectrometer. GC separations require chemical modification (derivatization) before analysis, and work efficiently for the small molecules. HPLC separations are better suited for the analysis of labile and nonvolatile polar and nonpolar compounds in their native form. Direct infusion and NMR-based techniques are mostly used for fingerprinting and snap phenotyping, where applicable. Discovery and validation of metabolic biomarkers are exciting and promising opportunities offered by metabolic analysis applied to biological and biomedical experiments. We have demonstrated that GC-TOF-MS, HPLC/UPLC-RP-MS and HILIC-LC-MS techniques used for metabolic analysis offer sufficient metabolome mapping providing researchers with confident data for subsequent multivariate analysis and data mining.

  5. Measurement of adenosine triphosphate and 2,3-diphosphoglycerate in stored blood with 31P nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy.

    PubMed

    Ambruso, D R; Hawkins, B; Johnson, D L; Fritzberg, A R; Klingensmith, W C; McCabe, E R

    1986-06-01

    Conditions for blood storage are chosen to assure adequate levels of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and 2,3-diphosphoglycerate (2,3-DPG). Because of the invasive nature of the techniques, biochemical assays are not routinely used to measure levels of these compounds in stored blood. However, 31P NMR spectroscopy measures phosphorylated intermediates in intact cells and could be used without disruption of the storage pack. We compared levels of ATP and 2,3-DPG measured by 31P spectroscopy and standard enzyme-linked biochemical assays in whole blood (WB) and packed red blood cells (PRBCs) at weekly intervals during a 35-day storage period. NMR demonstrated a marked decrease in 2,3-DPG and an increase in inorganic phosphate after the first week of storage. No significant differences in ATP concentrations were seen in WB during the storage period, but a significant decrease in ATP in PRBCs was documented. There was good agreement in levels of ATP and 2,3-DPG measured by NMR and biochemical techniques. 31P NMR spectroscopy is a noninvasive technique for measuring ATP and 2,3-DPG which has a potential use in quality assurance of stored blood.

  6. High quality NMR structures: a new force field with implicit water and membrane solvation for Xplor-NIH.

    PubMed

    Tian, Ye; Schwieters, Charles D; Opella, Stanley J; Marassi, Francesca M

    2017-01-01

    Structure determination of proteins by NMR is unique in its ability to measure restraints, very accurately, in environments and under conditions that closely mimic those encountered in vivo. For example, advances in solid-state NMR methods enable structure determination of membrane proteins in detergent-free lipid bilayers, and of large soluble proteins prepared by sedimentation, while parallel advances in solution NMR methods and optimization of detergent-free lipid nanodiscs are rapidly pushing the envelope of the size limit for both soluble and membrane proteins. These experimental advantages, however, are partially squandered during structure calculation, because the commonly used force fields are purely repulsive and neglect solvation, Van der Waals forces and electrostatic energy. Here we describe a new force field, and updated energy functions, for protein structure calculations with EEFx implicit solvation, electrostatics, and Van der Waals Lennard-Jones forces, in the widely used program Xplor-NIH. The new force field is based primarily on CHARMM22, facilitating calculations with a wider range of biomolecules. The new EEFx energy function has been rewritten to enable OpenMP parallelism, and optimized to enhance computation efficiency. It implements solvation, electrostatics, and Van der Waals energy terms together, thus ensuring more consistent and efficient computation of the complete nonbonded energy lists. Updates in the related python module allow detailed analysis of the interaction energies and associated parameters. The new force field and energy function work with both soluble proteins and membrane proteins, including those with cofactors or engineered tags, and are very effective in situations where there are sparse experimental restraints. Results obtained for NMR-restrained calculations with a set of five soluble proteins and five membrane proteins show that structures calculated with EEFx have significant improvements in accuracy, precision, and conformation, and that structure refinement can be obtained by short relaxation with EEFx to obtain improvements in these key metrics. These developments broaden the range of biomolecular structures that can be calculated with high fidelity from NMR restraints.

  7. Neuronal current detection with low-field magnetic resonance: simulations and methods.

    PubMed

    Cassará, Antonino Mario; Maraviglia, Bruno; Hartwig, Stefan; Trahms, Lutz; Burghoff, Martin

    2009-10-01

    The noninvasive detection of neuronal currents in active brain networks [or direct neuronal imaging (DNI)] by means of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) remains a scientific challenge. Many different attempts using NMR scanners with magnetic fields >1 T (high-field NMR) have been made in the past years to detect phase shifts or magnitude changes in the NMR signals. However, the many physiological (i.e., the contemporarily BOLD effect, the weakness of the neuronal-induced magnetic field, etc.) and technical limitations (e.g., the spatial resolution) in observing the weak signals have led to some contradicting results. In contrast, only a few attempts have been made using low-field NMR techniques. As such, this paper was aimed at reviewing two recent developments in this front. The detection schemes discussed in this manuscript, the resonant mechanism (RM) and the DC method, are specific to NMR instrumentations with main fields below the earth magnetic field (50 microT), while some even below a few microteslas (ULF-NMR). However, the experimental validation for both techniques, with differentiating sensitivity to the various neuronal activities at specific temporal and spatial resolutions, is still in progress and requires carefully designed magnetic field sensor technology. Additional care should be taken to ensure a stringent magnetic shield from the ambient magnetic field fluctuations. In this review, we discuss the characteristics and prospect of these two methods in detecting neuronal currents, along with the technical requirements on the instrumentation.

  8. Solution conformation of carbohydrates: a view by using NMR assisted by modeling.

    PubMed

    Díaz, Dolores; Canales-Mayordomo, Angeles; Cañada, F Javier; Jiménez-Barbero, Jesús

    2015-01-01

    Structural elucidation of complex carbohydrates in solution is not a trivial task. From the NMR view point, the limited chemical shift dispersion of sugar NMR spectra demands the combination of a variety of NMR techniques as well as the employment of molecular modeling methods. Herein, a general protocol for assignment of resonances and determination of inter-proton distances within the saccharides by homonuclear and heteronuclear experiments (i.e., (1)H and (13)C) is described. In addition, several computational tools and procedures for getting a final ensemble of geometries that represent the structure in solution are presented.

  9. Selective detection of hyperpolarized NMR signals derived from para-hydrogen using the Only Para-hydrogen SpectroscopY (OPSY) approach.

    PubMed

    Aguilar, Juan A; Adams, Ralph W; Duckett, Simon B; Green, Gary G R; Kandiah, Rathika

    2011-01-01

    A new family of NMR pulse sequences is reported for the recording of para-hydrogen enhanced NMR spectra. This Only Para-hydrogen SpectroscopY (OPSY) approach uses coherence selection to separate hyperpolarized signals from those of fully relaxed and thermally equilibrated protons. Sequence design, performance, practical aspects and applicability to other hyperpolarization techniques are discussed. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  10. Irreversible Catalyst Activation Enables Hyperpolarization and Water Solubility for NMR Signal Amplification by Reversible Exchange

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2016-09-12

    Phys. Rev. Lett. 1986 , 57, 2645−2648. (8) Goldman, M.; Johannesson, H. Conversion of a Proton Pair Para Order into C-13 Polarization by Rf...A.; Harris, K.; Batchelder, L. S.; Bhattacharya, P.; Ross , B. D.; Weitekamp, D. P. PASADENA Hyperpolarization of Succinic Acid for MRI and NMR...Bhattacharya, P.; Chekmenev, E. Y.; Perman, W. H.; Harris, K. C.; Lin, A. P.; Norton, V. A.; Tan, C. T.; Ross , B. D.; Weitekamp, D. P. Towards

  11. NMR doesn't lie or how solid-state NMR spectroscopy contributed to a better understanding of the nature and function of soil organic matter (Philippe Duchaufour Medal Lecture)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Knicker, Heike

    2016-04-01

    "Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) does not lie". More than anything else, this statement of a former colleague and friend has shaped my relation to solid-state NMR spectroscopy. Indeed, if this technique leads to results which contradict the expectations, it is because i) some parts of the instrument are broken, ii) maladjustment of the acquisition parameters or iii) wrong preparation or confusion of samples. However, it may be even simpler, namely that the expectations were wrong. Of course, for researchers, the latter is the most interesting possibility since it forces to reassess accepted views and to search for new explanations. As my major analytical tool, NMR spectroscopy has confronted me with this challenge often enough to turn this issue into the main subject of my talk and to share with the audience how it formed my understanding of function and nature of soil organic matter (SOM). Already shortly after its introduction into soil science in the 1980's, the data obtained with solid-state 13C NMR spectroscopy opened the stage for ongoing discussions, since they showed that in humified SOM aromatic carbon is considerably less important than previously thought. This finding had major implications regarding the understanding of the origin of SOM and the mechanisms by which it is formed. Certainly, the discrepancy between the new results and previous paradigms contributed to mistrust in the reliability of solid-state NMR techniques. The respective discussion has survived up to our days, although already in the 1980's and 1990's fundamental studies could demonstrate that quantitative solid-state NMR data can be obtained if i) correct acquisition parameters are chosen, ii) the impact of paramagnetic compounds is reduced and iii) the presence of soot in soils can be excluded. On the other hand, this mistrust led to a detailed analysis of the impact of paramagnetics on the NMR behavior of C groups which then improved our understanding of the role of carbohydrates for organo-mineral interactions. Since decent solid-state NMR spectra cannot be obtained from graphenic components, the successful acquisition of solid-state 13C and 15N NMR spectra of charcoals challenged the well accepted model of their chemical nature. Application of advanced 2D NMR approaches confirmed the new view of charcoal as a heterogeneous material, the composition of which depends upon the feedstock and charring condition. The respective consequences of this alternative for the understanding of C sequestration are still matter of ongoing debates. Although the sensitivity of 15N for NMR spectroscopy is 50 times lower than that of 13C, first solid-state 15N NMR spectra of soils with natural 15N abundance were already published in the 1990's. They clearly identified peptide-like structures as the main organic N form in unburnt soils. However, in spite of their high contribution to SOM, the role of peptides in soils is far from understood. Considering the new technological developments in the field of NMR spectroscopy, this technique will certainly not stop to contribute to unexpected results.

  12. Integrated standardization concept for Angelica botanicals using quantitative NMR

    PubMed Central

    Gödecke, Tanja; Yao, Ping; Napolitano, José G.; Nikolić, Dejan; Dietz, Birgit M.; Bolton, Judy L.; van Breemen, Richard B.; Farnsworth, Norman R.; Chen, Shao-Nong; Lankin, David C.; Pauli, Guido F.

    2011-01-01

    Despite numerous in vitro/vivo and phytochemical studies, the active constituents of Angelica sinensis (AS) have not been conclusively identified for the standardization to bioactive markers. Phytochemical analyses of AS extracts and fractions that demonstrate activity in a panel of in vitro bioassays, have repeatedly pointed to ligustilide as being (associated with) the active principle(s). Due to the chemical instability of ligustilide and related issues in GC/LC analyses, new methods capable of quantifying ligustilide in mixtures that do not rely on an identical reference standard are in high demand. This study demonstrates how NMR can satisfy the requirement for simultaneous, multi-target quantification and qualitative identification. First, the AS activity was concentrated into a single fraction by RP-solid-phase extraction, as confirmed by an (anti-)estrogenicity and cytotoxicity assay. Next, a quantitative 1H NMR (qHNMR) method was established and validated using standard compounds and comparing processing methods. Subsequent 1D/2D NMR and qHNMR analysis led to the identification and quantification of ligustilide and other minor components in the active fraction, and to the development of quality criteria for authentic AS preparations. The absolute and relative quantities of ligustilide, six minor alkyl phthalides, and groups of phenylpropanoids, polyynes, and poly-unsaturated fatty acids were measured by a combination of qHNMR and 2D COSY. The qNMR approach enables multi-target quality control of the bioactive fraction, and enables the integrated biological and chemical standardization of AS botanicals. This methodology can potentially be transferred to other botanicals with active principles that act synergistically, or that contain closely related and/or constituents, which have not been conclusively identified as the active principles. PMID:21907766

  13. Comparison of Attenuated Total Reflectance Mid-Infrared, Near Infrared, and 1H-Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopies for the Determination of Coffee's Geographical Origin.

    PubMed

    Medina, Jessica; Caro Rodríguez, Diana; Arana, Victoria A; Bernal, Andrés; Esseiva, Pierre; Wist, Julien

    2017-01-01

    The sensorial properties of Colombian coffee are renowned worldwide, which is reflected in its market value. This raises the threat of fraud by adulteration using coffee grains from other countries, thus creating a demand for robust and cost-effective methods for the determination of geographical origin of coffee samples. Spectroscopic techniques such as Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR), near infrared (NIR), and mid-infrared (mIR) have arisen as strong candidates for the task. Although a body of work exists that reports on their individual performances, a faithful comparison has not been established yet. We evaluated the performance of 1 H-NMR, Attenuated Total Reflectance mIR (ATR-mIR), and NIR applied to fraud detection in Colombian coffee. For each technique, we built classification models for discrimination by species ( C. arabica versus C. canephora (or robusta )) and by origin (Colombia versus other C. arabica ) using a common set of coffee samples. All techniques successfully discriminated samples by species, as expected. Regarding origin determination, ATR-mIR and 1 H-NMR showed comparable capacity to discriminate Colombian coffee samples, while NIR fell short by comparison. In conclusion, ATR-mIR, a less common technique in the field of coffee adulteration and fraud detection, emerges as a strong candidate, faster and with lower cost compared to 1 H-NMR and more discriminating compared to NIR.

  14. Unilateral NMR applied to the conservation of works of art.

    PubMed

    Del Federico, Eleonora; Centeno, Silvia A; Kehlet, Cindie; Currier, Penelope; Stockman, Denise; Jerschow, Alexej

    2010-01-01

    In conventional NMR, samples from works of art in sizes above those considered acceptable in the field of art conservation would have to be removed to place them into the bore of large superconducting magnets. The portable permanent-magnet-based systems, by contrast, can be used in situ to study works of art, in a noninvasive manner. One of these portable NMR systems, NMR-MOUSE(R), measures the information contained in one pixel in an NMR image from a region of about 1 cm(2), which can be as thin as 2-3 microm. With such a high depth resolution, profiles through the structures of art objects can be measured to characterize the materials, the artists' techniques, and the deterioration processes. A novel application of the technique to study a deterioration process and to follow up a conservation treatment is presented in which micrometer-thick oil stains on paper are differentiated and characterized. In this example, the spin-spin relaxation T (2) of the stain is correlated to the iodine number and to the degree of cross-linking of the oil, parameters that are crucial in choosing an appropriate conservation treatment to remove them. It is also shown that the variation of T (2) over the course of treatments with organic solvents can be used to monitor the progress of the conservation interventions. It is expected that unilateral NMR in combination with multivariate data analysis will fill a gap within the set of high-spatial-resolution techniques currently available for the noninvasive analysis of materials in works of art, where procedures to study the inorganic components are currently far more developed than those suitable for the study of the organic components.

  15. nmrML: A Community Supported Open Data Standard for the Description, Storage, and Exchange of NMR Data.

    PubMed

    Schober, Daniel; Jacob, Daniel; Wilson, Michael; Cruz, Joseph A; Marcu, Ana; Grant, Jason R; Moing, Annick; Deborde, Catherine; de Figueiredo, Luis F; Haug, Kenneth; Rocca-Serra, Philippe; Easton, John; Ebbels, Timothy M D; Hao, Jie; Ludwig, Christian; Günther, Ulrich L; Rosato, Antonio; Klein, Matthias S; Lewis, Ian A; Luchinat, Claudio; Jones, Andrew R; Grauslys, Arturas; Larralde, Martin; Yokochi, Masashi; Kobayashi, Naohiro; Porzel, Andrea; Griffin, Julian L; Viant, Mark R; Wishart, David S; Steinbeck, Christoph; Salek, Reza M; Neumann, Steffen

    2018-01-02

    NMR is a widely used analytical technique with a growing number of repositories available. As a result, demands for a vendor-agnostic, open data format for long-term archiving of NMR data have emerged with the aim to ease and encourage sharing, comparison, and reuse of NMR data. Here we present nmrML, an open XML-based exchange and storage format for NMR spectral data. The nmrML format is intended to be fully compatible with existing NMR data for chemical, biochemical, and metabolomics experiments. nmrML can capture raw NMR data, spectral data acquisition parameters, and where available spectral metadata, such as chemical structures associated with spectral assignments. The nmrML format is compatible with pure-compound NMR data for reference spectral libraries as well as NMR data from complex biomixtures, i.e., metabolomics experiments. To facilitate format conversions, we provide nmrML converters for Bruker, JEOL and Agilent/Varian vendor formats. In addition, easy-to-use Web-based spectral viewing, processing, and spectral assignment tools that read and write nmrML have been developed. Software libraries and Web services for data validation are available for tool developers and end-users. The nmrML format has already been adopted for capturing and disseminating NMR data for small molecules by several open source data processing tools and metabolomics reference spectral libraries, e.g., serving as storage format for the MetaboLights data repository. The nmrML open access data standard has been endorsed by the Metabolomics Standards Initiative (MSI), and we here encourage user participation and feedback to increase usability and make it a successful standard.

  16. A Fragment-Based Ligand Screen Against Part of a Large Protein Machine: The ND1 Domains of the AAA+ ATPase p97/VCP.

    PubMed

    Chimenti, Michael S; Bulfer, Stacie L; Neitz, R Jeffrey; Renslo, Adam R; Jacobson, Matthew P; James, Thomas L; Arkin, Michelle R; Kelly, Mark J S

    2015-07-01

    The ubiquitous AAA+ ATPase p97 functions as a dynamic molecular machine driving several cellular processes. It is essential in regulating protein homeostasis, and it represents a potential drug target for cancer, particularly when there is a greater reliance on the endoplasmic reticulum-associated protein degradation pathway and ubiquitin-proteasome pathway to degrade an overabundance of secreted proteins. Here, we report a case study for using fragment-based ligand design approaches against this large and dynamic hexamer, which has multiple potential binding sites for small molecules. A screen of a fragment library was conducted by surface plasmon resonance (SPR) and followed up by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), two complementary biophysical techniques. Virtual screening was also carried out to examine possible binding sites for the experimental hits and evaluate the potential utility of fragment docking for this target. Out of this effort, 13 fragments were discovered that showed reversible binding with affinities between 140 µM and 1 mM, binding stoichiometries of 1:1 or 2:1, and good ligand efficiencies. Structural data for fragment-protein interactions were obtained with residue-specific [U-(2)H] (13)CH3-methyl-labeling NMR strategies, and these data were compared to poses from docking. The combination of virtual screening, SPR, and NMR enabled us to find and validate a number of interesting fragment hits and allowed us to gain an understanding of the structural nature of fragment binding. © 2015 Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening.

  17. Non-invasive measurement of brain glycogen by NMR spectroscopy and its application to the study of brain metabolism

    PubMed Central

    Tesfaye, Nolawit; Seaquist, Elizabeth R.; Öz, Gülin

    2011-01-01

    Glycogen is the reservoir for glucose in the brain. Beyond the general agreement that glycogen serves as an energy source in the central nervous system, its exact role in brain energy metabolism has yet to be elucidated. Experiments performed in cell and tissue culture and animals have shown that glycogen content is affected by several factors including glucose, insulin, neurotransmitters, and neuronal activation. The study of in vivo glycogen metabolism has been hindered by the inability to measure glycogen non-invasively, but in the past several years, the development of a non-invasive localized 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy method has enabled the study of glycogen metabolism in the conscious human. With this technique, 13C-glucose is administered intravenously and its incorporation into and wash-out from brain glycogen is tracked. One application of this method has been to the study of brain glycogen metabolism in humans during hypoglycemia: data have shown that mobilization of brain glycogen is augmented during hypoglycemia and, after a single episode of hypoglycemia, glycogen synthesis rate is increased, suggesting that glycogen stores rebound to levels greater than baseline. Such studies suggest glycogen may serve as a potential energy reservoir in hypoglycemia and may participate in the brain's adaptation to recurrent hypoglycemia and eventual development of hypoglycemia unawareness. Beyond this focused area of study, 13C NMR spectroscopy has a broad potential for application in the study of brain glycogen metabolism and carries the promise of a better understanding of the role of brain glycogen in diabetes and other conditions. PMID:21732401

  18. Untangling the Diverse Interior and Multiple Exterior Guest Interactions of a Supramolecular Host by the Simultaneous Analysis of Complementary Observables.

    PubMed

    Sgarlata, Carmelo; Raymond, Kenneth N

    2016-07-05

    The entropic and enthalpic driving forces for encapsulation versus sequential exterior guest binding to the [Ga4L6](12-) supramolecular host in solution are very different, which significantly complicates the determination of these thermodynamic parameters. The simultaneous use of complementary techniques, such as NMR, UV-vis, and isothermal titration calorimetry, enables the disentanglement of such multiple host-guest interactions. Indeed, data collected by each technique measure different components of the host-guest equilibria and together provide a complete picture of the solution thermodynamics. Unfortunately, commercially available programs do not allow for global analysis of different physical observables. We thus resorted to a novel procedure for the simultaneous refinement of multiple parameters (ΔG°, ΔH°, and ΔS°) by treating different observables through a weighted nonlinear least-squares analysis of a constrained model. The refinement procedure is discussed for the multiple binding of the Et4N(+) guest, but it is broadly applicable to the deconvolution of other intricate host-guest equilibria.

  19. Mechanical design of proteins studied by single-molecule force spectroscopy and protein engineering.

    PubMed

    Carrion-Vazquez, M; Oberhauser, A F; Fisher, T E; Marszalek, P E; Li, H; Fernandez, J M

    2000-01-01

    Mechanical unfolding and refolding may regulate the molecular elasticity of modular proteins with mechanical functions. The development of the atomic force microscopy (AFM) has recently enabled the dynamic measurement of these processes at the single-molecule level. Protein engineering techniques allow the construction of homomeric polyproteins for the precise analysis of the mechanical unfolding of single domains. alpha-Helical domains are mechanically compliant, whereas beta-sandwich domains, particularly those that resist unfolding with backbone hydrogen bonds between strands perpendicular to the applied force, are more stable and appear frequently in proteins subject to mechanical forces. The mechanical stability of a domain seems to be determined by its hydrogen bonding pattern and is correlated with its kinetic stability rather than its thermodynamic stability. Force spectroscopy using AFM promises to elucidate the dynamic mechanical properties of a wide variety of proteins at the single molecule level and provide an important complement to other structural and dynamic techniques (e.g., X-ray crystallography, NMR spectroscopy, patch-clamp).

  20. A new approach to the analysis of radiopharmaceuticals. Final technical report, January 15, 1987--June 30, 1991

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Jones, A.G.; Davison, A.; Costello, C.E.

    The objective of this research was to investigate analytical techniques that could be used in the study of both the basic chemistry and the radiopharmaceutical chemistry of {sup 99m}Tc. First funded in 1981, the work focused initially upon the use of high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and various forms of mass spectrometry for the identification of technetium species. This funding allowed the authors to combine HPLC and mass spectrometry to identify radiopharmaceuticals which, although in clinical use, had not previously been characterized. Other techniques that have been examined include resonance Raman spectroscopy and, more significantly, {sup 99}Tc nuclear magnetic resonancemore » spectroscopy (NMR), with the latter not only being used in purely chemical experiments but also in biologic studies. In 1985 a grant to the Department of Chemistry at MIT from DOE allowed the purchase of an X-ray diffractometer and access to this instrument has enabled them to broaden the analytical base with routine structural determinations.« less

  1. Chemical Exchange Saturation Transfer in Chemical Reactions: A Mechanistic Tool for NMR Detection and Characterization of Transient Intermediates.

    PubMed

    Lokesh, N; Seegerer, Andreas; Hioe, Johnny; Gschwind, Ruth M

    2018-02-07

    The low sensitivity of NMR and transient key intermediates below detection limit are the central problems studying reaction mechanisms by NMR. Sensitivity can be enhanced by hyperpolarization techniques such as dynamic nuclear polarization or the incorporation/interaction of special hyperpolarized molecules. However, all of these techniques require special equipment, are restricted to selective reactions, or undesirably influence the reaction pathways. Here, we apply the chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST) technique for the first time to NMR detect and characterize previously unobserved transient reaction intermediates in organocatalysis. The higher sensitivity of CEST and chemical equilibria present in the reaction pathway are exploited to access population and kinetics information on low populated intermediates. The potential of the method is demonstrated on the proline-catalyzed enamine formation for unprecedented in situ detection of a DPU stabilized zwitterionic iminium species, the elusive key intermediate between enamine and oxazolidinones. The quantitative analysis of CEST data at 250 K revealed the population ratio of [Z-iminium]/[exo-oxazolidinone] 0.02, relative free energy +8.1 kJ/mol (calculated +7.3 kJ/mol), and free energy barrier of +45.9 kJ/mol (ΔG ⧧ calc. (268 K) = +42.2 kJ/mol) for Z-iminium → exo-oxazolidinone. The findings underpin the iminium ion participation in enamine formation pathway corroborating our earlier theoretical prediction and help in better understanding. The reliability of CEST is validated using 1D EXSY-build-up techniques at low temperature (213 K). The CEST method thus serves as a new tool for mechanistic investigations in organocatalysis to access key information, such as chemical shifts, populations, and reaction kinetics of intermediates below the standard NMR detection limit.

  2. Nuclear magnetic resonance and high-performance liquid chromatography techniques for the characterization of bioactive compounds from Humulus lupulus L. (hop).

    PubMed

    Bertelli, Davide; Brighenti, Virginia; Marchetti, Lucia; Reik, Anna; Pellati, Federica

    2018-06-01

    Humulus lupulus L. (hop) represents one of the most cultivated crops, it being a key ingredient in the brewing process. Many health-related properties have been described for hop extracts, making this plant gain more interest in the field of pharmaceutical and nutraceutical research. Among the analytical tools available for the phytochemical characterization of plant extracts, quantitative nuclear magnetic resonance (qNMR) represents a new and powerful technique. In this ambit, the present study was aimed at the development of a new, simple, and efficient qNMR method for the metabolite fingerprinting of bioactive compounds in hop cones, taking advantage of the novel ERETIC 2 tool. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first attempt to apply this method to complex matrices of natural origin, such as hop extracts. The qNMR method set up in this study was applied to the quantification of both prenylflavonoids and bitter acids in eight hop cultivars. The performance of this analytical method was compared with that of HPLC-UV/DAD, which represents the most frequently used technique in the field of natural product analysis. The quantitative data obtained for hop samples by means of the two aforementioned techniques highlighted that the amount of bioactive compounds was slightly higher when qNMR was applied, although the order of magnitude of the values was the same. The accuracy of qNMR was comparable to that of the chromatographic method, thus proving to be a reliable tool for the analysis of these secondary metabolites in hop extracts. Graphical abstract Graphical abstract related to the extraction and analytical methods applied in this work for the analysis of bioactive compounds in Humulus lupulus L. (hop) cones.

  3. Characterizing Covalently Sidewall-Functionalized SWCNTs by using 1H NMR Spectroscopy

    PubMed Central

    Nelson, Donna J.; Kumar, Ravi

    2013-01-01

    Unambiguous evidence for covalent sidewall functionalization of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) has been a difficult task, especially for nanomaterials in which slight differences in functionality structure produce significant changes in molecular characteristics. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy provides clear information about the structural skeleton of molecules attached to SWCNTs. In order to establish the generality of proton NMR as an analytical technique for characterizing covalently functionalized SWCNTs, we have obtained and analyzed proton NMR data of SWCNT-substituted benzenes across a variety of para substituents. Trends obtained for differences in proton NMR chemical shifts and the impact of o-, p-, and m-directing effects of electrophilic aromatic substituents on phenyl groups covalently bonded to SWCNTs are discussed. PMID:24009779

  4. A review of whole cell wall NMR by the direct-dissolution of biomass

    DOE PAGES

    Foston, Marcus B.; Samuel, Reichel; He, Jian; ...

    2016-01-19

    To fully realize the potential of lignocellulosic biomass as a renewable resource for the production of fuels, chemicals, and materials, an improved understanding of the chemical and molecular structures within biomass and how those structures are formed during biosynthesis and transformed during (thermochemical and biological) conversion must be developed. This effort will require analytical techniques which are not only in-depth, rapid, and cost-effective, but also leave native cell wall features intact. Whole plant cell wall nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) analysis facilitates unparalleled structural characterization of lignocellulosic biomass without causing (or with minimal) structural modification. The objective of this review ismore » to summarize research pertaining to solution- or gel-state whole plant cell wall NMR analysis of biomass, demonstrating the capability of NMR to delineate the structural features and transformations of biomass. In particular, this review will focus on the application of a two-dimensional solution-state NMR technique and perdeuterated ionic liquid based organic electrolyte solvents for the direct dissolution and analysis of biomass. Furthermore, we believe this type of analysis will be critical to advancing biofuel research, improving bioprocessing methodology, and enhancing plant bioengineering efforts.« less

  5. A review of whole cell wall NMR by the direct-dissolution of biomass

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Foston, Marcus B.; Samuel, Reichel; He, Jian

    To fully realize the potential of lignocellulosic biomass as a renewable resource for the production of fuels, chemicals, and materials, an improved understanding of the chemical and molecular structures within biomass and how those structures are formed during biosynthesis and transformed during (thermochemical and biological) conversion must be developed. This effort will require analytical techniques which are not only in-depth, rapid, and cost-effective, but also leave native cell wall features intact. Whole plant cell wall nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) analysis facilitates unparalleled structural characterization of lignocellulosic biomass without causing (or with minimal) structural modification. The objective of this review ismore » to summarize research pertaining to solution- or gel-state whole plant cell wall NMR analysis of biomass, demonstrating the capability of NMR to delineate the structural features and transformations of biomass. In particular, this review will focus on the application of a two-dimensional solution-state NMR technique and perdeuterated ionic liquid based organic electrolyte solvents for the direct dissolution and analysis of biomass. Furthermore, we believe this type of analysis will be critical to advancing biofuel research, improving bioprocessing methodology, and enhancing plant bioengineering efforts.« less

  6. Re-polarization of nuclear spins using selective SABRE-INEPT.

    PubMed

    Knecht, Stephan; Kiryutin, Alexey S; Yurkovskaya, Alexandra V; Ivanov, Konstantin L

    2018-02-01

    A method is proposed for significant improvement of NMR pulse sequences used in high-field SABRE (Signal Amplification By Reversible Exchange) experiments. SABRE makes use of spin order transfer from parahydrogen (pH 2 , the H 2 molecule in its singlet spin state) to a substrate in a transient organometallic Ir-based complex. The technique proposed here utilizes "re-polarization", i.e., multiple application of an NMR pulse sequence used for spin order transfer. During re-polarization only the form of the substrate, which is bound to the complex, is excited by selective NMR pulses and the resulting polarization is transferred to the free substrate via chemical exchange. Owing to the fact that (i) only a small fraction of the substrate molecules is in the bound form and (ii) spin relaxation of the free substrate is slow, the re-polarization scheme provides greatly improved NMR signal enhancement, ε. For instance, when pyridine is used as a substrate, single use of the SABRE-INEPT sequence provides ε≈260 for 15 N nuclei, whereas SABRE-INEPT with re-polarization yields ε>2000. We anticipate that the proposed method is useful for achieving maximal NMR enhancement with spin hyperpolarization techniques. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  7. Re-polarization of nuclear spins using selective SABRE-INEPT

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Knecht, Stephan; Kiryutin, Alexey S.; Yurkovskaya, Alexandra V.; Ivanov, Konstantin L.

    2018-02-01

    A method is proposed for significant improvement of NMR pulse sequences used in high-field SABRE (Signal Amplification By Reversible Exchange) experiments. SABRE makes use of spin order transfer from parahydrogen (pH2, the H2 molecule in its singlet spin state) to a substrate in a transient organometallic Ir-based complex. The technique proposed here utilizes "re-polarization", i.e., multiple application of an NMR pulse sequence used for spin order transfer. During re-polarization only the form of the substrate, which is bound to the complex, is excited by selective NMR pulses and the resulting polarization is transferred to the free substrate via chemical exchange. Owing to the fact that (i) only a small fraction of the substrate molecules is in the bound form and (ii) spin relaxation of the free substrate is slow, the re-polarization scheme provides greatly improved NMR signal enhancement, ε . For instance, when pyridine is used as a substrate, single use of the SABRE-INEPT sequence provides ε ≈ 260 for 15N nuclei, whereas SABRE-INEPT with re-polarization yields ε > 2000 . We anticipate that the proposed method is useful for achieving maximal NMR enhancement with spin hyperpolarization techniques.

  8. Solid-State NMR Spectroscopy for the Physical Chemistry Laboratory

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kinnun, Jacob J.; Leftin, Avigdor; Brown, Michael F.

    2013-01-01

    Solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy finds growing application to inorganic and organic materials, biological samples, polymers, proteins, and cellular membranes. However, this technique is often neither included in laboratory curricula nor typically covered in undergraduate courses. On the other hand, spectroscopy and…

  9. A Training Program in Breast Cancer Research Using NMR Techniques

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2004-07-01

    student from Biochemistry) and three postdoctoral fellows. The new students have been introduced to the Biomedical NMR Laboratory and the Howard ... University Cancer Center. The trainees have continued to learn the theories and instrumentation behind nuclear MRI. The trainees have rotated through the

  10. NMR Parameters Determination through ACE Committee Machine with Genetic Implanted Fuzzy Logic and Genetic Implanted Neural Network

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Asoodeh, Mojtaba; Bagheripour, Parisa; Gholami, Amin

    2015-06-01

    Free fluid porosity and rock permeability, undoubtedly the most critical parameters of hydrocarbon reservoir, could be obtained by processing of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) log. Despite conventional well logs (CWLs), NMR logging is very expensive and time-consuming. Therefore, idea of synthesizing NMR log from CWLs would be of a great appeal among reservoir engineers. For this purpose, three optimization strategies are followed. Firstly, artificial neural network (ANN) is optimized by virtue of hybrid genetic algorithm-pattern search (GA-PS) technique, then fuzzy logic (FL) is optimized by means of GA-PS, and eventually an alternative condition expectation (ACE) model is constructed using the concept of committee machine to combine outputs of optimized and non-optimized FL and ANN models. Results indicated that optimization of traditional ANN and FL model using GA-PS technique significantly enhances their performances. Furthermore, the ACE committee of aforementioned models produces more accurate and reliable results compared with a singular model performing alone.

  11. Using optimal control methods with constraints to generate singlet states in NMR

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rodin, Bogdan A.; Kiryutin, Alexey S.; Yurkovskaya, Alexandra V.; Ivanov, Konstantin L.; Yamamoto, Satoru; Sato, Kazunobu; Takui, Takeji

    2018-06-01

    A method is proposed for optimizing the performance of the APSOC (Adiabatic-Passage Spin Order Conversion) technique, which can be exploited in NMR experiments with singlet spin states. In this technique magnetization-to-singlet conversion (and singlet-to-magnetization conversion) is performed by using adiabatically ramped RF-fields. Optimization utilizes the GRAPE (Gradient Ascent Pulse Engineering) approach, in which for a fixed search area we assume monotonicity to the envelope of the RF-field. Such an approach allows one to achieve much better performance for APSOC; consequently, the efficiency of magnetization-to-singlet conversion is greatly improved as compared to simple model RF-ramps, e.g., linear ramps. We also demonstrate that the optimization method is reasonably robust to possible inaccuracies in determining NMR parameters of the spin system under study and also in setting the RF-field parameters. The present approach can be exploited in other NMR and EPR applications using adiabatic switching of spin Hamiltonians.

  12. Osmotic dehydration of organic kiwifruit pre-treated by pulsed electric fields and monitored by NMR.

    PubMed

    Traffano-Schiffo, Maria Victoria; Laghi, Luca; Castro-Giraldez, Marta; Tylewicz, Urszula; Rocculi, Pietro; Ragni, Luigi; Dalla Rosa, Marco; Fito, Pedro J

    2017-12-01

    Osmotic dehydration (OD) is a widely used preservation technique that consists in the reduction in food water activity by the immersion of the biological tissue in hypertonic solutions. The aim of this work was to analyze the effect of pulsed electric fields (PEF) in mass transfer as a pre-treatment of the OD using NMR. In this sense, PEF pre-treatments were done using three different voltages (100, 250 and 400V/cm) and 60 number of pulse. The OD of kiwifruit was carried out in 61.5% of sucrose solution at 25°C, for a contact period from 0 to 120min. The water distribution into the cellular tissue was studied by NMR relaxometry. In conclusion, NMR is an excellent technique for quantifying water molecules according to their interactions in the fruit tissue, obtaining the adsorbed water and opening the possibility to apply the BET model to fit the adsorbed isotherm over the whole range of water activity. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  13. NMRPro: an integrated web component for interactive processing and visualization of NMR spectra.

    PubMed

    Mohamed, Ahmed; Nguyen, Canh Hao; Mamitsuka, Hiroshi

    2016-07-01

    The popularity of using NMR spectroscopy in metabolomics and natural products has driven the development of an array of NMR spectral analysis tools and databases. Particularly, web applications are well used recently because they are platform-independent and easy to extend through reusable web components. Currently available web applications provide the analysis of NMR spectra. However, they still lack the necessary processing and interactive visualization functionalities. To overcome these limitations, we present NMRPro, a web component that can be easily incorporated into current web applications, enabling easy-to-use online interactive processing and visualization. NMRPro integrates server-side processing with client-side interactive visualization through three parts: a python package to efficiently process large NMR datasets on the server-side, a Django App managing server-client interaction, and SpecdrawJS for client-side interactive visualization. Demo and installation instructions are available at http://mamitsukalab.org/tools/nmrpro/ mohamed@kuicr.kyoto-u.ac.jp Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  14. Autonomous driving in NMR.

    PubMed

    Perez, Manuel

    2017-01-01

    The automatic analysis of NMR data has been a much-desired endeavour for the last six decades, as it is the case with any other analytical technique. This need for automation has only grown as advances in hardware; pulse sequences and automation have opened new research areas to NMR and increased the throughput of data. Full automatic analysis is a worthy, albeit hard, challenge, but in a world of artificial intelligence, instant communication and big data, it seems that this particular fight is happening with only one technique at a time (let this be NMR, MS, IR, UV or any other), when the reality of most laboratories is that there are several types of analytical instrumentation present. Data aggregation, verification and elucidation by using complementary techniques (e.g. MS and NMR) is a desirable outcome to pursue, although a time-consuming one if performed manually; hence, the use of automation to perform the heavy lifting for users is required to make the approach attractive for scientists. Many of the decisions and workflows that could be implemented under automation will depend on the two-way communication with databases that understand analytical data, because it is desirable not only to query these databases but also to grow them in as much of an automatic manner as possible. How these databases are designed, set up and the data inside classified will determine what workflows can be implemented. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  15. Combining 27Al Solid-State NMR and First-Principles Simulations To Explore Crystal Structure in Disordered Aluminum Oxynitride.

    PubMed

    Tu, Bingtian; Liu, Xin; Wang, Hao; Wang, Weimin; Zhai, Pengcheng; Fu, Zhengyi

    2016-12-19

    The nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) technique gives insight into the local information in a crystal structure, while Rietveld refinement of powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) sketches out the framework of a crystal lattice. In this work, first-principles calculations were combined with the solid-state NMR technique and Rietveld refinement to explore the crystal structure of a disordered aluminum oxynitride (γ-alon). The theoretical NMR parameters (chemical shift, δ iso , quadrupolar coupling constants, C Q , and asymmetry parameter, η) of Al 22.5 O 28.5 N 3.5 , predicted by the gauge-including projector augmented wave (GIPAW) algorithm, were used to facilitate the analytical investigation of the 27 Al magic-angle spinning (MAS) NMR spectra of the as-prepared sample, whose formula was confirmed to be Al 2.811 O 3.565 N 0.435 by quantitative analysis. The experimental δ iso , C Q , and η of 27 Al showed a small discrepancy compared with theoretical models. The ratio of aluminum located at the 8a to 16d sites was calculated to be 0.531 from the relative integration of peaks in the 27 Al NMR spectra. The occupancies of aluminum at the 8a and 16d positions were determined through NMR investigations to be 0.9755 and 0.9178, respectively, and were used in the Rietveld refinement to obtain the lattice parameter and anion parameter of Al 2.811 O 3.565 N 0.435 . The results from 27 Al NMR investigations and PXRD structural refinement complemented each other. This work provides a powerful and accessible strategy to precisely understand the crystal structure of novel oxynitride materials with multiple disorder.

  16. Monitoring carbonate dissolution using spatially resolved under-sampled NMR propagators and MRI

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sederman, A. J.; Colbourne, A.; Mantle, M. D.; Gladden, L. F.; Oliveira, R.; Bijeljic, B.; Blunt, M. J.

    2017-12-01

    The dissolution of a porous rock matrix by an acidic flow causes a change in the pore structure and consequently the pattern of fluid flow and rock permeability. This process is relevant to many areas of practical relevance such as enhanced oil recovery, water contaminant migration and sequestration of supercritical CO2. The most important governing factors for the type of change in the pore space are related by the Péclet (Pe) and Damköhler (Da) dimensionless numbers; these compare the transport properties of the fluid in the porous medium with the reactive properties of the solid matrix and the incident fluid respectively. Variation in Pe and Da can cause very different evolution regimes of the pore space and flow can occur, ranging from a uniform dissolution through different "wormholing" regimes (shown on the left hand side of figure 1) to face dissolution. NMR has a unique capability of measuring both the flow and structural changes during such dissolution whilst the characteristics of flow in the highly heterogeneous matrix that is formed can be predicted by the CTRW modelling approach. Here, NMR measurements of displacement probability distributions, or propagators, have been used to monitor the evolution of fluid flow during a reactive dissolution rock core floods. Developments in the NMR method by undersampling the acquisition data enable spatially resolved measurements of the propagators to be done at sufficient displacement resolution and in a timescale that is short enough to capture the changes in structure and flow. The highly under-sampled (4%) data, which typically reduces the acquisition time from 2 hours to 6 minutes, has been shown to produce equivalent propagator results to the fully sampled experiment. Combining these propagator measurements with quantitative and fast imaging techniques a full time-resolved picture of the dissolution reaction is built up. Experiments have been done for both Ketton and Estaillades carbonate rock cores, which exhibit very different dissolution behaviours, and for which experiments and model comparisons will be shown.

  17. Discrete decoding based ultrafast multidimensional nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wei, Zhiliang; Lin, Liangjie; Ye, Qimiao; Li, Jing; Cai, Shuhui; Chen, Zhong

    2015-07-01

    The three-dimensional (3D) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy constitutes an important and powerful tool in analyzing chemical and biological systems. However, the abundant 3D information arrives at the expense of long acquisition times lasting hours or even days. Therefore, there has been a continuous interest in developing techniques to accelerate recordings of 3D NMR spectra, among which the ultrafast spatiotemporal encoding technique supplies impressive acquisition speed by compressing a multidimensional spectrum in a single scan. However, it tends to suffer from tradeoffs among spectral widths in different dimensions, which deteriorates in cases of NMR spectroscopy with more dimensions. In this study, the discrete decoding is proposed to liberate the ultrafast technique from tradeoffs among spectral widths in different dimensions by focusing decoding on signal-bearing sites. For verifying its feasibility and effectiveness, we utilized the method to generate two different types of 3D spectra. The proposed method is also applicable to cases with more than three dimensions, which, based on the experimental results, may widen applications of the ultrafast technique.

  18. Biomedical Investigations with Laser-Polarized Noble Gas Magnetic Resonance

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Walsworth, Ronald L.

    2003-01-01

    We pursued advanced technology development of laser-polarized noble gas nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) as a novel biomedical imaging tool for ground-based and eventually space-based application. This new multidisciplinary technology enables high-resolution gas-space magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-e.g., of lung ventilation-as well as studies of tissue perfusion. In addition, laser-polarized noble gases (3He and 129Xe) do not require a large magnetic field for sensitive detection, opening the door to practical MRI at very low magnetic fields with an open, lightweight, and low-power device. We pursued two technology development specific aims: (1) development of low-field (less than 0.01 T) noble gas MRI of humans; and (2) development of functional MRI of the lung using laser-polarized noble gas and related techniques.

  19. An advanced NMR protocol for the structural characterization of aluminophosphate glasses.

    PubMed

    van Wüllen, Leo; Tricot, Grégory; Wegner, Sebastian

    2007-10-01

    In this work a combination of complementary advanced solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) strategies is employed to analyse the network organization in aluminophosphate glasses to an unprecedented level of detailed insight. The combined results from MAS, MQMAS and (31)P-{(27)Al}-CP-heteronuclear correlation spectroscopy (HETCOR) NMR experiments allow for a detailed speciation of the different phosphate and aluminate species present in the glass. The interconnection of these local building units to an extended three-dimensional network is explored employing heteronuclear dipolar and scalar NMR approaches to quantify P-O-Al connectivity by (31)P{(27)Al}-heteronuclear multiple quantum coherence (HMQC), -rotational echo adiabatic passage double resonance (REAPDOR) and -HETCOR NMR as well as (27)Al{(31)P}-rotational echo double resonance (REDOR) NMR experiments, complemented by (31)P-2D-J-RESolved MAS NMR experiments to probe P-O-P connectivity utilizing the through bond scalar J-coupling. The combination of the results from the various NMR approaches enables us to not only quantify the phosphate units present in the glass but also to identify their respective structural environments within the three-dimensional network on a medium length scale employing a modified Q notation, Q(n)(m),(AlO)(x), where n denotes the number of connected tetrahedral phosphate, m gives the number of aluminate species connected to a central phosphate unit and x specifies the nature of the bonded aluminate species (i.e. 4, 5 or 6 coordinate aluminium).

  20. A (13)C NMR analysis of the effects of electron radiation on graphite/polyetherimide composites

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ferguson, Milton W.

    1989-01-01

    Initial investigations have been made into the use of high resolution nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) for the characterization of radiation effects in graphite and Kevlar fibers, polymers, and the fiber/matrix interface in graphite/polyetherimide composites. Sample preparation techniques were refined. Essential equipment has been procured. A new NMR probe was constructed to increase the proton signal-to-noise ratio. Problem areas have been identified and plans developed to resolve them.

  1. Hyperpolarized 13C NMR lifetimes in the liquid-state: relating structures and T1 relaxation times

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Parish, Christopher; Niedbalski, Peter; Hashami, Zohreh; Fidelino, Leila; Kovacs, Zoltan; Lumata, Lloyd

    Among the various attempts to solve the insensitivity problem in nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), the physics-based technique dissolution dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) is probably the most successful method of hyperpolarization or amplifying NMR signals. Using this technique, liquid-state NMR signal enhancements of several thousand-fold are expected for low-gamma nuclei such as carbon-13. The lifetimes of these hyperpolarized 13C NMR signals are directly related to their 13C spin-lattice relaxation times T1. Depending upon the 13C isotopic location, the lifetimes of hyperpolarized 13C compounds can range from a few seconds to minutes. In this study, we have investigated the hyperpolarized 13C NMR lifetimes of several 13C compounds with various chemical structures from glucose, acetate, citric acid, naphthalene to tetramethylallene and their deuterated analogs at 9.4 T and 25 deg C. Our results show that the 13C T1s of these compounds can range from a few seconds to more than 60 s at this field. Correlations between the chemical structures and T1 relaxation times will be discussed and corresponding implications of these results on 13C DNP experiments will be revealed. US Dept of Defense Award No. W81XWH-14-1-0048 and Robert A. Welch Foundation Grant No. AT-1877.

  2. Validation of a low field Rheo-NMR instrument and application to shear-induced migration of suspended non-colloidal particles in Couette flow

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Colbourne, A. A.; Blythe, T. W.; Barua, R.; Lovett, S.; Mitchell, J.; Sederman, A. J.; Gladden, L. F.

    2018-01-01

    Nuclear magnetic resonance rheology (Rheo-NMR) is a valuable tool for studying the transport of suspended non-colloidal particles, important in many commercial processes. The Rheo-NMR imaging technique directly and quantitatively measures fluid displacement as a function of radial position. However, the high field magnets typically used in these experiments are unsuitable for the industrial environment and significantly hinder the measurement of shear stress. We introduce a low field Rheo-NMR instrument (1 H resonance frequency of 10.7MHz), which is portable and suitable as a process monitoring tool. This system is applied to the measurement of steady-state velocity profiles of a Newtonian carrier fluid suspending neutrally-buoyant non-colloidal particles at a range of concentrations. The large particle size (diameter > 200 μm) in the system studied requires a wide-gap Couette geometry and the local rheology was expected to be controlled by shear-induced particle migration. The low-field results are validated against high field Rheo-NMR measurements of consistent samples at matched shear rates. Additionally, it is demonstrated that existing models for particle migration fail to adequately describe the solid volume fractions measured in these systems, highlighting the need for improvement. The low field implementation of Rheo-NMR is complementary to shear stress rheology, such that the two techniques could be combined in a single instrument.

  3. In Situ and Ex Situ Low-Field NMR Spectroscopy and MRI Endowed by SABRE Hyperpolarization**

    PubMed Central

    Barskiy, Danila A.; Kovtunov, Kirill V.; Koptyug, Igor V.; He, Ping; Groome, Kirsten A.; Best, Quinn A.; Shi, Fan; Goodson, Boyd M.; Shchepin, Roman V.; Truong, Milton L.; Coffey, Aaron M.; Waddell, Kevin W.; Chekmenev, Eduard Y.

    2015-01-01

    By using 5.75 and 47.5 mT nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, up to 105-fold sensitivity enhancement through signal amplification by reversible exchange (SABRE) was enabled, and subsecond temporal resolution was used to monitor an exchange reaction that resulted in the buildup and decay of hyperpolarized species after parahydrogen bubbling. We demonstrated the high-resolution low-field proton magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of pyridine in a 47.5 mT magnetic field endowed by SABRE. Molecular imaging (i.e. imaging of dilute hyperpolarized substances rather than the bulk medium) was conducted in two regimes: in situ real-time MRI of the reaction mixture (in which pyridine was hyperpolarized), and ex situ MRI (in which hyperpolarization decays) of the liquid hyperpolarized product. Low-field (milli-Tesla range, e.g. 5.75 and 47.5 mT used in this study) parahydrogen-enhanced NMR and MRI, which are free from the limitations of high-field magnetic resonance (including susceptibility-induced gradients of the static magnetic field at phase interfaces), potentially enables new imaging applications as well as differentiation of hyperpolarized chemical species on demand by exploiting spin manipulations with static and alternating magnetic fields. PMID:25367202

  4. Simultaneous acquisition of 2D and 3D solid-state NMR experiments for sequential assignment of oriented membrane protein samples.

    PubMed

    Gopinath, T; Mote, Kaustubh R; Veglia, Gianluigi

    2015-05-01

    We present a new method called DAISY (Dual Acquisition orIented ssNMR spectroScopY) for the simultaneous acquisition of 2D and 3D oriented solid-state NMR experiments for membrane proteins reconstituted in mechanically or magnetically aligned lipid bilayers. DAISY utilizes dual acquisition of sine and cosine dipolar or chemical shift coherences and long living (15)N longitudinal polarization to obtain two multi-dimensional spectra, simultaneously. In these new experiments, the first acquisition gives the polarization inversion spin exchange at the magic angle (PISEMA) or heteronuclear correlation (HETCOR) spectra, the second acquisition gives PISEMA-mixing or HETCOR-mixing spectra, where the mixing element enables inter-residue correlations through (15)N-(15)N homonuclear polarization transfer. The analysis of the two 2D spectra (first and second acquisitions) enables one to distinguish (15)N-(15)N inter-residue correlations for sequential assignment of membrane proteins. DAISY can be implemented in 3D experiments that include the polarization inversion spin exchange at magic angle via I spin coherence (PISEMAI) sequence, as we show for the simultaneous acquisition of 3D PISEMAI-HETCOR and 3D PISEMAI-HETCOR-mixing experiments.

  5. Microtesla SABRE enables 10% nitrogen-15 nuclear spin polarization.

    PubMed

    Theis, Thomas; Truong, Milton L; Coffey, Aaron M; Shchepin, Roman V; Waddell, Kevin W; Shi, Fan; Goodson, Boyd M; Warren, Warren S; Chekmenev, Eduard Y

    2015-02-04

    Parahydrogen is demonstrated to efficiently transfer its nuclear spin hyperpolarization to nitrogen-15 in pyridine and nicotinamide (vitamin B(3) amide) by conducting "signal amplification by reversible exchange" (SABRE) at microtesla fields within a magnetic shield. Following transfer of the sample from the magnetic shield chamber to a conventional NMR spectrometer, the (15)N NMR signals for these molecules are enhanced by ∼30,000- and ∼20,000-fold at 9.4 T, corresponding to ∼10% and ∼7% nuclear spin polarization, respectively. This method, dubbed "SABRE in shield enables alignment transfer to heteronuclei" or "SABRE-SHEATH", promises to be a simple, cost-effective way to hyperpolarize heteronuclei. It may be particularly useful for in vivo applications because of longer hyperpolarization lifetimes, lack of background signal, and facile chemical-shift discrimination of different species.

  6. Microtesla SABRE Enables 10% Nitrogen-15 Nuclear Spin Polarization

    PubMed Central

    2016-01-01

    Parahydrogen is demonstrated to efficiently transfer its nuclear spin hyperpolarization to nitrogen-15 in pyridine and nicotinamide (vitamin B3 amide) by conducting “signal amplification by reversible exchange” (SABRE) at microtesla fields within a magnetic shield. Following transfer of the sample from the magnetic shield chamber to a conventional NMR spectrometer, the 15N NMR signals for these molecules are enhanced by ∼30,000- and ∼20,000-fold at 9.4 T, corresponding to ∼10% and ∼7% nuclear spin polarization, respectively. This method, dubbed “SABRE in shield enables alignment transfer to heteronuclei” or “SABRE-SHEATH”, promises to be a simple, cost-effective way to hyperpolarize heteronuclei. It may be particularly useful for in vivo applications because of longer hyperpolarization lifetimes, lack of background signal, and facile chemical-shift discrimination of different species. PMID:25583142

  7. NMR characterization of polymers: Review and update

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    NMR spectroscopy is a major technique for the characterization and analysis of polymers. A large number of methodologies have been developed in both the liquid and the solid state, and the literature has grown considerably (1-5). The field now covers a broad spectrum of activities, including polym...

  8. NMRbox: A Resource for Biomolecular NMR Computation.

    PubMed

    Maciejewski, Mark W; Schuyler, Adam D; Gryk, Michael R; Moraru, Ion I; Romero, Pedro R; Ulrich, Eldon L; Eghbalnia, Hamid R; Livny, Miron; Delaglio, Frank; Hoch, Jeffrey C

    2017-04-25

    Advances in computation have been enabling many recent advances in biomolecular applications of NMR. Due to the wide diversity of applications of NMR, the number and variety of software packages for processing and analyzing NMR data is quite large, with labs relying on dozens, if not hundreds of software packages. Discovery, acquisition, installation, and maintenance of all these packages is a burdensome task. Because the majority of software packages originate in academic labs, persistence of the software is compromised when developers graduate, funding ceases, or investigators turn to other projects. To simplify access to and use of biomolecular NMR software, foster persistence, and enhance reproducibility of computational workflows, we have developed NMRbox, a shared resource for NMR software and computation. NMRbox employs virtualization to provide a comprehensive software environment preconfigured with hundreds of software packages, available as a downloadable virtual machine or as a Platform-as-a-Service supported by a dedicated compute cloud. Ongoing development includes a metadata harvester to regularize, annotate, and preserve workflows and facilitate and enhance data depositions to BioMagResBank, and tools for Bayesian inference to enhance the robustness and extensibility of computational analyses. In addition to facilitating use and preservation of the rich and dynamic software environment for biomolecular NMR, NMRbox fosters the development and deployment of a new class of metasoftware packages. NMRbox is freely available to not-for-profit users. Copyright © 2017 Biophysical Society. All rights reserved.

  9. High-resolution detection of 13C multiplets from the conscious mouse brain by ex vivo NMR spectroscopy

    PubMed Central

    Marin-Valencia, Isaac; Good, Levi B.; Ma, Qian; Jeffrey, F. Mark; Malloy, Craig R.; Pascual, Juan M.

    2011-01-01

    Glucose readily supplies the brain with the majority of carbon needed to sustain neurotransmitter production and utilization., The rate of brain glucose metabolism can be computed using 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy by detecting changes in 13C contents of products generated by cerebral metabolism. As previously observed, scalar coupling between adjacent 13C carbons (multiplets) can provide additional information to 13C contents for the computation of metabolic rates. Most NMR studies have been conducted in large animals (often under anesthesia) because the mass of the target organ is a limiting factor for NMR. Yet, despite the challengingly small size of the mouse brain, NMR studies are highly desirable because the mouse constitutes a common animal model for human neurological disorders. We have developed a method for the ex vivo resolution of NMR multiplets arising from the brain of an awake mouse after the infusion of [1,6-13C2]glucose. NMR spectra obtained by this method display favorable signal-to-noise ratios. With this protocol, the 13C multiplets of glutamate, glutamine, GABA and aspartate achieved steady state after 150 min. The method enables the accurate resolution of multiplets over time in the awake mouse brain. We anticipate that this method can be broadly applicable to compute brain fluxes in normal and transgenic mouse models of neurological disorders. PMID:21946227

  10. Solution state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy for biological metabolism and pathway intermediate analysis.

    PubMed

    Nealon, Gareth L; Howard, Mark J

    2016-12-15

    Using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy in the study of metabolism has been immensely popular in medical- and health-related research but has yet to be widely applied to more fundamental biological problems. This review provides some NMR background relevant to metabolism, describes why 1 H NMR spectra are complex as well as introducing relevant terminology and definitions. The applications and practical considerations of NMR metabolic profiling and 13 C NMR-based flux analyses are discussed together with the elegant 'enzyme trap' approach for identifying novel metabolic pathway intermediates. The importance of sample preparation and data analysis are also described and explained with reference to data precision and multivariate analysis to introduce researchers unfamiliar with NMR and metabolism to consider this technique for their research interests. Finally, a brief glance into the future suggests NMR-based metabolism has room to expand in the 21st century through new isotope labels, and NMR technologies and methodologies. © 2016 The Author(s). published by Portland Press Limited on behalf of the Biochemical Society.

  11. Interlaboratory Comparison Test as an Evaluation of Applicability of an Alternative Edible Oil Analysis by 1H NMR Spectroscopy.

    PubMed

    Zailer, Elina; Holzgrabe, Ulrike; Diehl, Bernd W K

    2017-11-01

    A proton (1H) NMR spectroscopic method was established for the quality assessment of vegetable oils. To date, several research studies have been published demonstrating the high potential of the NMR technique in lipid analysis. An interlaboratory comparison was organized with the following main objectives: (1) to evaluate an alternative analysis of edible oils by using 1H NMR spectroscopy; and (2) to determine the robustness and reproducibility of the method. Five different edible oil samples were analyzed by evaluating 15 signals (free fatty acids, peroxides, aldehydes, double bonds, and linoleic and linolenic acids) in each spectrum. A total of 21 NMR data sets were obtained from 17 international participant laboratories. The performance of each laboratory was assessed by their z-scores. The test was successfully passed by 90.5% of the participants. Results showed that NMR spectroscopy is a robust alternative method for edible oil analysis.

  12. Successful Sampling Strategy Advances Laboratory Studies of NMR Logging in Unconsolidated Aquifers

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Behroozmand, Ahmad A.; Knight, Rosemary; Müller-Petke, Mike; Auken, Esben; Barfod, Adrian A. S.; Ferré, Ty P. A.; Vilhelmsen, Troels N.; Johnson, Carole D.; Christiansen, Anders V.

    2017-11-01

    The nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) technique has become popular in groundwater studies because it responds directly to the presence and mobility of water in a porous medium. There is a need to conduct laboratory experiments to aid in the development of NMR hydraulic conductivity models, as is typically done in the petroleum industry. However, the challenge has been obtaining high-quality laboratory samples from unconsolidated aquifers. At a study site in Denmark, we employed sonic drilling, which minimizes the disturbance of the surrounding material, and extracted twelve 7.6 cm diameter samples for laboratory measurements. We present a detailed comparison of the acquired laboratory and logging NMR data. The agreement observed between the laboratory and logging data suggests that the methodologies proposed in this study provide good conditions for studying NMR measurements of unconsolidated near-surface aquifers. Finally, we show how laboratory sample size and condition impact the NMR measurements.

  13. Studies of organic paint binders by NMR spectroscopy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Spyros, A.; Anglos, D.

    2006-06-01

    Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy is applied to the study of aged binding media used in paintings, namely linseed oil, egg tempera and an acrylic medium. High resolution 1D and 2D NMR experiments establish the state of hydrolysis and oxidation of the linseed and egg tempera binders after five years of aging, by determining several markers sensitive to the hydrolytic and oxidative processes of the binder lipid fraction. The composition of the acrylic binder co-polymer is determined by 2D NMR spectroscopy, while the identification of a surfactant, poly(ethylene glycol), found in greater amounts in aged acrylic medium, is reported. The non-destructive nature of the proposed analytical NMR methodology, and minimization of the amount of binder material needed through the use of sophisticated cryoprobes and hyphenated LC-NMR techniques, make NMR attractive for the arts analyst, in view of its rapid nature and experimental simplicity.

  14. DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Pease, J.H.

    The three dimensional structures of several small peptides were determined using a combination of {sup 1}H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and distance geometry calculations. These techniques were found to be particularly helpful for analyzing structural differences between related peptides since all of the peptides' {sup 1}H NMR spectra are very similar. The structures of peptides from two separate classes are presented. Peptides in the first class are related to apamin, an 18 amino acid peptide toxin from honey bee venom. The {sup 1}H NMR assignments and secondary structure determination of apamin were done previously. Quantitative NMR measurements and distance geometrymore » calculations were done to calculate apamin's three dimensional structure. Peptides in the second class are 48 amino acid toxins from the sea anemone Radianthus paumotensis. The {sup 1}H NMR assignments of toxin II were done previously. The {sup 1}H NMR assignments of toxin III and the distance geometry calculations for both peptides are presented.« less

  15. Challenges and perspectives in quantitative NMR.

    PubMed

    Giraudeau, Patrick

    2017-01-01

    This perspective article summarizes, from the author's point of view at the beginning of 2016, the major challenges and perspectives in the field of quantitative NMR. The key concepts in quantitative NMR are first summarized; then, the most recent evolutions in terms of resolution and sensitivity are discussed, as well as some potential future research directions in this field. A particular focus is made on methodologies capable of boosting the resolution and sensitivity of quantitative NMR, which could open application perspectives in fields where the sample complexity and the analyte concentrations are particularly challenging. These include multi-dimensional quantitative NMR and hyperpolarization techniques such as para-hydrogen-induced polarization or dynamic nuclear polarization. Because quantitative NMR cannot be dissociated from the key concepts of analytical chemistry, i.e. trueness and precision, the methodological developments are systematically described together with their level of analytical performance. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  16. Application and Reliability of Solid-State NMR in Environmental Sciences

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Knicker, Heike

    2010-05-01

    For the characterization of soil organic matter, a suite of analytical approaches are available. Chemical degradative methods involve an extraction scheme with which the soluble part of the mixture is isolated and analyzed by colorimetrical or chromatographic means. Macromolecular structures can be subjected to thermolytic or combined thermochemolytic degradation. Because secondary reactions (rearrangement, cracking, hydrogenation and polymerization) in a heterogeneous mixture cannot be excluded, it is obvious that conclusions regarding the original structure in the macromolecular phase have to be drawn with caution. A powerful alternative represents solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, allowing the examination of the bulk sample without major pre-treatment In environmental sciences, this technique mostly involves the isotope 13C to study the chemical composition of organic matter in soils, sediments or compost to study the temporal development of humic material or chemical alterations due to variation in environmental parameters. Due to its low sensibility solid-state 15N NMR studies on such samples are only found occasionally. The emphasis of solid-state NMR spectroscopy is not only to determine the gross chemical composition of the material under study via a chemical shift assignment but also a quantitative correlation between the different signal intensities and the relative contribution of the respective C or N types to the total organic C or N content. However, despite increasing popularity, this approach is still viewed as mysterious techniques, in particular with respect to quantification. Accordingly, the purpose of this review is to give a short overview on the possibilities and limitations of this technique in environmental science and in particular for the study of soil organic matter. In general, solid-state 13C NMR spectra of soil organic matter are obtained with the cross polarization magic angle spinning (CPMAS) technique. This technique increases the sensitivity of 13C by magnetization transfer from the 1H to the 13C spin system during a contact time tc. However, one has to bear in mind that some molecular properties may obscure quantification. Thus, for carbons with large C-H internuclear distances (bigger than four bonds, i.e in graphite structures) and for C in groups with high molecular mobility (i.e. gas) the proton-dipolar interactions are weakened and the polarization transfer may be incomplete. The observed intensity can also be affected by interactions of the protons with paramagnetic compounds. To circumvent this problem, the samples are often demineralized with hydrofluoric acid. Alternatively, the Bloch decay, a technique in which the 13C is directly excited is used. Here, on the other hand, one has to consider long relaxation times which may lead to saturation effects. Nevertheless, as it will be discussed within the presentation those quantification problems can be solved for most soil samples and then solid-state NMR spectroscopy represents a powerful tool for qualitative and quantitative analysis. Special techniques, such as dipolar dephasing or the proton spin relaxation editing can be used to extract additional information about chemical properties or mobility. A more detailed examination of the cross polarization behavior can be used to analyze the interaction of organic matter and paramagnetics but also for obtaining revealing properties on a molecular level. Applications involving isotopic labeling combined with both 13C and/or 15N NMR allows to follow the fate of a specific compound i.e. in a natural matrix and- if the enrichment is high enough - the use of 2D solid-state NMR techniques. In particular with respect to environmental chemistry, this combination of isotopic labeling with the use of corresponding NMR spectroscopy shows great potential for a better understanding of the kind of interaction between pollutants and natural organic matter.

  17. MeRy-B: a web knowledgebase for the storage, visualization, analysis and annotation of plant NMR metabolomic profiles

    PubMed Central

    2011-01-01

    Background Improvements in the techniques for metabolomics analyses and growing interest in metabolomic approaches are resulting in the generation of increasing numbers of metabolomic profiles. Platforms are required for profile management, as a function of experimental design, and for metabolite identification, to facilitate the mining of the corresponding data. Various databases have been created, including organism-specific knowledgebases and analytical technique-specific spectral databases. However, there is currently no platform meeting the requirements for both profile management and metabolite identification for nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) experiments. Description MeRy-B, the first platform for plant 1H-NMR metabolomic profiles, is designed (i) to provide a knowledgebase of curated plant profiles and metabolites obtained by NMR, together with the corresponding experimental and analytical metadata, (ii) for queries and visualization of the data, (iii) to discriminate between profiles with spectrum visualization tools and statistical analysis, (iv) to facilitate compound identification. It contains lists of plant metabolites and unknown compounds, with information about experimental conditions, the factors studied and metabolite concentrations for several plant species, compiled from more than one thousand annotated NMR profiles for various organs or tissues. Conclusion MeRy-B manages all the data generated by NMR-based plant metabolomics experiments, from description of the biological source to identification of the metabolites and determinations of their concentrations. It is the first database allowing the display and overlay of NMR metabolomic profiles selected through queries on data or metadata. MeRy-B is available from http://www.cbib.u-bordeaux2.fr/MERYB/index.php. PMID:21668943

  18. Recombinant Kinase Production and Fragment Screening by NMR Spectroscopy.

    PubMed

    Han, Byeonggu; Ahn, Hee-Chul

    2016-01-01

    During the past decade fragment-based drug discovery (FBDD) has rapidly evolved and several drugs or drug candidates developed by FBDD approach are clinically in use or in clinical trials. For example, vemurafenib, a V600E mutated BRAF inhibitor, was developed by utilizing FBDD approach and approved by FDA in 2011. In FBDD, screening of fragments is the starting step for identification of hits and lead generation. Fragment screening usually relies on biophysical techniques by which the protein-bound small molecules can be detected. NMR spectroscopy has been extensively used to study the molecular interaction between the protein and the ligand, and has many advantages in fragment screening over other biophysical techniques. This chapter describes the practical aspects of fragment screening by saturation transfer difference NMR.

  19. Mass spectrometry for fragment screening.

    PubMed

    Chan, Daniel Shiu-Hin; Whitehouse, Andrew J; Coyne, Anthony G; Abell, Chris

    2017-11-08

    Fragment-based approaches in chemical biology and drug discovery have been widely adopted worldwide in both academia and industry. Fragment hits tend to interact weakly with their targets, necessitating the use of sensitive biophysical techniques to detect their binding. Common fragment screening techniques include differential scanning fluorimetry (DSF) and ligand-observed NMR. Validation and characterization of hits is usually performed using a combination of protein-observed NMR, isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) and X-ray crystallography. In this context, MS is a relatively underutilized technique in fragment screening for drug discovery. MS-based techniques have the advantage of high sensitivity, low sample consumption and being label-free. This review highlights recent examples of the emerging use of MS-based techniques in fragment screening. © 2017 The Author(s). Published by Portland Press Limited on behalf of the Biochemical Society.

  20. Is Low-field NMR a Complementary Tool to GC-MS in Quality Control of Essential Oils? A Case Study: Patchouli Essential Oil.

    PubMed

    Krause, Andre; Wu, Yu; Tian, Runtao; van Beek, Teris A

    2018-04-24

    High-field NMR is an expensive and important quality control technique. In recent years, cheaper and simpler low-field NMR has become available as a new quality control technique. In this study, 60 MHz 1 H-NMR was compared with GC-MS and refractometry for the detection of adulteration of essential oils, taking patchouli essential oil as a test case. Patchouli essential oil is frequently adulterated, even today. In total, 75 genuine patchouli essential oils, 10 commercial patchouli essential oils, 10 other essential oils, 17 adulterants, and 1 patchouli essential oil, spiked at 20% with those adulterants, were measured. Visual inspection of the NMR spectra allowed for easy detection of 14 adulterants, while gurjun and copaiba balsams proved difficult and one adulterant could not be detected. NMR spectra of 10 random essential oils differed not only strongly from patchouli essential oil but also from one another, suggesting that fingerprinting by low-field NMR is not limited to patchouli essential oil. Automated chemometric evaluation of NMR spectra was possible by similarity analysis (Mahalanobis distance) based on the integration from 0.1 - 8.1 ppm in 0.01 ppm increments. Good quality patchouli essential oils were recognised as well as 15 of 17 deliberate adulterations. Visual qualitative inspection by GC-MS allowed for the detection of all volatile adulterants. Nonvolatile adulterants, and all but one volatile adulterant, could be detected by semiquantitation. Different chemometric approaches showed satisfactory results. Similarity analyses were difficult with nonvolatile adulterants. Refractive index measurements could detect only 8 of 17 adulterants. Due to advantages such as simplicity, rapidity, reproducibility, and ability to detect nonvolatile adulterants, 60 MHz 1 H-NMR is complimentary to GC-MS for quality control of essential oils. Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

  1. Evidence of a DHA Signature in the Lipidome and Metabolome of Human Hepatocytes.

    PubMed

    Ghini, Veronica; Di Nunzio, Mattia; Tenori, Leonardo; Valli, Veronica; Danesi, Francesca; Capozzi, Francesco; Luchinat, Claudio; Bordoni, Alessandra

    2017-02-08

    Cell supplementation with bioactive molecules often causes a perturbation in the whole intracellular environment. Omics techniques can be applied for the assessment of this perturbation. In this study, the overall effect of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) supplementation on cultured human hepatocyte lipidome and metabolome has been investigated using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) in combination with traditional techniques. The effect of two additional bioactives sharing with DHA the lipid-lowering effect-propionic acid (PRO) and protocatechuic acid (PCA)-has also been evaluated in the context of possible synergism. NMR analysis of the cell lipid extracts showed that DHA supplementation, alone or in combination with PCA or PRO, strongly altered the cell lipid profile. The perfect discrimination between cells receiving DHA (alone or in combination) and the other cells reinforced the idea of a global rearrangement of the lipid environment induced by DHA. Notably, gas chromatography and fluorimetric analyses confirmed the strong discrimination obtained by NMR. The DHA signature was evidenced not only in the cell lipidome, but also in the metabolome. Results reported herein indicate that NMR, combined with other techniques, represents a fundamental approach to studying the effect of bioactive supplementation, particularly in the case of molecules with a broad spectrum of mechanisms of action.

  2. 129Xe NMR studies of biochar made from biobased materials

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Biochar is created by pyrolysis of biobased materials under controlled oxidative environments. The product is charcoal-like and can be used as filtration medium, sequestrant for metallic ions, soil conditioner, and other applications. In our work we have found 129Xe NMR to be an excellent technique...

  3. Using NMR-based metabolomics to monitor the biochemical composition of agricultural soils: a pilot study

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    NMR-based metabolomics plays a major role studying complex living systems. However, very few studies describe the application of this technique to the evaluation of soil metabolome. Here, we introduce a protocol for analyzing the biochemical compounds from agricultural soils where the microbial comm...

  4. An NMR Protonation Study of Metal Diethylenetriaminepentaacetic Acid Complexes.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Letkeman, Peter

    1979-01-01

    This experiment is suitable for an integrated laboratory course for senior chemistry majors. It introduces the student to a study of the relative basicity of different proton accepting sites. It serves as an opportunity to learn about nmr techniques and could extend to infrared, as well. (BB)

  5. Trispyrazolylborate Complexes: An Advanced Synthesis Experiment Using Paramagnetic NMR, Variable-Temperature NMR, and EPR Spectroscopies

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Abell, Timothy N.; McCarrick, Robert M.; Bretz, Stacey Lowery; Tierney, David L.

    2017-01-01

    A structured inquiry experiment for inorganic synthesis has been developed to introduce undergraduate students to advanced spectroscopic techniques including paramagnetic nuclear magnetic resonance and electron paramagnetic resonance. Students synthesize multiple complexes with unknown first row transition metals and identify the unknown metals by…

  6. MRI and unilateral NMR study of reindeer skin tanning processes.

    PubMed

    Zhu, Lizheng; Del Federico, Eleonora; Ilott, Andrew J; Klokkernes, Torunn; Kehlet, Cindie; Jerschow, Alexej

    2015-04-07

    The study of arctic or subarctic indigenous skin clothing material, known for its design and ability to keep the body warm, provides information about the tanning materials and techniques. The study also provides clues about the culture that created it, since tanning processes are often specific to certain indigenous groups. Untreated skin samples and samples treated with willow (Salix sp) bark extract and cod liver oil are compared in this study using both MRI and unilateral NMR techniques. The two types of samples show different proton spatial distributions and different relaxation times, which may also provide information about the tanning technique and aging behavior.

  7. Relaxation time estimation in surface NMR

    DOEpatents

    Grunewald, Elliot D.; Walsh, David O.

    2017-03-21

    NMR relaxation time estimation methods and corresponding apparatus generate two or more alternating current transmit pulses with arbitrary amplitudes, time delays, and relative phases; apply a surface NMR acquisition scheme in which initial preparatory pulses, the properties of which may be fixed across a set of multiple acquisition sequence, are transmitted at the start of each acquisition sequence and are followed by one or more depth sensitive pulses, the pulse moments of which are varied across the set of multiple acquisition sequences; and apply processing techniques in which recorded NMR response data are used to estimate NMR properties and the relaxation times T.sub.1 and T.sub.2* as a function of position as well as one-dimensional and two-dimension distributions of T.sub.1 versus T.sub.2* as a function of subsurface position.

  8. Modification and intercalation of layered zirconium phosphates: a solid-state NMR monitoring.

    PubMed

    Bakhmutov, Vladimir I; Kan, Yuwei; Sheikh, Javeed Ahmad; González-Villegas, Julissa; Colón, Jorge L; Clearfield, Abraham

    2017-07-01

    Several layered zirconium phosphates treated with Zr(IV) ions, modified by monomethoxy-polyethyleneglycol-monophosphate and intercalated with doxorubicin hydrochloride have been studied by solid-state MAS NMR techniques. The organic components of the phosphates have been characterized by the 13 C{ 1 H} CP MAS NMR spectra compared with those of initial compounds. The multinuclear NMR monitoring has provided to establish structure and covalent attachment of organic/inorganic moieties to the surface and interlayer spaces of the phosphates. The MAS NMR experiments including kinetics of proton-phosphorus cross polarization have resulted in an unusual structure of zirconium phosphate 6 combining decoration of the phosphate surface by polymer units and their partial intercalation into the interlayer space. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  9. Metabolic studies with NMR spectroscopy of the alga Dunaliella salina trapped within agarose beads.

    PubMed

    Bental, M; Pick, U; Avron, M; Degani, H

    1990-02-22

    A technique for the entrapment of the unicellular algae Dunaliella salina in agarose beads and their perfusion during NMR measurements is presented. The trapped cells maintained their ability to proliferate under normal growth conditions, and remained viable and stable under steady-state conditions for long periods during NMR measurements. Following osmotic shock in the dark, prominent changes were observed in the intracellular level of ATP and polyphosphates, but little to no changes in the intracellular pH or orthoposphate content. When cells were subjected to hyperosmotic shock, the ATP level decreased. The content of NMR-visible polyphosphates decreased as well, presumably due to the production of longer, NMR-invisible structures. Following hypoosmotic shock, the ATP content increased and longer polyphosphates were broken down to shorter, more mobile polymers.

  10. The application of NMR and MS methods for detection of adulteration of wine, fruit juices, and olive oil. A review.

    PubMed

    Ogrinc, N; Kosir, I J; Spangenberg, J E; Kidric, J

    2003-06-01

    This review covers two important techniques, high resolution nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and mass spectrometry (MS), used to characterize food products and detect possible adulteration of wine, fruit juices, and olive oil, all important products of the Mediterranean Basin. Emphasis is placed on the complementary use of SNIF-NMR (site-specific natural isotopic fractionation nuclear magnetic resonance) and IRMS (isotope-ratio mass spectrometry) in association with chemometric methods for detecting the adulteration.

  11. Solution nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy on a nanostructured diamond chip.

    PubMed

    Kehayias, P; Jarmola, A; Mosavian, N; Fescenko, I; Benito, F M; Laraoui, A; Smits, J; Bougas, L; Budker, D; Neumann, A; Brueck, S R J; Acosta, V M

    2017-08-04

    Sensors using nitrogen-vacancy centers in diamond are a promising tool for small-volume nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, but the limited sensitivity remains a challenge. Here we show nearly two orders of magnitude improvement in concentration sensitivity over previous nitrogen-vacancy and picoliter NMR studies. We demonstrate NMR spectroscopy of picoliter-volume solutions using a nanostructured diamond chip with dense, high-aspect-ratio nanogratings, enhancing the surface area by 15 times. The nanograting sidewalls are doped with nitrogen-vacancies located a few nanometers from the diamond surface to detect the NMR spectrum of roughly 1 pl of fluid lying within adjacent nanograting grooves. We perform 1 H and 19 F nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy at room temperature in magnetic fields below 50 mT. Using a solution of CsF in glycerol, we determine that 4 ± 2 × 10 12 19 F spins in a 1 pl volume can be detected with a signal-to-noise ratio of 3 in 1 s of integration.Nitrogen vacancy (NV) centres in diamond can be used for NMR spectroscopy, but increased sensitivity is needed to avoid long measurement times. Kehayias et al. present a nanostructured diamond grating with a high density of NV centres, enabling NMR spectroscopy of picoliter-volume solutions.

  12. Improved in-cell structure determination of proteins at near-physiological concentration

    PubMed Central

    Ikeya, Teppei; Hanashima, Tomomi; Hosoya, Saori; Shimazaki, Manato; Ikeda, Shiro; Mishima, Masaki; Güntert, Peter; Ito, Yutaka

    2016-01-01

    Investigating three-dimensional (3D) structures of proteins in living cells by in-cell nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy opens an avenue towards understanding the structural basis of their functions and physical properties under physiological conditions inside cells. In-cell NMR provides data at atomic resolution non-invasively, and has been used to detect protein-protein interactions, thermodynamics of protein stability, the behavior of intrinsically disordered proteins, etc. in cells. However, so far only a single de novo 3D protein structure could be determined based on data derived only from in-cell NMR. Here we introduce methods that enable in-cell NMR protein structure determination for a larger number of proteins at concentrations that approach physiological ones. The new methods comprise (1) advances in the processing of non-uniformly sampled NMR data, which reduces the measurement time for the intrinsically short-lived in-cell NMR samples, (2) automatic chemical shift assignment for obtaining an optimal resonance assignment, and (3) structure refinement with Bayesian inference, which makes it possible to calculate accurate 3D protein structures from sparse data sets of conformational restraints. As an example application we determined the structure of the B1 domain of protein G at about 250 μM concentration in living E. coli cells. PMID:27910948

  13. Comparison of Attenuated Total Reflectance Mid-Infrared, Near Infrared, and 1H-Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopies for the Determination of Coffee's Geographical Origin

    PubMed Central

    Caro Rodríguez, Diana; Arana, Victoria A.; Bernal, Andrés; Esseiva, Pierre

    2017-01-01

    The sensorial properties of Colombian coffee are renowned worldwide, which is reflected in its market value. This raises the threat of fraud by adulteration using coffee grains from other countries, thus creating a demand for robust and cost-effective methods for the determination of geographical origin of coffee samples. Spectroscopic techniques such as Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR), near infrared (NIR), and mid-infrared (mIR) have arisen as strong candidates for the task. Although a body of work exists that reports on their individual performances, a faithful comparison has not been established yet. We evaluated the performance of 1H-NMR, Attenuated Total Reflectance mIR (ATR-mIR), and NIR applied to fraud detection in Colombian coffee. For each technique, we built classification models for discrimination by species (C. arabica versus C. canephora (or robusta)) and by origin (Colombia versus other C. arabica) using a common set of coffee samples. All techniques successfully discriminated samples by species, as expected. Regarding origin determination, ATR-mIR and 1H-NMR showed comparable capacity to discriminate Colombian coffee samples, while NIR fell short by comparison. In conclusion, ATR-mIR, a less common technique in the field of coffee adulteration and fraud detection, emerges as a strong candidate, faster and with lower cost compared to 1H-NMR and more discriminating compared to NIR. PMID:29201055

  14. Structural features of a bituminous coal and their changes during low-temperature oxidation and loss of volatiles investigated by advanced solid-state NMR spectroscopy

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Mao, J.-D.; Schimmelmann, A.; Mastalerz, Maria; Hatcher, P.G.; Li, Y.

    2010-01-01

    Quantitative and advanced 13C solid-state NMR techniques were employed to investigate (i) the chemical structure of a high volatile bituminous coal, as well as (ii) chemical structural changes of this coal after evacuation of adsorbed gases, (iii) during oxidative air exposure at room temperature, and (iv) after oxidative heating in air at 75 ??C. The solid-state NMR techniques employed in this study included quantitative direct polarization/magic angle spinning (DP/MAS) at a high spinning speed of 14 kHz, cross polarization/total sideband suppression (CP/TOSS), dipolar dephasing, CH, CH2, and CHn selection, 13C chemical shift anisotropy (CSA) filtering, two-dimensional (2D) 1H-13C heteronuclear correlation NMR (HETCOR), and 2D HETCOR with 1H spin diffusion. With spectral editing techniques, we identified methyl CCH 3, rigid and mobile methylene CCH2C, methine CCH, quaternary Cq, aromatic CH, aromatic carbons bonded to alkyls, small-sized condensed aromatic moieties, and aromatic C-O groups. With direct polarization combined with spectral-editing techniques, we quantified 11 different types of functional groups. 1H-13C 2D HETCOR NMR experiments indicated spatial proximity of aromatic and alkyl moieties in cross-linked structures. The proton spin diffusion experiments indicated that the magnetization was not equilibrated at a 1H spin diffusion time of 5 ms. Therefore, the heterogeneity in spatial distribution of different functional groups should be above 2 nm. Recoupled C-H long-range dipolar dephasing showed that the fraction of large charcoal-like clusters of polycondensed aromatic rings was relatively small. The exposure of this coal to atmospheric oxygen at room temperature for 6 months did not result in obvious chemical structural changes of the coal, whereas heating at 75 ??C in air for 10 days led to oxidation of coal and generated some COO groups. Evacuation removed most volatiles and caused a significant reduction in aliphatic signals in its DP/MAS spectrum. DP/MAS, but not CP/MAS, allowed us to detect the changes during low-temperature oxidation and loss of volatiles. These results demonstrate the applicability of advanced solid-state NMR techniques in chemical characterization of coal. ?? 2010 American Chemical Society.

  15. Interaction of lafutidine in binding to human serum albumin in gastric ulcer therapy: STD-NMR, WaterLOGSY-NMR, NMR relaxation times, Tr-NOESY, molecule docking, and spectroscopic studies.

    PubMed

    Yang, Hongqin; Huang, Yanmei; He, Jiawei; Li, Shanshan; Tang, Bin; Li, Hui

    2016-09-15

    In this study, lafutidine (LAF) was used as a model compound to investigate the binding mechanism between antiulcer drugs and human serum albumin (HSA) through various techniques, including STD-NMR, WaterLOGSY-NMR, (1)H NMR relaxation times, tr-NOESY, molecule docking calculation, FT-IR spectroscopy, and CD spectroscopy. The analyses of STD-NMR, which derived relative STD (%) intensities, and WaterLOGSY-NMR, determined that LAF bound to HSA. In particular, the pyridyl group of LAF was in close contact with HSA binding pocket, whereas furyl group had a secondary binding. Competitive STD-NMR and WaterLOGSY-NMR experiments, with warifarin and ibuprofen as site-selective probes, indicated that LAF preferentially bound to site II in the hydrophobic subdomains IIIA of HSA. The bound conformation of LAF at the HSA binding site was further elucidated by transferred NOE effect (tr-NOESY) experiment. Relaxation experiments provided quantitative information about the relationship between the affinity and structure of LAF. The molecule docking simulations conducted with AutoDock and the restraints derived from STD results led to three-dimensional models that were consistent with the NMR spectroscopic data. The presence of hydrophobic forces and hydrogen interactions was also determined. Additionally, FT-IR and CD spectroscopies showed that LAF induced secondary structure changes of HSA. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  16. LC-UV-solid-phase extraction-NMR-MS combined with a cryogenic flow probe and its application to the identification of compounds present in Greek oregano.

    PubMed

    Exarchou, Vassiliki; Godejohann, Markus; van Beek, Teris A; Gerothanassis, Ioannis P; Vervoort, Jacques

    2003-11-15

    Structure elucidation of natural products usually relies on a combination of NMR spectroscopy with mass spectrometry whereby NMR trails MS in terms of the minimum sample amount required. In the present study, the usefulness of on-line solid-phase extraction (SPE) in LC-NMR for peak storage after the LC separation prior to NMR analysis is demonstrated. The SPE unit allows the use of normal protonated solvents for the LC separation and fully deuterated solvents for flushing the trapped compounds to the NMR probe. Thus, solvent suppression is no longer necessary. Multiple trapping of the same analyte from repeated LC injections was utilized to solve the problem of low concentration and to obtain 2D heteronuclear NMR spectra. In addition, a combination of the SPE unit with a recently developed cryoflow NMR probe and an MS was evaluated. This on-line LC-UV-SPE-NMR-MS system was used for the automated analysis of a Greek oregano extract. Combining the data provided by the UV, MS, and NMR spectra, the flavonoids taxifolin, aromadendrin, eriodictyol, naringenin, and apigenin, the phenolic acid rosmarinic acid, and the monoterpene carvacrol were identified. This automated technique is very useful for natural product analysis, and the large sensitivity improvement leads to significantly reduced NMR acquisition times.

  17. Assessment of 1H NMR-based metabolomics analysis for normalization of urinary metals against creatinine.

    PubMed

    Cassiède, Marc; Nair, Sindhu; Dueck, Meghan; Mino, James; McKay, Ryan; Mercier, Pascal; Quémerais, Bernadette; Lacy, Paige

    2017-01-01

    Proton nuclear magnetic resonance ( 1 H NMR, or NMR) spectroscopy and inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) are commonly used for metabolomics and metal analysis in urine samples. However, creatinine quantification by NMR for the purpose of normalization of urinary metals has not been validated. We assessed the validity of using NMR analysis for creatinine quantification in human urine samples in order to allow normalization of urinary metal concentrations. NMR and ICP-MS techniques were used to measure metabolite and metal concentrations in urine samples from 10 healthy subjects. For metabolite analysis, two magnetic field strengths (600 and 700MHz) were utilized. In addition, creatinine concentrations were determined by using the Jaffe method. Creatinine levels were strongly correlated (R 2 =0.99) between NMR and Jaffe methods. The NMR spectra were deconvoluted with a target database containing 151 metabolites that are present in urine. A total of 50 metabolites showed good correlation (R 2 =0.7-1.0) at 600 and 700MHz. Metal concentrations determined after NMR-measured creatinine normalization were comparable to previous reports. NMR analysis provided robust urinary creatinine quantification, and was sufficient for normalization of urinary metal concentrations. We found that NMR-measured creatinine-normalized urinary metal concentrations in our control subjects were similar to general population levels in Canada and the United Kingdom. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  18. Genetic transformation of rare Verbascum eriophorum Godr. plants and metabolic alterations revealed by NMR-based metabolomics.

    PubMed

    Marchev, Andrey; Yordanova, Zhenya; Alipieva, Kalina; Zahmanov, Georgi; Rusinova-Videva, Snezhana; Kapchina-Toteva, Veneta; Simova, Svetlana; Popova, Milena; Georgiev, Milen I

    2016-09-01

    To develop a protocol to transform Verbascum eriophorum and to study the metabolic differences between mother plants and hairy root culture by applying NMR and processing the datasets with chemometric tools. Verbascum eriophorum is a rare species with restricted distribution, which is poorly studied. Agrobacterium rhizogenes-mediated genetic transformation of V. eriophorum and hairy root culture induction are reported for the first time. To determine metabolic alterations, V. eriophorum mother plants and relevant hairy root culture were subjected to comprehensive metabolomic analyses, using NMR (1D and 2D). Metabolomics data, processed using chemometric tools (and principal component analysis in particular) allowed exploration of V. eriophorum metabolome and have enabled identification of verbascoside (by means of 2D-TOCSY NMR) as the most abundant compound in hairy root culture. Metabolomics data contribute to the elucidation of metabolic alterations after T-DNA transfer to the host V. eriophorum genome and the development of hairy root culture for sustainable bioproduction of high value verbascoside.

  19. Structural Biology of Supramolecular Assemblies by Magic Angle Spinning NMR Spectroscopy

    PubMed Central

    Quinn, Caitlin M.; Polenova, Tatyana

    2017-01-01

    In recent years, exciting developments in instrument technology and experimental methodology have advanced the field of magic angle spinning (MAS) NMR to new heights. Contemporary MAS NMR yields atomic-level insights into structure and dynamics of an astounding range of biological systems, many of which cannot be studied by other methods. With the advent of fast magic angle spinning, proton detection, and novel pulse sequences, large supramolecular assemblies, such as cytoskeletal proteins and intact viruses, are now accessible for detailed analysis. In this review, we will discuss the current MAS NMR methodologies that enable characterization of complex biomolecular systems and will present examples of applications to several classes of assemblies comprising bacterial and mammalian cytoskeleton as well as HIV-1 and bacteriophage viruses. The body of work reviewed herein is representative of the recent advancements in the field, with respect to the complexity of the systems studied, the quality of the data, and the significance to the biology. PMID:28093096

  20. Biomolecular solid state NMR with magic-angle spinning at 25K.

    PubMed

    Thurber, Kent R; Tycko, Robert

    2008-12-01

    A magic-angle spinning (MAS) probe has been constructed which allows the sample to be cooled with helium, while the MAS bearing and drive gases are nitrogen. The sample can be cooled to 25K using roughly 3 L/h of liquid helium, while the 4-mm diameter rotor spins at 6.7 kHz with good stability (+/-5 Hz) for many hours. Proton decoupling fields up to at least 130 kHz can be applied. This helium-cooled MAS probe enables a variety of one-dimensional and two-dimensional NMR experiments on biomolecular solids and other materials at low temperatures, with signal-to-noise proportional to 1/T. We show examples of low-temperature (13)C NMR data for two biomolecular samples, namely the peptide Abeta(14-23) in the form of amyloid fibrils and the protein HP35 in frozen glycerol/water solution. Issues related to temperature calibration, spin-lattice relaxation at low temperatures, paramagnetic doping of frozen solutions, and (13)C MAS NMR linewidths are discussed.

  1. Dynamic Nuclear Polarization-Enhanced Biomolecular NMR Spectroscopy at High Magnetic Field with Fast Magic-Angle Spinning.

    PubMed

    Jaudzems, Kristaps; Bertarello, Andrea; Chaudhari, Sachin R; Pica, Andrea; Cala-De Paepe, Diane; Barbet-Massin, Emeline; Pell, Andrew J; Akopjana, Inara; Kotelovica, Svetlana; Gajan, David; Ouari, Olivier; Tars, Kaspars; Pintacuda, Guido; Lesage, Anne

    2018-06-18

    Dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) is a powerful way to overcome the sensitivity limitation of magic-angle-spinning (MAS) NMR experiments. However, the resolution of the DNP NMR spectra of proteins is compromised by severe line broadening associated with the necessity to perform experiments at cryogenic temperatures and in the presence of paramagnetic radicals. High-quality DNP-enhanced NMR spectra of the Acinetobacter phage 205 (AP205) nucleocapsid can be obtained by combining high magnetic field (800 MHz) and fast MAS (40 kHz). These conditions yield enhanced resolution and long coherence lifetimes allowing the acquisition of resolved 2D correlation spectra and of previously unfeasible scalar-based experiments. This enables the assignment of aromatic resonances of the AP205 coat protein and its packaged RNA, as well as the detection of long-range contacts, which are not observed at room temperature, opening new possibilities for structure determination. © 2018 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  2. Electrical detection of nuclear spin-echo signals in an electron spin injection system

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lin, Zhichao; Rasly, Mahmoud; Uemura, Tetsuya

    2017-06-01

    We demonstrated spin echoes of nuclear spins in a spin injection device with a highly polarized spin source by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). Efficient spin injection into GaAs from a half-metallic spin source of Co2MnSi enabled efficient dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) and sensitive detection of NMR signals even at a low magnetic field of ˜0.1 T and a relatively high temperature of 4.2 K. The intrinsic coherence time T2 of 69Ga nuclear spins was evaluated from the spin-echo signals. The relation between T2 and the decay time of the Rabi oscillation suggests that the inhomogeneous effects in our system are not obvious. This study provides an all-electrical NMR system for nuclear-spin-based qubits.

  3. 31P NMR Characterization of Tricin and Its Structurally Similar Flavonoids

    DOE PAGES

    Li, Mi; Pu, Yunqiao; Tschaplinski, Timothy J.; ...

    2017-04-24

    Tricin, a flavonoid metabolite, has been recently identified as a component of lignin in select monocot plants. This finding has initiated consideration on updating the lignin biosynthesis pathway. Here, we report a rapid method of determination of tricin in corn stover lignin, based on 31P nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy by phosphitylating with 2-chloro-4,4,5,5-tetramethyl-1,3,2-dioxaphospholane (TMDP). Nine other flavonoids, with similar structure to tricin, have also been examined using the current method. The application of 31P NMR enables rapid identification of tricin-like flavonoids in the heterogeneous lignin polymer. The well resolved spectroscopic peaks from these derivatized flavonoids and lignin functional groupsmore » provide important information for the determination of flavonoids individually or their association with lignin.« less

  4. 31P NMR Characterization of Tricin and Its Structurally Similar Flavonoids

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Li, Mi; Pu, Yunqiao; Tschaplinski, Timothy J.

    Tricin, a flavonoid metabolite, has been recently identified as a component of lignin in select monocot plants. This finding has initiated consideration on updating the lignin biosynthesis pathway. Here, we report a rapid method of determination of tricin in corn stover lignin, based on 31P nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy by phosphitylating with 2-chloro-4,4,5,5-tetramethyl-1,3,2-dioxaphospholane (TMDP). Nine other flavonoids, with similar structure to tricin, have also been examined using the current method. The application of 31P NMR enables rapid identification of tricin-like flavonoids in the heterogeneous lignin polymer. The well resolved spectroscopic peaks from these derivatized flavonoids and lignin functional groupsmore » provide important information for the determination of flavonoids individually or their association with lignin.« less

  5. Staging research of human lung cancer tissues by high-resolution magic angle spinning proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (HRMAS 1 H NMR) and multivariate data analysis.

    PubMed

    Chen, Wenxue; Lu, Shaohua; Wang, Guifang; Chen, Fener; Bai, Chunxue

    2017-10-01

    High-resolution magic-angle spinning proton nuclear magnetic resonance (HRMAS 1 H NMR) spectroscopy technique was employed to analyze the metabonomic characterizations of lung cancer tissues in hope to identify potential diagnostic biomarkers for malignancy detection and staging research of lung tissues. HRMAS 1 H NMR spectroscopy technique can rapidly provide important information for accurate diagnosis and staging of cancer tissues owing to its noninvasive nature and limited requirement for the samples, and thus has been acknowledged as an excellent tool to investigate tissue metabolism and provide a more realistic insight into the metabonomics of tissues when combined with multivariate data analysis (MVDA) such as component analysis and orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis in particular. HRMAS 1 H NMR spectra displayed the metabonomic differences of 32 lung cancer tissues at the different stages from 32 patients. The significant changes (P < 0.05) of some important metabolites such as lipids, aspartate and choline-containing compounds in cancer tissues at the different stages had been identified. Furthermore, the combination of HRMAS 1 H NMR spectroscopy and MVDA might potentially and precisely provided for a high sensitivity, specificity, prediction accuracy in the positive identification of the staging for the cancer tissues in contrast with the pathological data in clinic. This study highlighted the potential of metabonomics in clinical settings so that the techniques might be further exploited for the diagnosis and staging prediction of lung cancer in future. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.

  6. Field-cycling NMR with high-resolution detection under magic-angle spinning: determination of field-window for nuclear hyperpolarization in a photosynthetic reaction center.

    PubMed

    Gräsing, Daniel; Bielytskyi, Pavlo; Céspedes-Camacho, Isaac F; Alia, A; Marquardsen, Thorsten; Engelke, Frank; Matysik, Jörg

    2017-09-21

    Several parameters in NMR depend on the magnetic field strength. Field-cycling NMR is an elegant way to explore the field dependence of these properties. The technique is well developed for solution state and in relaxometry. Here, a shuttle system with magic-angle spinning (MAS) detection is presented to allow for field-dependent studies on solids. The function of this system is demonstrated by exploring the magnetic field dependence of the solid-state photochemically induced nuclear polarization (photo-CIDNP) effect. The effect allows for strong nuclear spin-hyperpolarization in light-induced spin-correlated radical pairs (SCRPs) under solid-state conditions. To this end, 13 C MAS NMR is applied to a photosynthetic reaction center (RC) of the purple bacterium Rhodobacter (R.) sphaeroides wildtype (WT). For induction of the effect in the stray field of the magnet and its subsequent observation at 9.4 T under MAS NMR conditions, the sample is shuttled by the use of an aerodynamically driven sample transfer technique. In the RC, we observe the effect down to 0.25 T allowing to determine the window for the occurrence of the effect to be between about 0.2 and 20 T.

  7. Insights into the nature of DNA binding of AbrB-like transcription factors

    PubMed Central

    Sullivan, Daniel M.; Bobay, Benjamin G.; Kojetin, Douglas J.; Thompson, Richele J.; Rance, Mark; Strauch, Mark A.; Cavanagh, John

    2008-01-01

    Summary Understanding the DNA recognition and binding by the AbrB-like family of transcriptional regulators is of significant interest since these proteins enable bacteria to elicit the appropriate response to diverse environmental stimuli. Although these ‘transition-state regulator’ proteins have been well characterized at the genetic level, the general and specific mechanisms of DNA binding remain elusive. We present RDC-refined NMR solution structures and dynamic properties of the DNA-binding domains of three Bacillus subtilis transition-state regulators AbrB, Abh, and SpoVT. We combined previously investigated DNase I footprinting, DNA methylation, gel shift assays, mutagenic and NMR studies to generate a structural model of the complex between AbrBN55 and its cognate promoter, abrB8. These investigations have enabled us to generate the first model for the specific nature of the transition-state regulator-DNA interaction. PMID:19000822

  8. 15N Hyperpolarization of Imidazole-15N2 for Magnetic Resonance pH Sensing via SABRE-SHEATH

    PubMed Central

    2016-01-01

    15N nuclear spins of imidazole-15N2 were hyperpolarized using NMR signal amplification by reversible exchange in shield enables alignment transfer to heteronuclei (SABRE-SHEATH). A 15N NMR signal enhancement of ∼2000-fold at 9.4 T is reported using parahydrogen gas (∼50% para-) and ∼0.1 M imidazole-15N2 in methanol:aqueous buffer (∼1:1). Proton binding to a 15N site of imidazole occurs at physiological pH (pKa ∼ 7.0), and the binding event changes the 15N isotropic chemical shift by ∼30 ppm. These properties are ideal for in vivo pH sensing. Additionally, imidazoles have low toxicity and are readily incorporated into a wide range of biomolecules. 15N-Imidazole SABRE-SHEATH hyperpolarization potentially enables pH sensing on scales ranging from peptide and protein molecules to living organisms. PMID:27379344

  9. 15N Hyperpolarization of Imidazole-15N2 for Magnetic Resonance pH Sensing via SABRE-SHEATH.

    PubMed

    Shchepin, Roman V; Barskiy, Danila A; Coffey, Aaron M; Theis, Thomas; Shi, Fan; Warren, Warren S; Goodson, Boyd M; Chekmenev, Eduard Y

    2016-06-24

    15 N nuclear spins of imidazole- 15 N 2 were hyperpolarized using NMR signal amplification by reversible exchange in shield enables alignment transfer to heteronuclei (SABRE-SHEATH). A 15 N NMR signal enhancement of ∼2000-fold at 9.4 T is reported using parahydrogen gas (∼50% para-) and ∼0.1 M imidazole- 15 N 2 in methanol:aqueous buffer (∼1:1). Proton binding to a 15 N site of imidazole occurs at physiological pH (p K a ∼ 7.0), and the binding event changes the 15 N isotropic chemical shift by ∼30 ppm. These properties are ideal for in vivo pH sensing. Additionally, imidazoles have low toxicity and are readily incorporated into a wide range of biomolecules. 15 N-Imidazole SABRE-SHEATH hyperpolarization potentially enables pH sensing on scales ranging from peptide and protein molecules to living organisms.

  10. Improving reliability of chemometric models for authentication of species origin of heparin by switching from 1D to 2D NMR experiments.

    PubMed

    Monakhova, Yulia B; Fareed, Jawed; Yao, Yiming; Diehl, Bernd W K

    2018-05-10

    Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy is regarded as one of the most powerful and versatile analytical approaches to assure the quality of heparin preparations. In particular, it was recently demonstrated that by using 1 H NMR coupled with chemometrics heparin and low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) samples derived from three major animal species (porcine, ovine and bovine) can be differentiated [Y.B. Monakhova et al. J. Pharm. Anal. 149 (2018) 114-119]. In this study, significant improvement of existing chemometric models was achieved by switching to 2D NMR experiments (heteronuclear multiple-quantum correlation (HMQC) and diffusion-ordered spectroscopy (DOSY)). Two representative data sets (sixty-nine heparin and twenty-two LMWH) belonged to different batches and distributed by different commercial companies were investigated. A trend for animal species differentiation was observed in the principal component analysis (PCA) score plot built based on the DOSY data. A superior model was constructed using HMQC experiments, where individual heparin (LMWH) clusters as well as their blends were clearly differentiated. The predictive power of different classification methods as well as unsupervised techniques (independent components analysis, ICA) clearly proved applicability of the model for routine heparin and LMWH analysis. The switch from 1D to 2D NMR techniques provides a wealth of additional information, which is beneficial for multivariate modeling of NMR spectroscopic data for heparin preparations. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  11. Two-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance of quadrupolar systems

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Wang, Shuanhu

    1997-09-01

    This dissertation describes two-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance theory and experiments which have been developed to study quadruples in the solid state. The technique of multiple-quantum magic-angle spinning (MQMAS) is extensively reviewed and expanded upon in this thesis. Specifically, MQMAS is first compared with another technique, dynamic-angle spinning (DAS). The similarity between the two techniques allows us to extend much of the DAS work to the MQMAS case. Application of MQMAS to a series of aluminum containing materials is then presented. The superior resolution enhancement through MQMAS is exploited to detect the five- and six-coordinated aluminum in many aluminosilicate glasses. Combiningmore » the MQMAS method with other experiments, such as HETCOR, greatly expands the possibility of the use of MQMAS to study a large range of problems and is demonstrated in Chapter 5. Finally, the technique switching-angle spinning (SAS) is applied to quadrupolar nuclei to fully characterize a quadrupolar spin system in which all of the 8 NMR parameters are accurately determined. This dissertation is meant to demonstrate that with the combination of two-dimensional NMR concepts and new advanced spinning technologies, a series of multiple-dimensional NMR techniques can be designed to allow a detailed study of quadrupolar nuclei in the solid state.« less

  12. Spectroscopy 101: A Practical Introduction to Spectroscopy and Analysis for Undergraduate Organic Chemistry Laboratories

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Morrill, Lucas A.; Kammeyer, Jacquelin K.; Garg, Neil K.

    2017-01-01

    An undergraduate organic chemistry laboratory that provides an introduction to various spectroscopic techniques is reported. Whereas organic spectroscopy is most often learned and practiced in the context of reaction analyses, this laboratory experiment allows students to become comfortable with [superscript 1]H NMR, [superscript 13]C NMR, and IR…

  13. Chemical compositions of dissolved organic matter from various sources as characterized by solid-state NMR

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Dissolved organic matter (DOM) in surface waters plays an important role in biogeochemical and ecological processes. This study used solid-state NMR techniques to explore the molecular signatures of riverine DOM in relation to its point and nonpoint sources. DOM samples were isolated from (1) two st...

  14. New mechanistic insights regarding Pd/Cu catalysts for the Sonogashira reaction: HRMAS NMR studies of silica-immobilized systems.

    PubMed

    Posset, Tobias; Blümel, Janet

    2006-07-05

    The title technique, high-resolution magic angle spinning NMR of suspensions, constitutes a powerful new tool for investigating the structures and mobilities of immobilized species and, thus, for optimizing heterobimetallic catalyst systems, such as the Sonogashira coupling of terminal alkynes and aryl halides.

  15. Isolation of n-decyl-alpha(1-->6) isomaltoside from a technical APG mixture and its identification by the parallel use of LC-MS and NMR spectroscopy

    PubMed

    Billian; Hock; Doetzer; Stan; Dreher

    2000-10-15

    The identification of n-decyl alpha(1-->6)isomaltoside as a main component of technical alkyl polyglucoside (APG) mixtures by the parallel use of liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy is described. Following enrichment on a styrene-divinylbenzene-based solid-phase extraction material, unknown components were separated by reversed-phase liquid chromatography (LC). Chemical characterization was achieved by both mass spectrometry and NMR spectroscopy. It is demonstrated that the combination of LC-MS with various NMR techniques is very suitable for stereochemical assignment of unknown components in technical APG mixtures.

  16. DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Koeller, E.; Dobmann, G.; Kuhn, W.

    Initial results are presented on the application of NMR techniques to prepregs in order to characterize the crosslink state under exposure to room and elevated (50 C) temperature. The experiments were conducted with a MSL-400 Bruker NMR spectrometer and microimaging system which works at 400 MHz. Aside from the sensitive measurement of the cross-link density there is also the potential to separate the influence of moisture content as a further parameter contributing to the aging process. It is shown that these experimental results correlate with results of destructive tests and document the potential of NMR as a NDT tool. Anmore » NMR-image of the moisture distribution in a glassfiber reinforced expoxy resin sample is shown. 17 refs.« less

  17. 1H NMR investigation of thermally triggered insulin release from poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) microgels.

    PubMed

    Nolan, Christine M; Gelbaum, Leslie T; Lyon, L Andrew

    2006-10-01

    We describe investigations of insulin release from thermoresponsive microgels using variable temperature (1)H NMR. Microgel particles composed of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) were loaded with the peptide via a swelling technique, and this method was compared to simple equilibrium partitioning. Variable temperature (1)H NMR studies suggest that the swelling loading method results in enhanced entrapment of the peptide versus equilibrium partitioning. A centrifugation-loading assay supports this finding. Pseudo-temperature jump (1)H NMR measurements suggest that the insulin release rate is partially decoupled from microgel collapse. These types of direct release investigations could prove to be useful methods in the future design of controlled macromolecule drug delivery devices.

  18. NMR-invisible ATP in heart: fact or fiction?

    PubMed

    Bak, M I; Ingwall, J S

    1992-06-01

    31P-nuclear magnetic resonance (31P-NMR) spectroscopy is widely used to monitor sequential changes in the nucleoside triphosphate (NTP) pool in intact tissues. Recently, the validity of this technique to quantitate incremental changes in ATP in heart has been challenged. Accordingly, we compared NTP measured by 31P-NMR and by chemical techniques in isolated isovolumic rat hearts at 16 and 56 min of oxygenated perfusion and in hearts subjected to 28 min of hypoxia, with or without 28 min of reoxygenation, and 12 or 28 min of ischemia, with or without 28 min of reperfusion. NTP content was calculated from 31P-NMR spectra using an external standard. At the end of each protocol the heart was freeze-clamped, and NTP and ATP contents were determined by chemical assay. After 16 min of normoxic perfusion the values for NTP and ATP contents measured by both methods in the same hearts were indistinguishable. Results from all seven experimental conditions show no significant difference between methods (P = 0.262). Thus both methods detect the same incremental change in NTP and ATP.

  19. BetaNMR Experiments on Liquid Samples

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gottberg, A.; Stachura, M.; Hemmingsen, L.; Macfarlane, W. A.; Bio-Beta-Nmr Collaboration; Collaps Collaboration

    2016-09-01

    In 2012 betaNMR spectroscopy was successfully applied on liquid samples; an achievement which opens new opportunities in the fields of chemistry and biochemistry. This project was motivated by the need for finding a new experimental approach to directly study biologically highly relevant metal ions, such as Mg(II), Cu(I), Ca(II), and Zn(II), which are silent in most spectroscopic techniques. The resonance spectrum recorded for Mg-31 implanted into an ionic liquid sample showed two resonances which originate from Mg ions occupying two different coordination geometries, illustrating that this technique can discriminate between different structures. This proof-of-principle result lays the foundation for studies of these metal ions at low concentrations and in environments of biological relevance where other methods are silent. The prototype chamber for bio-betaNMR allows for experiments not only on different samples such as: liquids, gels and solids, but also operates at different vacuum environments. In order to exploit the potential of betaNMR on liquid samples, tests with polarized beams of Mg-29 and Mg-31 have recently been performed at the ISAC facility at TRIUMF.

  20. NMR of insensitive nuclei enhanced by dynamic nuclear polarization.

    PubMed

    Miéville, Pascal; Jannin, Sami; Helm, Lothar; Bodenhausen, Geoffrey

    2011-01-01

    Despite the powerful spectroscopic information it provides, Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy suffers from a lack of sensitivity, especially when dealing with nuclei other than protons. Even though NMR can be applied in a straightforward manner when dealing with abundant protons of organic molecules, it is very challenging to address biomolecules in low concentration and/or many other nuclei of the periodic table that do not provide as intense signals as protons. Dynamic Nuclear Polarization (DNP) is an important technique that provides a way to dramatically increase signal intensities in NMR. It consists in transferring the very high electron spin polarization of paramagnetic centers (usually at low temperature) to the surrounding nuclear spins with appropriate microwave irradiation. DNP can lead to an enhancement of the nuclear spin polarization by up to four orders of magnitude. We present in this article some basic concepts of DNP, describe the DNP apparatus at EPFL, and illustrate the interest of the technique for chemical applications by reporting recent measurements of the kinetics of complexation of 89Y by the DOTAM ligand.

  1. Robustness of NMR-based metabolomics to generate comparable data sets for olive oil cultivar classification. An inter-laboratory study on Apulian olive oils.

    PubMed

    Piccinonna, Sara; Ragone, Rosa; Stocchero, Matteo; Del Coco, Laura; De Pascali, Sandra Angelica; Schena, Francesco Paolo; Fanizzi, Francesco Paolo

    2016-05-15

    Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy is emerging as a powerful technique in olive oil fingerprinting, but its analytical robustness has to be proved. Here, we report a comparative study between two laboratories on olive oil (1)H NMR fingerprinting, aiming to demonstrate the robustness of NMR-based metabolomics in generating comparable data sets for cultivar classification. Sample preparation and data acquisition were performed independently in two laboratories, equipped with different resolution spectrometers (400 and 500 MHz), using two identical sets of mono-varietal olive oils. Partial Least Squares (PLS)-based techniques were applied to compare the data sets produced by the two laboratories. Despite differences in spectrum baseline, and in intensity and shape of peaks, the amount of shared information was significant (almost 70%) and related to cultivar (same metabolites discriminated between cultivars). In conclusion, regardless of the variability due to operator and machine, the data sets from the two participating units were comparable for the purpose of classification. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. Visualising substrate-fingermark interactions: Solid-state NMR spectroscopy of amino acid reagent development on cellulose substrates.

    PubMed

    Spindler, Xanthe; Shimmon, Ronald; Roux, Claude; Lennard, Chris

    2015-05-01

    Most spectroscopic studies of the reaction products formed by ninhydrin, 1,2-indanedione-zinc (Ind-Zn) and 1,8-diazafluoren-9-one (DFO) when reacted with amino acids or latent fingermarks on paper substrates are focused on visible absorption or luminescence spectroscopy. In addition, structural elucidation studies are typically limited to solution-based mass spectrometry or liquid nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, which does not provide an accurate representation of the fingermark development process on common paper substrates. The research presented in this article demonstrates that solid-state carbon-13 magic angle spinning NMR ((13)C-MAS-NMR) is a technique that can not only be utilised for structural studies of fingermark enhancement reagents, but is a promising technique for characterising the effect of paper chemistry on fingermark deposition and enhancement. The latter opens up a research area that has been under-explored to date but has the potential to improve our understanding of how fingermark secretions and enhancement reagents interact with paper substrates. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. Photochemical Degradation of the Anticancer Drug Bortezomib by V-UV/UV (185/254 nm) Investigated by (1)H NMR Fingerprinting: A Way to Follow Aromaticity Evolution.

    PubMed

    Martignac, Marion; Balayssac, Stéphane; Gilard, Véronique; Benoit-Marquié, Florence

    2015-06-18

    We have investigated the removal of bortezomib, an anticancer drug prescribed in multiple myeloma, using the photochemical advanced oxidation process of V-UV/UV (185/254 nm). We used two complementary analytical techniques to follow the removal rate of bortezomib. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) is a nonselective method requiring no prior knowledge of the structures of the byproducts and permits us to provide a spectral signature (fingerprinting approach). This untargeted method provides clues to the molecular structure changes and information on the degradation of the parent drug during the irradiation process. This holistic NMR approach could provide information for monitoring aromaticity evolution. We use liquid chromatography, coupled with high-resolution mass spectrometry (LC-MS), to correlate results obtained by (1)H NMR and for accurate identification of the byproducts, in order to understand the mechanistic degradation pathways of bortezomib. The results show that primary byproducts come from photoassisted deboronation of bortezomib at 254 nm. A secondary byproduct of pyrazinecarboxamide was also identified. We obtained a reliable correlation between these two analytical techniques.

  4. A new carbamidemethyl-linked lanthanoid chelating tag for PCS NMR spectroscopy of proteins in living HeLa cells.

    PubMed

    Hikone, Yuya; Hirai, Go; Mishima, Masaki; Inomata, Kohsuke; Ikeya, Teppei; Arai, Souichiro; Shirakawa, Masahiro; Sodeoka, Mikiko; Ito, Yutaka

    2016-10-01

    Structural analyses of proteins under macromolecular crowding inside human cultured cells by in-cell NMR spectroscopy are crucial not only for explicit understanding of their cellular functions but also for applications in medical and pharmaceutical sciences. In-cell NMR experiments using human cultured cells however suffer from low sensitivity, thus pseudocontact shifts from protein-tagged paramagnetic lanthanoid ions, analysed using sensitive heteronuclear two-dimensional correlation NMR spectra, offer huge potential advantage in obtaining structural information over conventional NOE-based approaches. We synthesised a new lanthanoid-chelating tag (M8-CAM-I), in which the eight-fold, stereospecifically methylated DOTA (M8) scaffold was retained, while a stable carbamidemethyl (CAM) group was introduced as the functional group connecting to proteins. M8-CAM-I successfully fulfilled the requirements for in-cell NMR: high-affinity to lanthanoid, low cytotoxicity and the stability under reducing condition inside cells. Large PCSs for backbone N-H resonances observed for M8-CAM-tagged human ubiquitin mutant proteins, which were introduced into HeLa cells by electroporation, demonstrated that this approach readily provides the useful information enabling the determination of protein structures, relative orientations of domains and protein complexes within human cultured cells.

  5. Simulations of molecular diffusion in lattices of cells: insights for NMR of red blood cells.

    PubMed Central

    Regan, David G; Kuchel, Philip W

    2002-01-01

    The pulsed field-gradient spin-echo (PGSE) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) experiment, conducted on a suspension of red blood cells (RBC) in a strong magnetic field yields a q-space plot consisting of a series of maxima and minima. This is mathematically analogous to a classical optical diffraction pattern. The method provides a noninvasive and novel means of characterizing cell suspensions that is sensitive to changes in cell shape and packing density. The positions of the features in a q-space plot characterize the rate of exchange across the membrane, cell dimensions, and packing density. A diffusion tensor, containing information regarding the diffusion anisotropy of the system, can also be derived from the PGSE NMR data. In this study, we carried out Monte Carlo simulations of diffusion in suspensions of "virtual" cells that had either biconcave disc (as in RBC) or oblate spheroid geometry. The simulations were performed in a PGSE NMR context thus enabling predictions of q-space and diffusion tensor data. The simulated data were compared with those from real PGSE NMR diffusion experiments on RBC suspensions that had a range of hematocrit values. Methods that facilitate the processing of q-space data were also developed. PMID:12080109

  6. Schemes of detecting nuclear spin correlations by dynamical decoupling based quantum sensing

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ma, Wen-Long Ma; Liu, Ren-Bao

    Single-molecule sensitivity of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and angstrom resolution of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are the highest challenges in magnetic microscopy. Recent development in dynamical decoupling (DD) enhanced diamond quantum sensing has enabled NMR of single nuclear spins and nanoscale NMR. Similar to conventional NMR and MRI, current DD-based quantum sensing utilizes the frequency fingerprints of target nuclear spins. Such schemes, however, cannot resolve different nuclear spins that have the same noise frequency or differentiate different types of correlations in nuclear spin clusters. Here we show that the first limitation can be overcome by using wavefunction fingerprints of target nuclear spins, which is much more sensitive than the ''frequency fingerprints'' to weak hyperfine interaction between the targets and a sensor, while the second one can be overcome by a new design of two-dimensional DD sequences composed of two sets of periodic DD sequences with different periods, which can be independently set to match two different transition frequencies. Our schemes not only offer an approach to breaking the resolution limit set by ''frequency gradients'' in conventional MRI, but also provide a standard approach to correlation spectroscopy for single-molecule NMR.

  7. Simulations of molecular diffusion in lattices of cells: insights for NMR of red blood cells.

    PubMed

    Regan, David G; Kuchel, Philip W

    2002-07-01

    The pulsed field-gradient spin-echo (PGSE) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) experiment, conducted on a suspension of red blood cells (RBC) in a strong magnetic field yields a q-space plot consisting of a series of maxima and minima. This is mathematically analogous to a classical optical diffraction pattern. The method provides a noninvasive and novel means of characterizing cell suspensions that is sensitive to changes in cell shape and packing density. The positions of the features in a q-space plot characterize the rate of exchange across the membrane, cell dimensions, and packing density. A diffusion tensor, containing information regarding the diffusion anisotropy of the system, can also be derived from the PGSE NMR data. In this study, we carried out Monte Carlo simulations of diffusion in suspensions of "virtual" cells that had either biconcave disc (as in RBC) or oblate spheroid geometry. The simulations were performed in a PGSE NMR context thus enabling predictions of q-space and diffusion tensor data. The simulated data were compared with those from real PGSE NMR diffusion experiments on RBC suspensions that had a range of hematocrit values. Methods that facilitate the processing of q-space data were also developed.

  8. In situ Stripline Electrochemical NMR for Batteries

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Sorte, Eric Glenn; Banek, Nathan A.; Wagner, Michael J.

    Here, there exist some long outstanding technical challenges that continue to be of hindrance to fully harnessing the unique investigative advantages of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy in the in situ investigation of rechargeable battery chemistry. For instance, the conducting materials and circuitry necessary for an operational battery always deteriorate the coil–based NMR sensitivity when placed inside the coil, and the shape mismatch between them leads to low sample filling factors and even higher detection limits. We report herein a novel and successful adaptation of stripline NMR detection that integrates seamlessly the NMR detection with construction of an electro–chemical devicemore » in general (or a battery in particular) which leads to a technique with much higher detection sensitivity, higher sample filling factors, and which is particularly suitable for mass–limited samples.« less

  9. In situ Stripline Electrochemical NMR for Batteries

    DOE PAGES

    Sorte, Eric Glenn; Banek, Nathan A.; Wagner, Michael J.; ...

    2018-06-11

    Here, there exist some long outstanding technical challenges that continue to be of hindrance to fully harnessing the unique investigative advantages of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy in the in situ investigation of rechargeable battery chemistry. For instance, the conducting materials and circuitry necessary for an operational battery always deteriorate the coil–based NMR sensitivity when placed inside the coil, and the shape mismatch between them leads to low sample filling factors and even higher detection limits. We report herein a novel and successful adaptation of stripline NMR detection that integrates seamlessly the NMR detection with construction of an electro–chemical devicemore » in general (or a battery in particular) which leads to a technique with much higher detection sensitivity, higher sample filling factors, and which is particularly suitable for mass–limited samples.« less

  10. Dynamic membrane interactions of antibacterial and antifungal biomolecules, and amyloid peptides, revealed by solid-state NMR spectroscopy.

    PubMed

    Naito, Akira; Matsumori, Nobuaki; Ramamoorthy, Ayyalusamy

    2018-02-01

    A variety of biomolecules acting on the cell membrane folds into a biologically active structure in the membrane environment. It is, therefore, important to determine the structures and dynamics of such biomolecules in a membrane environment. While several biophysical techniques are used to obtain low-resolution information, solid-state NMR spectroscopy is one of the most powerful means for determining the structure and dynamics of membrane bound biomolecules such as antibacterial biomolecules and amyloidogenic proteins; unlike X-ray crystallography and solution NMR spectroscopy, applications of solid-state NMR spectroscopy are not limited by non-crystalline, non-soluble nature or molecular size of membrane-associated biomolecules. This review article focuses on the applications of solid-state NMR techniques to study a few selected antibacterial and amyloid peptides. Solid-state NMR studies revealing the membrane inserted bent α-helical structure associated with the hemolytic activity of bee venom melittin and the chemical shift oscillation analysis used to determine the transmembrane structure (with α-helix and 3 10 -helix in the N- and C-termini, respectively) of antibiotic peptide alamethicin are discussed in detail. Oligomerization of an amyloidogenic islet amyloid polypeptide (IAPP, or also known as amylin) resulting from its aggregation in a membrane environment, molecular interactions of the antifungal natural product amphotericin B with ergosterol in lipid bilayers, and the mechanism of lipid raft formation by sphingomyelin studied using solid state NMR methods are also discussed in this review article. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled "Biophysical Exploration of Dynamical Ordering of Biomolecular Systems" edited by Dr. Koichi Kato. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  11. NVR-BIP: Nuclear Vector Replacement using Binary Integer Programming for NMR Structure-Based Assignments.

    PubMed

    Apaydin, Mehmet Serkan; Çatay, Bülent; Patrick, Nicholas; Donald, Bruce R

    2011-05-01

    Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy is an important experimental technique that allows one to study protein structure and dynamics in solution. An important bottleneck in NMR protein structure determination is the assignment of NMR peaks to the corresponding nuclei. Structure-based assignment (SBA) aims to solve this problem with the help of a template protein which is homologous to the target and has applications in the study of structure-activity relationship, protein-protein and protein-ligand interactions. We formulate SBA as a linear assignment problem with additional nuclear overhauser effect constraints, which can be solved within nuclear vector replacement's (NVR) framework (Langmead, C., Yan, A., Lilien, R., Wang, L. and Donald, B. (2003) A Polynomial-Time Nuclear Vector Replacement Algorithm for Automated NMR Resonance Assignments. Proc. the 7th Annual Int. Conf. Research in Computational Molecular Biology (RECOMB) , Berlin, Germany, April 10-13, pp. 176-187. ACM Press, New York, NY. J. Comp. Bio. , (2004), 11, pp. 277-298; Langmead, C. and Donald, B. (2004) An expectation/maximization nuclear vector replacement algorithm for automated NMR resonance assignments. J. Biomol. NMR , 29, 111-138). Our approach uses NVR's scoring function and data types and also gives the option of using CH and NH residual dipolar coupling (RDCs), instead of NH RDCs which NVR requires. We test our technique on NVR's data set as well as on four new proteins. Our results are comparable to NVR's assignment accuracy on NVR's test set, but higher on novel proteins. Our approach allows partial assignments. It is also complete and can return the optimum as well as near-optimum assignments. Furthermore, it allows us to analyze the information content of each data type and is easily extendable to accept new forms of input data, such as additional RDCs.

  12. A Field Study of NMR Logging to Quantify Petroleum Contamination in Subsurface Sediments

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fay, E. L.; Knight, R. J.; Grunewald, E. D.

    2016-12-01

    Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) measurements are directly sensitive to hydrogen-bearing fluids including water and petroleum products. NMR logging tools can be used to detect and quantify petroleum hydrocarbon contamination in the sediments surrounding a well or borehole. An advantage of the NMR method is that data can be collected in both cased and uncased holes. In order to estimate the volume of in-situ hydrocarbon, there must be sufficient contrast between either the relaxation times (T2) or the diffusion coefficients (D) of water and the contaminant. In a field study conducted in Pine Ridge, South Dakota, NMR logging measurements were used to investigate an area of hydrocarbon contamination from leaking underground storage tanks. A contaminant sample recovered from a monitoring well at the site was found to be consistent with a mixture of gasoline and diesel fuel. NMR measurements were collected in two PVC-cased monitoring wells; D and T2 measurements were used together to detect and quantify contaminant in the sediments above and below the water table at both of the wells. While the contrast in D between the fluids was found to be inadequate for fluid typing, the T2 contrast between the contaminant and water in silt enabled the estimation of the water and contaminant volumes. This study shows that NMR logging can be used to detect and quantify in-situ contamination, but also highlights the importance of sediment and contaminant properties that lead to a sufficiently large contrast in T2 or D.

  13. Unambiguous detection of astaxanthin and astaxanthin fatty acid esters in krill (Euphausia superba Dana).

    PubMed

    Grynbaum, Marc David; Hentschel, Petra; Putzbach, Karsten; Rehbein, Jens; Krucker, Manfred; Nicholson, Graeme; Albert, Klaus

    2005-09-01

    HPLC atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI)/MS, GC MS, HPLC diode array detection (DAD), and NMR were used for the identification of astaxanthin and astaxanthin fatty acid esters in krill (Euphausia superba Dana). Matrix solid phase dispersion was applied for the extraction of the carotenoids. This gentle and expeditious extraction technique for solid and viscous samples leads to distinct higher enrichment rates than the conventional liquid-liquid extraction. The chromatographic separation was achieved employing a C30 RP column that allows the separation of shape-constrained geometrical isomers. A methanol/tert-butylmethyl ether/water gradient was applied. (all-E) Astaxanthin and the geometrical isomers were identified by HPLC APCI/MS, by coelution with isomerized authentical standard, by UV spectroscopy (DAD), and three isomers were unambiguously assigned by microcoil NMR spectroscopy. In this method, microcoils are transversally aligned to the magnetic field and have an increased sensitivity compared to the conventional double-saddle Helmholtz coils, thus enabling the measurement on small samples. The carotenol fatty acid esters were saponified enzymatically with Lipase type VII from Candida rugosa. The fatty acids were detected by GC MS after transesterification, but also without previous derivatization by HPLC APCI/MS. C14:0, C16:0, C16:1, C18:1, C20:0, C20:5, and C22:6 were found in astaxanthin monoesters and in astaxanthin diesters. (all-E) Astaxanthin was identified as the main isomer in six fatty acid ester fractions by NMR. Quantitation was carried out by the method of internal standard. (13-cis) Astaxanthin (70 microg/g), 542 microg/g (all-E) astaxanthin, 36 microg/g unidentified astaxanthin isomer, 62 microg/g (9-cis) astaxanthin, and 7842 microg/g astaxanthin fatty acid esters were found.

  14. NMR experiments for the rapid identification of P=O···H-X type hydrogen bonds in nucleic acids.

    PubMed

    Duchardt-Ferner, Elke; Wöhnert, Jens

    2017-10-01

    Hydrogen bonds involving the backbone phosphate groups occur with high frequency in functional RNA molecules. They are often found in well-characterized tertiary structural motifs presenting powerful probes for the rapid identification of these motifs for structure elucidation purposes. We have shown recently that stable hydrogen bonds to the phosphate backbone can in principle be detected by relatively simple NMR-experiments, providing the identity of both the donor hydrogen and the acceptor phosphorous within the same experiment (Duchardt-Ferner et al., Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 50:7927-7930, 2011). However, for imino and hydroxyl hydrogen bond donor groups rapidly exchanging with the solvent as well as amino groups broadened by conformational exchange experimental sensitivity is severely hampered by extensive line broadening. Here, we present improved methods for the rapid identification of hydrogen bonds to phosphate groups in nucleic acids by NMR. The introduction of the SOFAST technique into 1 H, 31 P-correlation experiments as well as a BEST-HNP experiment exploiting 3h J N,P rather than 2h J H,P coupling constants enables the rapid and sensitive identification of these hydrogen bonds in RNA. The experiments are applicable for larger RNAs (up to ~ 100-nt), for donor groups influenced by conformational exchange processes such as amino groups and for hydrogen bonds with rather labile hydrogens such as 2'-OH groups as well as for moderate sample concentrations. Interestingly, the size of the through-hydrogen bond scalar coupling constants depends not only on the type of the donor group but also on the structural context. The largest coupling constants were measured for hydrogen bonds involving the imino groups of protonated cytosine nucleotides as donors.

  15. Diazole-based powdered cocrystal featuring a helical hydrogen-bonded network: structure determination from PXRD, solid-state NMR and computer modeling.

    PubMed

    Sardo, Mariana; Santos, Sérgio M; Babaryk, Artem A; López, Concepción; Alkorta, Ibon; Elguero, José; Claramunt, Rosa M; Mafra, Luís

    2015-02-01

    We present the structure of a new equimolar 1:1 cocrystal formed by 3,5-dimethyl-1H-pyrazole (dmpz) and 4,5-dimethyl-1H-imidazole (dmim), determined by means of powder X-ray diffraction data combined with solid-state NMR that provided insight into topological details of hydrogen bonding connectivities and weak interactions such as CH···π contacts. The use of various 1D/2D (13)C, (15)N and (1)H high-resolution solid-state NMR techniques provided structural insight on local length scales revealing internuclear proximities and relative orientations between the dmim and dmpz molecular building blocks of the studied cocrystal. Molecular modeling and DFT calculations were also employed to generate meaningful structures. DFT refinement was able to decrease the figure of merit R(F(2)) from ~11% (PXRD only) to 5.4%. An attempt was made to rationalize the role of NH···N and CH···π contacts in stabilizing the reported cocrystal. For this purpose four imidazole derivatives with distinct placement of methyl substituents were reacted with dmpz to understand the effect of methylation in blocking or enabling certain intermolecular contacts. Only one imidazole derivative (dmim) was able to incorporate into the dmpz trimeric motif thus resulting in a cocrystal, which contains both hydrophobic (methyl groups) and hydrophilic components that self-assemble to form an atypical 1D network of helicoidal hydrogen bonded pattern, featuring structural similarities with alpha-helix arrangements in proteins. The 1:1 dmpz···dmim compound I is the first example of a cocrystal formed by two different azoles. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  16. Time domain para hydrogen induced polarization.

    PubMed

    Ratajczyk, Tomasz; Gutmann, Torsten; Dillenberger, Sonja; Abdulhussaein, Safaa; Frydel, Jaroslaw; Breitzke, Hergen; Bommerich, Ute; Trantzschel, Thomas; Bernarding, Johannes; Magusin, Pieter C M M; Buntkowsky, Gerd

    2012-01-01

    Para hydrogen induced polarization (PHIP) is a powerful hyperpolarization technique, which increases the NMR sensitivity by several orders of magnitude. However the hyperpolarized signal is created as an anti-phase signal, which necessitates high magnetic field homogeneity and spectral resolution in the conventional PHIP schemes. This hampers the application of PHIP enhancement in many fields, as for example in food science, materials science or MRI, where low B(0)-fields or low B(0)-homogeneity do decrease spectral resolution, leading to potential extinction if in-phase and anti-phase hyperpolarization signals cannot be resolved. Herein, we demonstrate that the echo sequence (45°-τ-180°-τ) enables the acquisition of low resolution PHIP enhanced liquid state NMR signals of phenylpropiolic acid derivatives and phenylacetylene at a low cost low-resolution 0.54 T spectrometer. As low field TD-spectrometers are commonly used in industry or biomedicine for the relaxometry of oil-water mixtures, food, nano-particles, or other systems, we compare two variants of para-hydrogen induced polarization with data-evaluation in the time domain (TD-PHIP). In both TD-ALTADENA and the TD-PASADENA strong spin echoes could be detected under conditions when usually no anti-phase signals can be measured due to the lack of resolution. The results suggest that the time-domain detection of PHIP-enhanced signals opens up new application areas for low-field PHIP-hyperpolarization, such as non-invasive compound detection or new contrast agents and biomarkers in low-field Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). Finally, solid-state NMR calculations are presented, which show that the solid echo (90y-τ-90x-τ) version of the TD-ALTADENA experiment is able to convert up to 10% of the PHIP signal into visible magnetization. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  17. Quartz Crystal Temperature Sensor for MAS NMR

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Simon, Gerald

    1997-10-01

    Quartz crystal temperature sensors (QCTS) were tested for the first time as wireless thermometers in NMR MAS rotors utilizing the NMR RF technique itself for exiting and receiving electro-mechanical quartz resonances. This new tool in MAS NMR has a high sensitivity, linearity, and precision. When compared to the frequently used calibration of the variable temperature in the NMR system by a solid state NMR chemical shift thermometer (CST), such as lead nitrate, QCTS shows a number of advantages. It is an inert thermometer in close contact with solid samples operating parallel to the NMR experiment. QCTS can be manufactured for any frequency to be near a NMR frequency of interest (typically 1 to 2 MHz below or above). Due to the strong response of the crystal, signal detection is possible without changing the tuning of the MAS probe. The NMR signal is not influenced due to the relative sharp crystal resonance, restricted excitation by finite pulses, high probeQvalues, and commonly used audio filters. The quadratic dependence of the temperature increase on spinning speed is the same for the QCTS and for the CST lead nitrate and is discussed in terms of frictional heat in accordance with the literature about lead nitrate and with the results of a simple rotor speed jump experiment with differently radial located lead nitrate in the rotor.

  18. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)-based metabolomics for cancer research.

    PubMed

    Ranjan, Renuka; Sinha, Neeraj

    2018-05-07

    Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) has emerged as an effective tool in various spheres of biomedical research, amongst which metabolomics is an important method for the study of various types of disease. Metabolomics has proved its stronghold in cancer research by the development of different NMR methods over time for the study of metabolites, thus identifying key players in the aetiology of cancer. A plethora of one-dimensional and two-dimensional NMR experiments (in solids, semi-solids and solution phases) are utilized to obtain metabolic profiles of biofluids, cell extracts and tissue biopsy samples, which can further be subjected to statistical analysis. Any alteration in the assigned metabolite peaks gives an indication of changes in metabolic pathways. These defined changes demonstrate the utility of NMR in the early diagnosis of cancer and provide further measures to combat malignancy and its progression. This review provides a snapshot of the trending NMR techniques and the statistical analysis involved in the metabolomics of diseases, with emphasis on advances in NMR methodology developed for cancer research. Copyright © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  19. Proton NMR studies of functionalized nanoparticles in aqueous environments

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tataurova, Yulia Nikolaevna

    Nanoscience is an emerging field that can provide potential routes towards addressing critical issues such as clean and sustainable energy, environmental remediation and human health. Specifically, porous nanomaterials, such as zeolites and mesoporous silica, are found in a wide range of applications including catalysis, drug delivery, imaging, environmental protection, and sensing. The characterization of the physical and chemical properties of nanocrystalline materials is essential to the realization of these innovative applications. The great advantage of porous nanocrystals is their increased external surface area that can control their biological, chemical and catalytic activities. Specific functional groups synthesized on the surface of nanoparticles are able to absorb heavy metals from the solution or target disease cells, such as cancer cells. In these studies, three main issues related to functionalized nanomaterials will be addressed through the application of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) techniques including: 1) surface composition and structure of functionalized nanocrystalline particles; 2) chemical properties of the guest molecules on the surface of nanomaterials, and 3) adsorption and reactivity of surface bound functional groups. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) is one of the major spectroscopic techniques available for the characterization of molecular structure and conformational dynamics with atomic level detail. This thesis deals with the application of 1H solution state NMR to porous nanomaterial in an aqueous environment. Understanding the aqueous phase behavior of functionalized nanomaterials is a key factor in the design and development of safe nanomaterials because their interactions with living systems are always mediated through the aqueous phase. This is often due to a lack of fundamental knowledge in interfacial chemical and physical phenomena that occur on the surface of nanoparticles. The use of solution NMR spectroscopy results in high-resolution NMR spectra. This technique is selective for protons on the surface organic functional groups due to their motional averaging in solution. In this study, 1H solution NMR spectroscopy was used to investigate the interface of the organic functional groups in D2O. The pKa for these functional groups covalently bound to the surface of nanoparticles was determined using an NMR-pH titration method based on the variation in the proton chemical shift for the alkyl group protons closest to the amine group with pH. The adsorption of toxic contaminants (chromate and arsenate anions) on the surface of functionalized silicalite-1 and mesoporous silica nanoparticles has been studied by 1H solution NMR spectroscopy. With this method, the surface bound contaminants are detected. The analysis of the intensity and position of these peaks allows quantitative assessment of the relative amounts of functional groups with adsorbed metal ions. These results demonstrate the sensitivity of solution NMR spectroscopy to the electronic environment and structure of the surface functional groups on porous nanomaterials.

  20. Selective excitation enables assignment of proton resonances and (1)H-(1)H distance measurement in ultrafast magic angle spinning solid state NMR spectroscopy.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Rongchun; Ramamoorthy, Ayyalusamy

    2015-07-21

    Remarkable developments in ultrafast magic angle spinning (MAS) solid-state NMR spectroscopy enabled proton-based high-resolution multidimensional experiments on solids. To fully utilize the benefits rendered by proton-based ultrafast MAS experiments, assignment of (1)H resonances becomes absolutely necessary. Herein, we propose an approach to identify different proton peaks by using dipolar-coupled heteronuclei such as (13)C or (15)N. In this method, after the initial preparation of proton magnetization and cross-polarization to (13)C nuclei, transverse magnetization of desired (13)C nuclei is selectively prepared by using DANTE (Delays Alternating with Nutations for Tailored Excitation) sequence and then, it is transferred to bonded protons with a short-contact-time cross polarization. Our experimental results demonstrate that protons bonded to specific (13)C atoms can be identified and overlapping proton peaks can also be assigned. In contrast to the regular 2D HETCOR experiment, only a few 1D experiments are required for the complete assignment of peaks in the proton spectrum. Furthermore, the finite-pulse radio frequency driven recoupling sequence could be incorporated right after the selection of specific proton signals to monitor the intensity buildup for other proton signals. This enables the extraction of (1)H-(1)H distances between different pairs of protons. Therefore, we believe that the proposed method will greatly aid in fast assignment of peaks in proton spectra and will be useful in the development of proton-based multi-dimensional solid-state NMR experiments to study atomic-level resolution structure and dynamics of solids.

  1. Biomedical Investigations with Laser-Polarized Noble Gas Magnetic Resonance

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Walsworth, Ronald L.

    2001-01-01

    We are developing laser-polarized noble gas nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) as a novel biomedical imaging tool for ground-based and eventually space-based application. This emerging multidisciplinary technology enables high-resolution gas-space magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) (e.g., of lung ventilation) as well as studies of tissue perfusion. In addition, laser-polarized noble gases (He-3 and Xe-129) do not require a large magnetic field for sensitive detection, opening the door to practical MRI at very low magnetic fields with an open, lightweight, and low-power device. We are pursuing two specific aims in this research. The first aim is to develop a low-field (< 0.01 T) instrument for noble gas MRI of humans, and the second aim is to develop functional MRI of the lung using laser-polarized Xe-129 and related techniques.

  2. CLIP-COSY: A Clean In-Phase Experiment for the Rapid Acquisition of COSY-type Correlations.

    PubMed

    Koos, Martin R M; Kummerlöwe, Grit; Kaltschnee, Lukas; Thiele, Christina M; Luy, Burkhard

    2016-06-27

    The COSY experiment is an essential homonuclear 2D NMR experiment for the assignment of resonances. Its multiplet line shape, however, is often overly complicated, potentially leads to signal intensity losses, and is responsible for long minimum overall acquisition times. Herein, we present CLIP-COSY, a COSY-type experiment yielding clean in-phase peaks. It can be recorded within a few minutes and benefits from enhanced signal intensities for most cross-peaks. In combination with non-uniform sampling, the experiment times can be further reduced, and the in-phase multiplets enable the application of modern homonuclear decoupling techniques in both dimensions. As antiphase cancelations are avoided, CLIP-COSY can also be applied to macromolecules and other samples with broadened lines. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  3. Using NMR to Determine the Boiling Point Diagram for a Non-Ideal Solution

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Allen, Fritz S.; And Others

    1975-01-01

    Describes an experiment that enables the student to concentrate on the fundamentals of the non-ideal liquid-vapor equilibrium. Presents typical student data and suggests features which might be added to the experiment. (GS)

  4. The GNAT: A new tool for processing NMR data.

    PubMed

    Castañar, Laura; Poggetto, Guilherme Dal; Colbourne, Adam A; Morris, Gareth A; Nilsson, Mathias

    2018-06-01

    The GNAT (General NMR Analysis Toolbox) is a free and open-source software package for processing, visualising, and analysing NMR data. It supersedes the popular DOSY Toolbox, which has a narrower focus on diffusion NMR. Data import of most common formats from the major NMR platforms is supported, as well as a GNAT generic format. Key basic processing of NMR data (e.g., Fourier transformation, baseline correction, and phasing) is catered for within the program, as well as more advanced techniques (e.g., reference deconvolution and pure shift FID reconstruction). Analysis tools include DOSY and SCORE for diffusion data, ROSY T 1 /T 2 estimation for relaxation data, and PARAFAC for multilinear analysis. The GNAT is written for the MATLAB® language and comes with a user-friendly graphical user interface. The standard version is intended to run with a MATLAB installation, but completely free-standing compiled versions for Windows, Mac, and Linux are also freely available. © 2018 The Authors Magnetic Resonance in Chemistry Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  5. Shear rheology and 1H TD-NMR combined to low-field RheoNMR: Set-up and application to quiescent and flow-induced crystallization of polymers

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Räntzsch, Volker; Özen, Mürüvvet Begüm; Ratzsch, Karl-Friedrich; Guthausen, Gisela; Wilhelm, Manfred

    2017-05-01

    Rheology provides access to the flow properties of soft matter, while 1H TD-NMR is a useful technique for the characterization of molecular dynamics. To achieve greater insight into the interplay of these domains, especially under flow, it is desirable to combine these two methods in one set-up. We present a low-field RheoNMR set-up based on a portable 30 MHz 1H NMR unit that was integrated into a commercial strain-controlled shear rheometer. This unique combination can simultaneously conduct a full rheological characterization (G', G", |η*|, FT-Rheology: I3/1, Q0) while monitoring molecular dynamics in-situ via 1H TD-NMR for temperatures from -15 to +210 °C. Possible applications include the quantitative measurement of the composition in multiphase systems (fats, polymers, etc.) and soft matter during the application of flow, e.g. measurements on the flow-induced crystallization of polymers.

  6. Solution NMR structure of a designed metalloprotein and complementary molecular dynamics refinement.

    PubMed

    Calhoun, Jennifer R; Liu, Weixia; Spiegel, Katrin; Dal Peraro, Matteo; Klein, Michael L; Valentine, Kathleen G; Wand, A Joshua; DeGrado, William F

    2008-02-01

    We report the solution NMR structure of a designed dimetal-binding protein, di-Zn(II) DFsc, along with a secondary refinement step employing molecular dynamics techniques. Calculation of the initial NMR structural ensemble by standard methods led to distortions in the metal-ligand geometries at the active site. Unrestrained molecular dynamics using a nonbonded force field for the metal shell, followed by quantum mechanical/molecular mechanical dynamics of DFsc, were used to relax local frustrations at the dimetal site that were apparent in the initial NMR structure and provide a more realistic description of the structure. The MD model is consistent with NMR restraints, and in good agreement with the structural and functional properties expected for DF proteins. This work demonstrates that NMR structures of metalloproteins can be further refined using classical and first-principles molecular dynamics methods in the presence of explicit solvent to provide otherwise unavailable insight into the geometry of the metal center.

  7. Comparison among Magnus/Floquet/Fer expansion schemes in solid-state NMR.

    PubMed

    Takegoshi, K; Miyazawa, Norihiro; Sharma, Kshama; Madhu, P K

    2015-04-07

    We here revisit expansion schemes used in nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) for the calculation of effective Hamiltonians and propagators, namely, Magnus, Floquet, and Fer expansions. While all the expansion schemes are powerful methods there are subtle differences among them. To understand the differences, we performed explicit calculation for heteronuclear dipolar decoupling, cross-polarization, and rotary-resonance experiments in solid-state NMR. As the propagator from the Fer expansion takes the form of a product of sub-propagators, it enables us to appreciate effects of time-evolution under Hamiltonians with different orders separately. While 0th-order average Hamiltonian is the same for the three expansion schemes with the three cases examined, there is a case that the 2nd-order term for the Magnus/Floquet expansion is different from that obtained with the Fer expansion. The difference arises due to the separation of the 0th-order term in the Fer expansion. The separation enables us to appreciate time-evolution under the 0th-order average Hamiltonian, however, for that purpose, we use a so-called left-running Fer expansion. Comparison between the left-running Fer expansion and the Magnus expansion indicates that the sign of the odd orders in Magnus may better be reversed if one would like to consider its effect in order.

  8. Comparison among Magnus/Floquet/Fer expansion schemes in solid-state NMR

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Takegoshi, K.; Miyazawa, Norihiro; Sharma, Kshama; Madhu, P. K.

    2015-04-01

    We here revisit expansion schemes used in nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) for the calculation of effective Hamiltonians and propagators, namely, Magnus, Floquet, and Fer expansions. While all the expansion schemes are powerful methods there are subtle differences among them. To understand the differences, we performed explicit calculation for heteronuclear dipolar decoupling, cross-polarization, and rotary-resonance experiments in solid-state NMR. As the propagator from the Fer expansion takes the form of a product of sub-propagators, it enables us to appreciate effects of time-evolution under Hamiltonians with different orders separately. While 0th-order average Hamiltonian is the same for the three expansion schemes with the three cases examined, there is a case that the 2nd-order term for the Magnus/Floquet expansion is different from that obtained with the Fer expansion. The difference arises due to the separation of the 0th-order term in the Fer expansion. The separation enables us to appreciate time-evolution under the 0th-order average Hamiltonian, however, for that purpose, we use a so-called left-running Fer expansion. Comparison between the left-running Fer expansion and the Magnus expansion indicates that the sign of the odd orders in Magnus may better be reversed if one would like to consider its effect in order.

  9. In situ and ex situ low-field NMR spectroscopy and MRI endowed by SABRE hyperpolarization.

    PubMed

    Barskiy, Danila A; Kovtunov, Kirill V; Koptyug, Igor V; He, Ping; Groome, Kirsten A; Best, Quinn A; Shi, Fan; Goodson, Boyd M; Shchepin, Roman V; Truong, Milton L; Coffey, Aaron M; Waddell, Kevin W; Chekmenev, Eduard Y

    2014-12-15

    By using 5.75 and 47.5 mT nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, up to 10(5)-fold sensitivity enhancement through signal amplification by reversible exchange (SABRE) was enabled, and subsecond temporal resolution was used to monitor an exchange reaction that resulted in the buildup and decay of hyperpolarized species after parahydrogen bubbling. We demonstrated the high-resolution low-field proton magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of pyridine in a 47.5 mT magnetic field endowed by SABRE. Molecular imaging (i.e. imaging of dilute hyperpolarized substances rather than the bulk medium) was conducted in two regimes: in situ real-time MRI of the reaction mixture (in which pyridine was hyperpolarized), and ex situ MRI (in which hyperpolarization decays) of the liquid hyperpolarized product. Low-field (milli-Tesla range, e.g. 5.75 and 47.5 mT used in this study) parahydrogen-enhanced NMR and MRI, which are free from the limitations of high-field magnetic resonance (including susceptibility-induced gradients of the static magnetic field at phase interfaces), potentially enables new imaging applications as well as differentiation of hyperpolarized chemical species on demand by exploiting spin manipulations with static and alternating magnetic fields. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  10. Comparison among Magnus/Floquet/Fer expansion schemes in solid-state NMR

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Takegoshi, K., E-mail: takeyan@kuchem.kyoto-u.ac.jp; Miyazawa, Norihiro; Sharma, Kshama

    2015-04-07

    We here revisit expansion schemes used in nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) for the calculation of effective Hamiltonians and propagators, namely, Magnus, Floquet, and Fer expansions. While all the expansion schemes are powerful methods there are subtle differences among them. To understand the differences, we performed explicit calculation for heteronuclear dipolar decoupling, cross-polarization, and rotary-resonance experiments in solid-state NMR. As the propagator from the Fer expansion takes the form of a product of sub-propagators, it enables us to appreciate effects of time-evolution under Hamiltonians with different orders separately. While 0th-order average Hamiltonian is the same for the three expansion schemes withmore » the three cases examined, there is a case that the 2nd-order term for the Magnus/Floquet expansion is different from that obtained with the Fer expansion. The difference arises due to the separation of the 0th-order term in the Fer expansion. The separation enables us to appreciate time-evolution under the 0th-order average Hamiltonian, however, for that purpose, we use a so-called left-running Fer expansion. Comparison between the left-running Fer expansion and the Magnus expansion indicates that the sign of the odd orders in Magnus may better be reversed if one would like to consider its effect in order.« less

  11. Synthesis of 24-phenyl-24-oxo steroids derived from bile acids by palladium-catalyzed cross coupling with phenylboronic acid. NMR characterization and X-ray structures.

    PubMed

    Mayorquín-Torres, Martha C; Romero-Ávila, Margarita; Flores-Álamo, Marcos; Iglesias-Arteaga, Martin A

    2013-11-01

    Palladium-catalyzed cross coupling of phenyboronic acid with acetylated bile acids in which the carboxyl functions have been activated by formation of a mixed anhydride with pivalic anhydride afforded moderate to good yield of 24-phenyl-24-oxo-steroids. Unambiguous assignments of the NMR signals were made with the aid of combined 1D and 2D NMR techniques. X-ray diffraction studies confirmed the obtained structures. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  12. DOSY Analysis of Micromolar Analytes: Resolving Dilute Mixtures by SABRE Hyperpolarization.

    PubMed

    Reile, Indrek; Aspers, Ruud L E G; Tyburn, Jean-Max; Kempf, James G; Feiters, Martin C; Rutjes, Floris P J T; Tessari, Marco

    2017-07-24

    DOSY is an NMR spectroscopy technique that resolves resonances according to the analytes' diffusion coefficients. It has found use in correlating NMR signals and estimating the number of components in mixtures. Applications of DOSY in dilute mixtures are, however, held back by excessively long measurement times. We demonstrate herein, how the enhanced NMR sensitivity provided by SABRE hyperpolarization allows DOSY analysis of low-micromolar mixtures, thus reducing the concentration requirements by at least 100-fold. © 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  13. Statistical total correlation spectroscopy scaling for enhancement of metabolic information recovery in biological NMR spectra.

    PubMed

    Maher, Anthony D; Fonville, Judith M; Coen, Muireann; Lindon, John C; Rae, Caroline D; Nicholson, Jeremy K

    2012-01-17

    The high level of complexity in nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) metabolic spectroscopic data sets has fueled the development of experimental and mathematical techniques that enhance latent biomarker recovery and improve model interpretability. We previously showed that statistical total correlation spectroscopy (STOCSY) can be used to edit NMR spectra to remove drug metabolite signatures that obscure metabolic variation of diagnostic interest. Here, we extend this "STOCSY editing" concept to a generalized scaling procedure for NMR data that enhances recovery of latent biochemical information and improves biological classification and interpretation. We call this new procedure STOCSY-scaling (STOCSY(S)). STOCSY(S) exploits the fixed proportionality in a set of NMR spectra between resonances from the same molecule to suppress or enhance features correlated with a resonance of interest. We demonstrate this new approach using two exemplar data sets: (a) a streptozotocin rat model (n = 30) of type 1 diabetes and (b) a human epidemiological study utilizing plasma NMR spectra of patients with metabolic syndrome (n = 67). In both cases significant biomarker discovery improvement was observed by using STOCSY(S): the approach successfully suppressed interfering NMR signals from glucose and lactate that otherwise dominate the variation in the streptozotocin study, which then allowed recovery of biomarkers such as glycine, which were otherwise obscured. In the metabolic syndrome study, we used STOCSY(S) to enhance variation from the high-density lipoprotein cholesterol peak, improving the prediction of individuals with metabolic syndrome from controls in orthogonal projections to latent structures discriminant analysis models and facilitating the biological interpretation of the results. Thus, STOCSY(S) is a versatile technique that is applicable in any situation in which variation, either biological or otherwise, dominates a data set at the expense of more interesting or important features. This approach is generally appropriate for many types of NMR-based complex mixture analyses and hence for wider applications in bioanalytical science.

  14. FoodPro: A Web-Based Tool for Evaluating Covariance and Correlation NMR Spectra Associated with Food Processes

    PubMed Central

    Chikayama, Eisuke; Yamashina, Ryo; Komatsu, Keiko; Tsuboi, Yuuri; Sakata, Kenji; Kikuchi, Jun; Sekiyama, Yasuyo

    2016-01-01

    Foods from agriculture and fishery products are processed using various technologies. Molecular mixture analysis during food processing has the potential to help us understand the molecular mechanisms involved, thus enabling better cooking of the analyzed foods. To date, there has been no web-based tool focusing on accumulating Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectra from various types of food processing. Therefore, we have developed a novel web-based tool, FoodPro, that includes a food NMR spectrum database and computes covariance and correlation spectra to tasting and hardness. As a result, FoodPro has accumulated 236 aqueous (extracted in D2O) and 131 hydrophobic (extracted in CDCl3) experimental bench-top 60-MHz NMR spectra, 1753 tastings scored by volunteers, and 139 hardness measurements recorded by a penetrometer, all placed into a core database. The database content was roughly classified into fish and vegetable groups from the viewpoint of different spectrum patterns. FoodPro can query a user food NMR spectrum, search similar NMR spectra with a specified similarity threshold, and then compute estimated tasting and hardness, covariance, and correlation spectra to tasting and hardness. Querying fish spectra exemplified specific covariance spectra to tasting and hardness, giving positive covariance for tasting at 1.31 ppm for lactate and 3.47 ppm for glucose and a positive covariance for hardness at 3.26 ppm for trimethylamine N-oxide. PMID:27775560

  15. Extracting protein dynamics information from overlapped NMR signals using relaxation dispersion difference NMR spectroscopy.

    PubMed

    Konuma, Tsuyoshi; Harada, Erisa; Sugase, Kenji

    2015-12-01

    Protein dynamics plays important roles in many biological events, such as ligand binding and enzyme reactions. NMR is mostly used for investigating such protein dynamics in a site-specific manner. Recently, NMR has been actively applied to large proteins and intrinsically disordered proteins, which are attractive research targets. However, signal overlap, which is often observed for such proteins, hampers accurate analysis of NMR data. In this study, we have developed a new methodology called relaxation dispersion difference that can extract conformational exchange parameters from overlapped NMR signals measured using relaxation dispersion spectroscopy. In relaxation dispersion measurements, the signal intensities of fluctuating residues vary according to the Carr-Purcell-Meiboon-Gill pulsing interval, whereas those of non-fluctuating residues are constant. Therefore, subtraction of each relaxation dispersion spectrum from that with the highest signal intensities, measured at the shortest pulsing interval, leaves only the signals of the fluctuating residues. This is the principle of the relaxation dispersion difference method. This new method enabled us to extract exchange parameters from overlapped signals of heme oxygenase-1, which is a relatively large protein. The results indicate that the structural flexibility of a kink in the heme-binding site is important for efficient heme binding. Relaxation dispersion difference requires neither selectively labeled samples nor modification of pulse programs; thus it will have wide applications in protein dynamics analysis.

  16. FoodPro: A Web-Based Tool for Evaluating Covariance and Correlation NMR Spectra Associated with Food Processes.

    PubMed

    Chikayama, Eisuke; Yamashina, Ryo; Komatsu, Keiko; Tsuboi, Yuuri; Sakata, Kenji; Kikuchi, Jun; Sekiyama, Yasuyo

    2016-10-19

    Foods from agriculture and fishery products are processed using various technologies. Molecular mixture analysis during food processing has the potential to help us understand the molecular mechanisms involved, thus enabling better cooking of the analyzed foods. To date, there has been no web-based tool focusing on accumulating Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectra from various types of food processing. Therefore, we have developed a novel web-based tool, FoodPro, that includes a food NMR spectrum database and computes covariance and correlation spectra to tasting and hardness. As a result, FoodPro has accumulated 236 aqueous (extracted in D₂O) and 131 hydrophobic (extracted in CDCl₃) experimental bench-top 60-MHz NMR spectra, 1753 tastings scored by volunteers, and 139 hardness measurements recorded by a penetrometer, all placed into a core database. The database content was roughly classified into fish and vegetable groups from the viewpoint of different spectrum patterns. FoodPro can query a user food NMR spectrum, search similar NMR spectra with a specified similarity threshold, and then compute estimated tasting and hardness, covariance, and correlation spectra to tasting and hardness. Querying fish spectra exemplified specific covariance spectra to tasting and hardness, giving positive covariance for tasting at 1.31 ppm for lactate and 3.47 ppm for glucose and a positive covariance for hardness at 3.26 ppm for trimethylamine N -oxide.

  17. Chemical interaction mechanism of 10-MDP with zirconia

    PubMed Central

    Nagaoka, Noriyuki; Yoshihara, Kumiko; Feitosa, Victor Pinheiro; Tamada, Yoshiyuki; Irie, Masao; Yoshida, Yasuhiro; Van Meerbeek, Bart; Hayakawa, Satoshi

    2017-01-01

    Currently, the functional monomer 10-methacryloyloxy-decyl-dihydrogen-phosphate (10-MDP) was documented to chemically bond to zirconia ceramics. However, little research has been conducted to unravel the underlying mechanisms. This study aimed to assess the chemical interaction and to demonstrate the mechanisms of coordination between 10-MDP and zirconium oxide using 1H and 31P magic angle spinning (MAS) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and two dimensional (2D) 1H → 31P heteronuclear correlation (HETCOR) NMR. In addition, shear bond-strength (SBS) tests were conducted to determine the effect of 10-MDP concentration on the bonding effectiveness to zirconia. These SBS tests revealed a 10-MDP concentration-dependent SBS with a minimum of 1-ppb 10-MDP needed. 31P-NMR revealed that one P-OH non-deprotonated of the PO3H2 group from 10-MDP chemically bonded strongly to zirconia. 1H-31P HETCOR NMR indicated that the 10-MDP monomer can be adsorbed onto the zirconia particles by hydrogen bonding between the P=O and Zr-OH groups or via ionic interactions between partially positive Zr and deprotonated 10-MDP (P-O−). The combination of 1H NMR and 2D 1H-31P HETCOR NMR enabled to describe the different chemical states of the 10-MDP bonds with zirconia; they not only revealed ionic but also hydrogen bonding between 10-MDP and zirconia. PMID:28358121

  18. Effective rotational correlation times of proteins from NMR relaxation interference

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lee, Donghan; Hilty, Christian; Wider, Gerhard; Wüthrich, Kurt

    2006-01-01

    Knowledge of the effective rotational correlation times, τc, for the modulation of anisotropic spin-spin interactions in macromolecules subject to Brownian motion in solution is of key interest for the practice of NMR spectroscopy in structural biology. The value of τc enables an estimate of the NMR spin relaxation rates, and indicates possible aggregation of the macromolecular species. This paper reports a novel NMR pulse scheme, [ 15N, 1H]-TRACT, which is based on transverse relaxation-optimized spectroscopy and permits to determine τc for 15N- 1H bonds without interference from dipole-dipole coupling of the amide proton with remote protons. [ 15N, 1H]-TRACT is highly efficient since only a series of one-dimensional NMR spectra need to be recorded. Its use is suggested for a quick estimate of the rotational correlation time, to monitor sample quality and to determine optimal parameters for complex multidimensional NMR experiments. Practical applications are illustrated with the 110 kDa 7,8-dihydroneopterin aldolase from Staphylococcus aureus, the uniformly 15N-labeled Escherichia coli outer membrane protein X (OmpX) in 60 kDa mixed OmpX/DHPC micelles with approximately 90 molecules of unlabeled 1,2-dihexanoyl- sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DHPC), and the 16 kDa pheromone-binding protein from Bombyx mori, which cover a wide range of correlation times.

  19. 1H NMR analysis of complexation of hydrotropic agents nicotinamide and caffeine with aromatic biologically active molecules in aqueous solution

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lantushenko, Anastasia O.; Mukhina, Yulia V.; Veselkov, Kyrill A.; Davies, David B.; Veselkov, Alexei N.

    2004-07-01

    NMR spectroscopy has been used to elucidate the molecular mechanism of solubilization action of hydrotropic agents nicotinamide (NA) and caffeine (CAF). Hetero-association of NA with riboflavine-mononucleotide (FMN) and CAF with low soluble in aqueous solution synthetic analogue of antibiotic actinomycin D, actinocyl-bis-(3-dimethylaminopropyl) amine (Actill), has been investigated by 500 MHz 1H NMR spectroscopy. Concentration and temperature dependences of proton chemical shifts have been analysed in terms of a statistical-thermodynamic model of indefinite self- and heteroassociation of aromatic molecules. The obtained results enable to conclude that NA-FMN and CAF-Actill intermolecular complexes are mainly stabilized by the stacking interactions of the aromatic chromophores. Hetero-association of the investigated molecules plays an important role in solubilization of aromatic drugs by hydrotropic agents nicotinamide and caffeine.

  20. Analysis of ethanol-soluble extractives in southern pine wood by low-field proton NMR

    Treesearch

    Thomas L. Eberhardt; Thomas Elder; Nicole Labbe

    2007-01-01

    Low-field portion NMR was evaluated as a nondestructive and rapid technique for measuring ethanol-soluble extractives in southern pine wood. Matchstick-sized wood specimens were steeped in extractive-containing solutions to generate extractive-enriched samples for analysis. decay curves obtained by the Carr-Purcell-Meiboom-gill (CPMG) pulse sequence were analyzed with...

  1. Structures of glycans bound to receptors from saturation transfer difference (STD) NMR spectroscopy: quantitative analysis by using CORCEMA-ST.

    PubMed

    Enríquez-Navas, Pedro M; Guzzi, Cinzia; Muñoz-García, Juan C; Nieto, Pedro M; Angulo, Jesús

    2015-01-01

    Glycan-receptor interactions are of fundamental relevance for a large number of biological processes, and their kinetics properties (medium/weak binding affinities) make them appropriated to be studied by ligand observed NMR techniques, among which saturation transfer difference (STD) NMR spectroscopy has been shown to be a very robust and powerful approach. The quantitative analysis of the results from a STD NMR study of a glycan-receptor interaction is essential to be able to translate the resulting spectral intensities into a 3D molecular model of the complex. This chapter describes how to carry out such a quantitative analysis by means of the Complete Relaxation and Conformational Exchange Matrix Approach for STD NMR (CORCEMA-ST), in general terms, and an example of a previous work on an antibody-glycan interaction is also shown.

  2. Facilitated assignment of large protein NMR signals with covariance sequential spectra using spectral derivatives.

    PubMed

    Harden, Bradley J; Nichols, Scott R; Frueh, Dominique P

    2014-09-24

    Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) studies of larger proteins are hampered by difficulties in assigning NMR resonances. Human intervention is typically required to identify NMR signals in 3D spectra, and subsequent procedures depend on the accuracy of this so-called peak picking. We present a method that provides sequential connectivities through correlation maps constructed with covariance NMR, bypassing the need for preliminary peak picking. We introduce two novel techniques to minimize false correlations and merge the information from all original 3D spectra. First, we take spectral derivatives prior to performing covariance to emphasize coincident peak maxima. Second, we multiply covariance maps calculated with different 3D spectra to destroy erroneous sequential correlations. The maps are easy to use and can readily be generated from conventional triple-resonance experiments. Advantages of the method are demonstrated on a 37 kDa nonribosomal peptide synthetase domain subject to spectral overlap.

  3. Continuous-wave Submillimeter-wave Gyrotrons

    PubMed Central

    Han, Seong-Tae; Griffin, Robert G.; Hu, Kan-Nian; Joo, Chan-Gyu; Joye, Colin D.; Mastovsky, Ivan; Shapiro, Michael A.; Sirigiri, Jagadishwar R.; Temkin, Richard J.; Torrezan, Antonio C.; Woskov, Paul P.

    2007-01-01

    Recently, dynamic nuclear polarization enhanced nuclear magnetic resonance (DNP/NMR) has emerged as a powerful technique to obtain significant enhancements in spin spectra from biological samples. For DNP in modern NMR systems, a high power continuous-wave source in the submillimeter wavelength range is necessary. Gyrotrons can deliver tens of watts of CW power at submillimeter wavelengths and are well suited for use in DNP/NMR spectrometers. To date, 140 GHz and 250 GHz gyrotrons are being employed in DNP spectrometer experiments at 200 MHz and 380 MHz at MIT. A 460 GHz gyrotron, which has operated with 8 W of CW output power, will soon be installed in a 700 MHz NMR spectrometer. High power radiation with good spectral and spatial resolution from these gyrotrons should provide NMR spectrometers with high signal enhancement through DNP. Also, these tubes operating at submillimeter wavelengths should have important applications in research in physics, chemistry, biology, materials science and medicine. PMID:17404605

  4. Separation and identification of phenolic compounds of extra virgin olive oil from Olea europaea L. by HPLC-DAD-SPE-NMR/MS. Identification of a new diastereoisomer of the aldehydic form of oleuropein aglycone.

    PubMed

    Pérez-Trujillo, Míriam; Gómez-Caravaca, Ana María; Segura-Carretero, Antonio; Fernández-Gutiérrez, Alberto; Parella, Teodor

    2010-08-25

    The phenolic fraction of a monovarietal extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) from Olea europaea L. var. Cornezuelo was studied by the hyphenated HPLC-DAD-SPE-NMR/MS techniques. This survey led to the identification of 25 main compounds. One was identified as a new diastereoisomer of the aldehydic form of oleuropein aglycone (AOA) and characterized by 1D and 2D NMR techniques. The relative configuration of this new AOA was determined as 5R*,8S*,9S* on the basis of the results obtained from the combination of NOE experiments and Monte Carlo conformational search calculations. Assuming, as for the described diastereoisomers, that the new AOA comes from the natural oleuropein aglycone (OA), the absolute configuration was proposed as 5S,8R,9R.

  5. Practical aspects of NMR signal assignment in larger and challenging proteins

    PubMed Central

    Frueh, Dominique P.

    2014-01-01

    NMR has matured into a technique routinely employed for studying proteins in near physiological conditions. However, applications to larger proteins are impeded by the complexity of the various correlation maps necessary to assign NMR signals. This article reviews the data analysis techniques traditionally employed for resonance assignment and describes alternative protocols necessary for overcoming challenges in large protein spectra. In particular, simultaneous analysis of multiple spectra may help overcome ambiguities or may reveal correlations in an indirect manner. Similarly, visualization of orthogonal planes in a multidimensional spectrum can provide alternative assignment procedures. We describe examples of such strategies for assignment of backbone, methyl, and nOe resonances. We describe experimental aspects of data acquisition for the related experiments and provide guidelines for preliminary studies. Focus is placed on large folded monomeric proteins and examples are provided for 37, 48, 53, and 81 kDa proteins. PMID:24534088

  6. H2BC: a new technique for NMR analysis of complex carbohydrates.

    PubMed

    Petersen, Bent O; Vinogradov, Evguenii; Kay, William; Würtz, Peter; Nyberg, Nils T; Duus, Jens Ø; Sørensen, Ole W

    2006-03-20

    It is demonstrated that the H2BC NMR pulse sequence (J. Am. Chem. Soc.2005, 127, 6154, Magn. Reson. Chem.2005, 43, 971-974) offers unambiguous assignments and significant simplification of NMR spectra of large and complex carbohydrates compared to other techniques for the establishment of correlations over more than one bond. H2BC almost exclusively correlates protons and proton-bearing carbon spins separated by two covalent bonds and is independent of occasionally vanishing (2)J(CH) coupling constants, which alleviates the problem of missing two-bond correlations in HMBC spectra. H2BC also solves the problem of distinguishing two- and three-bond correlations in HSQC-TOCSY or HMBC. It is a further asset of H2BC that the experiment is significantly shorter than HMBC and HSQC-TOCSY, and hence less sensitive to transverse relaxation. The H2BC experiment is demonstrated on an approximately 30-residue oligosaccharide from Francisella victoria.

  7. Fractionation of bamboo culms by autohydrolysis, organosolv delignification and extended delignification: understanding the fundamental chemistry of the lignin during the integrated process.

    PubMed

    Wen, Jia-Long; Sun, Shao-Ni; Yuan, Tong-Qi; Xu, Feng; Sun, Run-Cang

    2013-12-01

    Bamboo (Phyllostachys pubescens) was successfully fractionated using a three-step integrated process: (1) autohydrolysis pretreatment facilitating xylooligosaccharide (XOS) production (2) organosolv delignification with organic acids to obtain high-purity lignin, and (3) extended delignification with alkaline hydrogen peroxide (AHP) to produce purified pulp. The integrated process was comprehensively evaluated by component analysis, SEM, XRD, and CP-MAS NMR techniques. Emphatically, the fundamental chemistry of the lignin fragments obtained from the integrated process was thoroughly investigated by gel permeation chromatography and solution-state NMR techniques (quantitative (13)C, 2D-HSQC, and (31)P-NMR spectroscopies). It is believed that the integrated process facilitate the production of XOS, high-purity lignin, and purified pulp. Moreover, the enhanced understanding of structural features and chemical reactivity of lignin polymers will maximize their utilizations in a future biorefinery industry. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  8. A self optimizing synthetic organic reactor system using real-time in-line NMR spectroscopy.

    PubMed

    Sans, Victor; Porwol, Luzian; Dragone, Vincenza; Cronin, Leroy

    2015-02-01

    A configurable platform for synthetic chemistry incorporating an in-line benchtop NMR that is capable of monitoring and controlling organic reactions in real-time is presented. The platform is controlled via a modular LabView software control system for the hardware, NMR, data analysis and feedback optimization. Using this platform we report the real-time advanced structural characterization of reaction mixtures, including 19 F, 13 C, DEPT, 2D NMR spectroscopy (COSY, HSQC and 19 F-COSY) for the first time. Finally, the potential of this technique is demonstrated through the optimization of a catalytic organic reaction in real-time, showing its applicability to self-optimizing systems using criteria such as stereoselectivity, multi-nuclear measurements or 2D correlations.

  9. Present and future applications of NMR to medicine and materials science

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Morris, Peter

    1992-06-01

    The phenomenon of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) was first observed in the immediate post second-world-war period by two American physicists, working independently: Bloch at Stanford and Purcell at Harvard. Their observations were reported in 1946 in the same volume of Physical Review and led to the joint award of the 1952 Nobel Prize for Physics. Once the details of the interaction had been worked out, and the chemical specificity had been appreciated, a period of instrumentational refinement followed before NMR took its place as arguably the most powerful analytical technique available to the organic chemist. The historical development of NMR and the basis of its analytical power are described in the companion article by Dr. J. Feeney.

  10. Real-time analysis of multiple anion mixtures in aqueous media using a single receptor.

    PubMed

    Havel, Vaclav; Yawer, Mirza Arfan; Sindelar, Vladimir

    2015-03-18

    Bambusuril-based receptors have been used in conjunction with (1)H NMR spectroscopy to recognize mixtures of inorganic anions in aqueous solutions. This was achieved by examining complexation-induced changes in the receptors' (1)H NMR fingerprints. This approach enables the simultaneous identification of up to 9 anions and the quantification of up to 5 anions using a single receptor in DMSO-d6 containing 5% D2O. Toxic perchlorate was recognized and quantified at 0.1 μM (1.8 ppb, mol mol(-1)) concentration in pure water.

  11. The application of NMR-based milk metabolite analysis in milk authenticity identification.

    PubMed

    Li, Qiangqiang; Yu, Zunbo; Zhu, Dan; Meng, Xianghe; Pang, Xiumei; Liu, Yue; Frew, Russell; Chen, He; Chen, Gang

    2017-07-01

    Milk is an important food component in the human diet and is a target for fraud, including many unsafe practices. For example, the unscrupulous adulteration of soymilk into bovine and goat milk or of bovine milk into goat milk in order to gain profit without declaration is a health risk, as the adulterant source and sanitary history are unknown. A robust and fit-for-purpose technique is required to enforce market surveillance and hence protect consumer health. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) is a powerful technique for characterization of food products based on measuring the profile of metabolites. In this study, 1D NMR in conjunction with multivariate chemometrics as well as 2D NMR was applied to differentiate milk types and to identify milk adulteration. Ten metabolites were found which differed among milk types, hence providing characteristic markers for identifying the milk. These metabolites were used to establish mathematical models for milk type differentiation. The limit of quantification (LOQ) of adulteration was 2% (v/v) for soymilk in bovine milk, 2% (v/v) for soymilk in goat milk and 5% (v/v) for bovine milk in goat milk, with relative standard deviation (RSD) less than 10%, which can meet the needs of daily inspection. The NMR method described here is effective for milk authenticity identification, and the study demonstrates that the NMR-based milk metabolite analysis approach provides a means of detecting adulteration at expected levels and can be used for dairy quality monitoring. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.

  12. Standardizing the experimental conditions for using urine in NMR-based metabolomic studies with a particular focus on diagnostic studies: a review.

    PubMed

    Emwas, Abdul-Hamid; Luchinat, Claudio; Turano, Paola; Tenori, Leonardo; Roy, Raja; Salek, Reza M; Ryan, Danielle; Merzaban, Jasmeen S; Kaddurah-Daouk, Rima; Zeri, Ana Carolina; Nagana Gowda, G A; Raftery, Daniel; Wang, Yulan; Brennan, Lorraine; Wishart, David S

    The metabolic composition of human biofluids can provide important diagnostic and prognostic information. Among the biofluids most commonly analyzed in metabolomic studies, urine appears to be particularly useful. It is abundant, readily available, easily stored and can be collected by simple, noninvasive techniques. Moreover, given its chemical complexity, urine is particularly rich in potential disease biomarkers. This makes it an ideal biofluid for detecting or monitoring disease processes. Among the metabolomic tools available for urine analysis, NMR spectroscopy has proven to be particularly well-suited, because the technique is highly reproducible and requires minimal sample handling. As it permits the identification and quantification of a wide range of compounds, independent of their chemical properties, NMR spectroscopy has been frequently used to detect or discover disease fingerprints and biomarkers in urine. Although protocols for NMR data acquisition and processing have been standardized, no consensus on protocols for urine sample selection, collection, storage and preparation in NMR-based metabolomic studies have been developed. This lack of consensus may be leading to spurious biomarkers being reported and may account for a general lack of reproducibility between laboratories. Here, we review a large number of published studies on NMR-based urine metabolic profiling with the aim of identifying key variables that may affect the results of metabolomics studies. From this survey, we identify a number of issues that require either standardization or careful accounting in experimental design and provide some recommendations for urine collection, sample preparation and data acquisition.

  13. High-resolution NMR characterization of low abundance oligomers of amyloid-β without purification

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kotler, Samuel A.; Brender, Jeffrey R.; Vivekanandan, Subramanian; Suzuki, Yuta; Yamamoto, Kazutoshi; Monette, Martine; Krishnamoorthy, Janarthanan; Walsh, Patrick; Cauble, Meagan; Holl, Mark M. Banaszak; Marsh, E. Neil. G.; Ramamoorthy, Ayyalusamy

    2015-07-01

    Alzheimer’s disease is characterized by the misfolding and self-assembly of the amyloidogenic protein amyloid-β (Aβ). The aggregation of Aβ leads to diverse oligomeric states, each of which may be potential targets for intervention. Obtaining insight into Aβ oligomers at the atomic level has been a major challenge to most techniques. Here, we use magic angle spinning recoupling 1H-1H NMR experiments to overcome many of these limitations. Using 1H-1H dipolar couplings as a NMR spectral filter to remove both high and low molecular weight species, we provide atomic-level characterization of a non-fibrillar aggregation product of the Aβ1-40 peptide using non-frozen samples without isotopic labeling. Importantly, this spectral filter allows the detection of the specific oligomer signal without a separate purification procedure. In comparison to other solid-state NMR techniques, the experiment is extraordinarily selective and sensitive. A resolved 2D spectra could be acquired of a small population of oligomers (6 micrograms, 7% of the total) amongst a much larger population of monomers and fibers (93% of the total). By coupling real-time 1H-1H NMR experiments with other biophysical measurements, we show that a stable, primarily disordered Aβ1-40 oligomer 5-15 nm in diameter can form and coexist in parallel with the well-known cross-β-sheet fibrils.

  14. Nanodisc-Targeted STD NMR Spectroscopy Reveals Atomic Details of Ligand Binding to Lipid Environments.

    PubMed

    Muñoz-García, Juan C; Inacio Dos Reis, Rosana; Taylor, Richard J; Henry, Alistair J; Watts, Anthony

    2018-05-18

    Saturation transfer difference (STD) NMR spectroscopy is one of the most popular ligand-based NMR techniques for the study of protein-ligand interactions. This is due to its robustness and the fact that it is focused on the signals of the ligand, without any need for NMR information on the macromolecular target. This technique is most commonly applied to systems involving different types of ligands (e.g., small organic molecules, carbohydrates or lipids) and a protein as the target, in which the latter is selectively saturated. However, only a few examples have been reported where membrane mimetics are the macromolecular binding partners. Here, we have employed STD NMR spectroscopy to investigate the interactions of the neurotransmitter dopamine with mimetics of lipid bilayers, such as nanodiscs, by saturation of the latter. In particular, the interactions between dopamine and model lipid nanodiscs formed either from charged or zwitterionic lipids have been resolved at the atomic level. The results, in agreement with previous isothermal titration calorimetry studies, show that dopamine preferentially binds to negatively charged model membranes, but also provide detailed atomic insights into the mode of interaction of dopamine with membrane mimetics. Our findings provide relevant structural information for the design of lipid-based drug carriers of dopamine and its structural analogues and are of general applicability to other systems. © 2018 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  15. High-resolution NMR characterization of low abundance oligomers of amyloid-β without purification

    PubMed Central

    Kotler, Samuel A.; Brender, Jeffrey R.; Vivekanandan, Subramanian; Suzuki, Yuta; Yamamoto, Kazutoshi; Monette, Martine; Krishnamoorthy, Janarthanan; Walsh, Patrick; Cauble, Meagan; Holl, Mark M. Banaszak; Marsh, E. Neil. G.; Ramamoorthy, Ayyalusamy

    2015-01-01

    Alzheimer’s disease is characterized by the misfolding and self-assembly of the amyloidogenic protein amyloid-β (Aβ). The aggregation of Aβ leads to diverse oligomeric states, each of which may be potential targets for intervention. Obtaining insight into Aβ oligomers at the atomic level has been a major challenge to most techniques. Here, we use magic angle spinning recoupling 1H-1H NMR experiments to overcome many of these limitations. Using 1H-1H dipolar couplings as a NMR spectral filter to remove both high and low molecular weight species, we provide atomic-level characterization of a non-fibrillar aggregation product of the Aβ1-40 peptide using non-frozen samples without isotopic labeling. Importantly, this spectral filter allows the detection of the specific oligomer signal without a separate purification procedure. In comparison to other solid-state NMR techniques, the experiment is extraordinarily selective and sensitive. A resolved 2D spectra could be acquired of a small population of oligomers (6 micrograms, 7% of the total) amongst a much larger population of monomers and fibers (93% of the total). By coupling real-time 1H-1H NMR experiments with other biophysical measurements, we show that a stable, primarily disordered Aβ1-40 oligomer 5–15 nm in diameter can form and coexist in parallel with the well-known cross-β-sheet fibrils. PMID:26138908

  16. High-resolution NMR characterization of low abundance oligomers of amyloid-β without purification.

    PubMed

    Kotler, Samuel A; Brender, Jeffrey R; Vivekanandan, Subramanian; Suzuki, Yuta; Yamamoto, Kazutoshi; Monette, Martine; Krishnamoorthy, Janarthanan; Walsh, Patrick; Cauble, Meagan; Holl, Mark M Banaszak; Marsh, E Neil G; Ramamoorthy, Ayyalusamy

    2015-07-03

    Alzheimer's disease is characterized by the misfolding and self-assembly of the amyloidogenic protein amyloid-β (Aβ). The aggregation of Aβ leads to diverse oligomeric states, each of which may be potential targets for intervention. Obtaining insight into Aβ oligomers at the atomic level has been a major challenge to most techniques. Here, we use magic angle spinning recoupling (1)H-(1)H NMR experiments to overcome many of these limitations. Using (1)H-(1)H dipolar couplings as a NMR spectral filter to remove both high and low molecular weight species, we provide atomic-level characterization of a non-fibrillar aggregation product of the Aβ1-40 peptide using non-frozen samples without isotopic labeling. Importantly, this spectral filter allows the detection of the specific oligomer signal without a separate purification procedure. In comparison to other solid-state NMR techniques, the experiment is extraordinarily selective and sensitive. A resolved 2D spectra could be acquired of a small population of oligomers (6 micrograms, 7% of the total) amongst a much larger population of monomers and fibers (93% of the total). By coupling real-time (1)H-(1)H NMR experiments with other biophysical measurements, we show that a stable, primarily disordered Aβ1-40 oligomer 5-15 nm in diameter can form and coexist in parallel with the well-known cross-β-sheet fibrils.

  17. Characterization and Curing Kinetics of Epoxy/Silica Nano-Hybrids

    PubMed Central

    Yang, Cheng-Fu; Wang, Li-Fen; Wu, Song-Mao; Su, Chean-Cheng

    2015-01-01

    The sol-gel technique was used to prepare epoxy/silica nano-hybrids. The thermal characteristics, curing kinetics and structure of epoxy/silica nano-hybrids were studied using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), 29Si nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). To improve the compatibility between the organic and inorganic phases, a coupling agent was used to modify the diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA) epoxy. The sol-gel technique enables the silica to be successfully incorporated into the network of the hybrids, increasing the thermal stability and improving the mechanical properties of the prepared epoxy/silica nano-hybrids. An autocatalytic mechanism of the epoxy/SiO2 nanocomposites was observed. The low reaction rate of epoxy in the nanocomposites is caused by the steric hindrance in the network of hybrids that arises from the consuming of epoxide group in the network of hybrids by the silica. In the nanocomposites, the nano-scale silica particles had an average size of approximately 35 nm, and the particles were well dispersed in the epoxy matrix, according to the TEM images. PMID:28793616

  18. In Situ Flow MAS NMR Spectroscopy and Synchrotron PDF Analyses of the Local Response of the Brønsted Acidic Site in SAPO-34 during Hydration at Elevated Temperatures.

    PubMed

    Kalantzopoulos, Georgios N; Lundvall, Fredrik; Checchia, Stefano; Lind, Anna; Wragg, David S; Fjellvåg, Helmer; Arstad, Bjørnar

    2018-02-19

    In situ flow magic-angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance (MAS NMR) spectroscopy and synchrotron-based pair distribution function (PDF) analyses were applied to study water's interactions with the Brønsted acidic site and the surrounding framework in the SAPO-34 catalyst at temperatures up to 300 °C for NMR spectroscopy and 700 °C for PDF. 29 Si enrichment of the sample enabled detailed NMR spectroscopy investigations of the T-atom generating the Brønsted site. By NMR spectroscopy, we observed dehydration above 100 °C and a coalescence of Si peaks due to local framework adjustments. Towards 300 °C, the NMR spectroscopy data indicated highly mobile acidic protons. In situ total X-ray scattering measurements analyzed by PDF showed clear changes in the Al local environment in the 250-300 °C region, as the Al-O bond lengths showed a sudden change. This fell within the same temperature range as the increased Brønsted proton mobility. We suggest that the active site in this catalyst under industrial conditions comprises not only the Brønsted proton but also SiO 4 . To the best of our knowledge, this is the first work proposing a structural model of a SAPO catalyst by atomic PDF analysis. The combination of synchrotron PDF analysis with in situ NMR spectroscopy is promising in revealing the dynamic features of a working catalyst. © 2018 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  19. Prediction of Gestational Diabetes through NMR Metabolomics of Maternal Blood.

    PubMed

    Pinto, Joana; Almeida, Lara M; Martins, Ana S; Duarte, Daniela; Barros, António S; Galhano, Eulália; Pita, Cristina; Almeida, Maria do Céu; Carreira, Isabel M; Gil, Ana M

    2015-06-05

    Metabolic biomarkers of pre- and postdiagnosis gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) were sought, using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) metabolomics of maternal plasma and corresponding lipid extracts. Metabolite differences between controls and disease were identified through multivariate analysis of variable selected (1)H NMR spectra. For postdiagnosis GDM, partial least squares regression identified metabolites with higher dependence on normal gestational age evolution. Variable selection of NMR spectra produced good classification models for both pre- and postdiagnostic GDM. Prediagnosis GDM was accompanied by cholesterol increase and minor increases in lipoproteins (plasma), fatty acids, and triglycerides (extracts). Small metabolite changes comprised variations in glucose (up regulated), amino acids, betaine, urea, creatine, and metabolites related to gut microflora. Most changes were enhanced upon GDM diagnosis, in addition to newly observed changes in low-Mw compounds. GDM prediction seems possible exploiting multivariate profile changes rather than a set of univariate changes. Postdiagnosis GDM is successfully classified using a 26-resonance plasma biomarker. Plasma and extracts display comparable classification performance, the former enabling direct and more rapid analysis. Results and putative biochemical hypotheses require further confirmation in larger cohorts of distinct ethnicities.

  20. Automatic Assignment of Methyl-NMR Spectra of Supramolecular Machines Using Graph Theory.

    PubMed

    Pritišanac, Iva; Degiacomi, Matteo T; Alderson, T Reid; Carneiro, Marta G; Ab, Eiso; Siegal, Gregg; Baldwin, Andrew J

    2017-07-19

    Methyl groups are powerful probes for the analysis of structure, dynamics and function of supramolecular assemblies, using both solution- and solid-state NMR. Widespread application of the methodology has been limited due to the challenges associated with assigning spectral resonances to specific locations within a biomolecule. Here, we present Methyl Assignment by Graph Matching (MAGMA), for the automatic assignment of methyl resonances. A graph matching protocol examines all possibilities for each resonance in order to determine an exact assignment that includes a complete description of any ambiguity. MAGMA gives 100% accuracy in confident assignments when tested against both synthetic data, and 9 cross-validated examples using both solution- and solid-state NMR data. We show that this remarkable accuracy enables a user to distinguish between alternative protein structures. In a drug discovery application on HSP90, we show the method can rapidly and efficiently distinguish between possible ligand binding modes. By providing an exact and robust solution to methyl resonance assignment, MAGMA can facilitate significantly accelerated studies of supramolecular machines using methyl-based NMR spectroscopy.

  1. 5-Fluoro pyrimidines: labels to probe DNA and RNA secondary structures by 1D 19F NMR spectroscopy

    PubMed Central

    Puffer, Barbara; Kreutz, Christoph; Rieder, Ulrike; Ebert, Marc-Olivier; Konrat, Robert; Micura, Ronald

    2009-01-01

    19F NMR spectroscopy has proved to be a valuable tool to monitor functionally important conformational transitions of nucleic acids. Here, we present a systematic investigation on the application of 5-fluoro pyrimidines to probe DNA and RNA secondary structures. Oligonucleotides with the propensity to adapt secondary structure equilibria were chosen as model systems and analyzed by 1D 19F and 1H NMR spectroscopy. A comparison with the unmodified analogs revealed that the equilibrium characteristics of the bistable DNA and RNA oligonucleotides were hardly affected upon fluorine substitution at C5 of pyrimidines. This observation was in accordance with UV spectroscopic melting experiments which demonstrated that single 5-fluoro substitutions in double helices lead to comparable thermodynamic stabilities. Thus, 5-fluoro pyrimidine labeling of DNA and RNA can be reliably applied for NMR based nucleic acid secondary structure evaluation. Furthermore, we developed a facile synthetic route towards 5-fluoro cytidine phosphoramidites that enables their convenient site-specific incorporation into oligonucleotides by solid-phase synthesis. PMID:19843610

  2. 5-Fluoro pyrimidines: labels to probe DNA and RNA secondary structures by 1D 19F NMR spectroscopy.

    PubMed

    Puffer, Barbara; Kreutz, Christoph; Rieder, Ulrike; Ebert, Marc-Olivier; Konrat, Robert; Micura, Ronald

    2009-12-01

    (19)F NMR spectroscopy has proved to be a valuable tool to monitor functionally important conformational transitions of nucleic acids. Here, we present a systematic investigation on the application of 5-fluoro pyrimidines to probe DNA and RNA secondary structures. Oligonucleotides with the propensity to adapt secondary structure equilibria were chosen as model systems and analyzed by 1D (19)F and (1)H NMR spectroscopy. A comparison with the unmodified analogs revealed that the equilibrium characteristics of the bistable DNA and RNA oligonucleotides were hardly affected upon fluorine substitution at C5 of pyrimidines. This observation was in accordance with UV spectroscopic melting experiments which demonstrated that single 5-fluoro substitutions in double helices lead to comparable thermodynamic stabilities. Thus, 5-fluoro pyrimidine labeling of DNA and RNA can be reliably applied for NMR based nucleic acid secondary structure evaluation. Furthermore, we developed a facile synthetic route towards 5-fluoro cytidine phosphoramidites that enables their convenient site-specific incorporation into oligonucleotides by solid-phase synthesis.

  3. Separation and analysis of trace degradants in a pharmaceutical formulation using on-line capillary isotachophoresis-NMR.

    PubMed

    Eldridge, Stacie L; Almeida, Valentino K; Korir, Albert K; Larive, Cynthia K

    2007-11-15

    NMR spectroscopy is widely used in the pharmaceutical industry for the structure elucidation of pharmaceutical impurities, especially when coupled to a separation method, such as HPLC. However, NMR has relatively poor sensitivity compared with other techniques such as mass spectrometry, limiting its applicability in impurity analyses. This limitation is addressed here through the on-line coupling of microcoil NMR with capillary isotachophoresis (cITP), a separation method that can concentrate dilute components by 2-3 orders of magnitude. With this approach, 1H NMR spectra can be acquired for microgram (nanomole) quantities of trace impurities in a complex sample matrix. cITP-NMR was used in this work to isolate and detect 4-aminophenol (PAP) in an acetaminophen sample spiked at the 0.1% level, with no interference from the parent compound. Analysis of an acetaminophen thermal degradation sample revealed resonances of several degradation products in addition to PAP, confirming the effectiveness of on-line cITP-NMR for trace analyses of pharmaceutical formulations. Subsequent LC-MS/MS analysis provided complementary information for the structure elucidation of the unknown degradation products, which were dimers formed during the degradation process.

  4. Single-scan 2D NMR: An Emerging Tool in Analytical Spectroscopy

    PubMed Central

    Giraudeau, Patrick; Frydman, Lucio

    2016-01-01

    Two-dimensional Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (2D NMR) spectroscopy is widely used in chemical and biochemical analyses. Multidimensional NMR is also witnessing an increased use in quantitative and metabolic screening applications. Conventional 2D NMR experiments, however, are affected by inherently long acquisition durations, arising from their need to sample the frequencies involved along their indirect domains in an incremented, scan-by-scan nature. A decade ago a so-called “ultrafast” (UF) approach was proposed, capable to deliver arbitrary 2D NMR spectra involving any kind of homo- or hetero-nuclear correlations, in a single scan. During the intervening years the performance of this sub-second 2D NMR methodology has been greatly improved, and UF 2D NMR is rapidly becoming a powerful analytical tool witnessing an expanded scope of applications. The present reviews summarizes the principles and the main developments which have contributed to the success of this approach, and focuses on applications which have been recently demonstrated in various areas of analytical chemistry –from the real time monitoring of chemical and biochemical processes, to extensions in hyphenated techniques and in quantitative applications. PMID:25014342

  5. Nuclear magnetic resonance imaging of water content in the subsurface

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    J. Hendricks; T. Yao; A. Kearns

    1999-01-21

    Previous theoretical and experimental studies indicated that surface nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) has the potential to provide cost-effective water content measurements in the subsurface and is a technology ripe for exploitation in practice. The objectives of this investigation are (a) to test the technique under a wide range of hydrogeological conditions and (b) to generalize existing NMR theories in order to correctly model NMR response from conductive ground and to assess properties of the inverse problem. Twenty-four sites with different hydrogeologic settings were selected in New Mexico and Colorado for testing. The greatest limitation of surface NMR technology appears tomore » be the lack of understanding in which manner the NMR signal is influenced by soil-water factors such as pore size distribution, surface-to-volume ratio, paramagnetic ions dissolved in the ground water, and the presence of ferromagnetic minerals. Although the theoretical basis is found to be sound, several advances need to be made to make surface NMR a viable technology for hydrological investigations. There is a research need to investigate, under controlled laboratory conditions, how the complex factors of soil-water systems affect NMR relaxation times.« less

  6. Determination of Structural Topology of a Membrane Protein in Lipid -Bilayers using Polarization Optimized Experiments (POE) for Static and MAS Solid State NMR Spectroscopy

    PubMed Central

    Mote, Kaustubh R.; Gopinath, T.; Veglia, Gianluigi

    2013-01-01

    The low sensitivity inherent to both the static and magic angle spinning techniques of solid-state NMR (ssNMR) spectroscopy has thus far limited the routine application of multidimensional experiments to determine the structure of membrane proteins in lipid bilayers. Here, we demonstrate the advantage of using a recently developed class of experiments, polarization optimized experiments (POE), for both static and MAS spectroscopy to achieve higher sensitivity and substantial time-savings for 2D and 3D experiments. We used sarcolipin, a single pass membrane protein, reconstituted in oriented bicelles (for oriented ssNMR) and multilamellar vesicles (for MAS ssNMR) as a benchmark. The restraints derived by these experiments are then combined into a hybrid energy function to allow simultaneous determination of structure and topology. The resulting structural ensemble converged to a helical conformation with a backbone RMSD ∼ 0.44 Å, a tilt angle of 24° ± 1°, and an azimuthal angle of 55° ± 6°. This work represents a crucial first step toward obtaining high-resolution structures of large membrane proteins using combined multidimensional O-ssNMR and MAS-ssNMR. PMID:23963722

  7. Analysis and Synthesis of Robust Data Structures

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1990-08-01

    1.3.2 Multiversion Software. .. .. .. .. .. .... .. ... .. ...... 5 1.3.3 Robust Data Structure .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ... .. ..... 6 1.4...context are 0 multiversion software, which is an adaptation oi N-modulo redundancy (NMR) tech- nique. * recovery blocks, which is an adaptation of...implementations using these features for such a hybrid approach. 1.3.2 Multiversion Software Avizienis [AC77] was the first to adapt NMR technique into

  8. Isobutylene Dimerization: A Discovery-Based Exploration of Mechanism and Regioselectivity by NMR Spectroscopy and Molecular Modeling

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Schuster, Mariah L.; Peterson, Karl P.; Stoffregen, Stacey A.

    2018-01-01

    This two-period undergraduate laboratory experiment involves the synthesis of a mixture of isomeric unknowns, isolation of the mixture by means of distillation, and characterization of the two products primarily by NMR spectroscopy (1D and 2D) supported with IR spectroscopy and GC-MS techniques. Subsequent calculation and examination of the…

  9. Scaffolding Students' Skill Development by First Introducing Advanced Techniques through the Synthesis and [superscript 15]N NMR Analysis of Cinnamamides

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Shuldburg, Sara; Carroll, Jennifer

    2017-01-01

    An advanced undergraduate experiment involving the synthesis and characterization of a series of six unique cinnamamides is described. This experiment allows for a progressive mastery of skills students need to tackle more complex NMR structure elucidation problems. Characterization of the products involves IR spectroscopy, GCMS, and proton,…

  10. Reaction of [rho]-hydroxycinnamyl alcohols with transition metal salts. 3, Preparation and NMR characterization of improved DHPS

    Treesearch

    Lawrence L. Landucci

    2000-01-01

    Dehydropolymerization of [rho]-hydroxycinnamyl alcohols with manganese(III) acetate in either aqueous acetic acid or pyridine resulted in dehydropolymers (DHPs) that more closely approximate the structure of natural lignins than do DHPs produced by enzymic techniques. The 13C NMR spectrum of a "biomimetic" guaiacyl-DHP (G-DHP) from coniferyl alcohol was very...

  11. An Introduction to Drug Discovery by Probing Protein-Substrate Interactions Using Saturation Transfer Difference-Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (STD-NMR)

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Guegan, Jean-Paul; Daniellou, Richard

    2012-01-01

    NMR spectroscopy is a powerful tool for characterizing and identifying molecules and nowadays is even used to characterize complex systems in biology. In the experiment presented here, students learned how to apply this modern technique to probe interactions between small molecules and proteins. With the use of simple organic synthesis, students…

  12. Interest of fluorine-19 nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy in the detection, identification and quantification of metabolites of anticancer and antifungal fluoropyrimidine drugs in human biofluids.

    PubMed

    Martino, Robert; Gilard, Véronique; Desmoulin, Franck; Malet-Martino, Myriam

    2006-01-01

    The metabolism of fluorouracil and fluorocytosine, two 5-fluoropyrimidine drugs in clinical use, was investigated. (19)F nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy was used as an analytical technique for the detection, identification and quantification of fluorinated metabolites of these drugs in intact human biofluids as well as fluorinated degradation compounds of fluorouracil in commercial vials. (19)F NMR provides a highly specific tool for the detection and absolute quantification, in a single run, of all the fluorinated species, including unexpected substances, present in biofluids of patients treated with fluorouracil or fluorocytosine. Besides the parent drug and the already known fluorinated metabolites, nine new metabolites were identified for the first time with (19)F NMR in human biofluids. Six of them can only be observed with this technique: fluoride ion, N-carboxy-alpha-fluoro-beta-alanine, alpha-fluoro-beta-alanine conjugate with deoxycholic acid, 2-fluoro-3-hydroxypropanoic acid, fluoroacetic acid, O(2)-beta-glucuronide of fluorocytosine. (19)F NMR studies of biological fluids of patients treated with anticancer fluorouracil or antifungal fluorocytosine have furthered the understanding of their catabolic pathways.

  13. Holistic Analysis Enhances the Description of Metabolic Complexity in Dietary Natural Products1234

    PubMed Central

    Kulakowski, Daniel; Lankin, David C; McAlpine, James B; Chen, Shao-Nong

    2016-01-01

    In the field of food and nutrition, complex natural products (NPs) are typically obtained from cells/tissues of diverse organisms such as plants, mushrooms, and animals. Among them, edible fruits, grains, and vegetables represent most of the human diet. Because of an important dietary dependence, the comprehensive metabolomic analysis of dietary NPs, performed holistically via the assessment of as many metabolites as possible, constitutes a fundamental building block for understanding the human diet. Both mass spectrometry (MS) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) are important complementary analytic techniques, covering a wide range of metabolites at different concentrations. Particularly, 1-dimensional 1H-NMR offers an unbiased overview of all metabolites present in a sample without prior knowledge of its composition, thereby leading to an untargeted analysis. In the past decade, NMR-based metabolomics in plant and food analyses has evolved considerably. The scope of the present review, covering literature of the past 5 y, is to address the relevance of 1H-NMR–based metabolomics in food plant studies, including a comparison with MS-based techniques. Major applications of NMR-based metabolomics for the quality control of dietary NPs and assessment of their nutritional values are presented. PMID:27180381

  14. Ionic Diffusion in Cu6PS5Br Studied by 63Cu NMR

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ohki, H.; Harazono, K.; Erata, T.; Tasaki, A.; Ikeda, R.

    1993-10-01

    Applying 63Cu NMR technique, we observed exchange between the nonequivalent copper sites in crystalline Cu6PS5Br, known as a member of the mineral "argyrodite". Below 200 K, where the motion of the copper (I) ion is slow, we could distinguish several nonequivalent copper sites. On increasing the temperature, the chemical exchange between the nonequivalent cation sites was seen on the 63Cu NMR spectra. We could determine the activation energy for this motion to be 35 kJ mol-1 , in good agreement with the published ionic conductivity.

  15. Operando MAS NMR Reaction Studies at High Temperatures and Pressures

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Walter, Eric D.; Qi, Long; Chamas, Ali

    Operando MAS-NMR studies provide unique insights into the details of chemical reactions; comprehensive information about temperature- and time-dependent changes in chemical species is accompanied by similarly rich information about changes in phase and chemical environment. Here we describe a new MAS-NMR rotor (the WHiMS rotor) capable of achieving internal pressures up to 400 bar at 20 °C or 225 bar at 250 °C, a range which includes many reactions of interest. The MAS-NMR spectroscopy enabled by these rotors is ideal for studying the behavior of mixed-phase systems, such as reactions involving solid catalysts and volatile liquids, with the potential tomore » add gases at high pressure. The versatile operation of the new rotors is demonstrated by collecting operando 1H and 13C spectra during the hydrogenolysis of benzyl phenyl ether, catalyzed by Ni/-Al2O3 at ca. 250 ºC, both with and without H2 (g) supplied to the rotor. The 2-propanol solvent, which exists in the supercritical phase under these reaction conditions, serves as an internal source of H2. The NMR spectra provide detailed kinetic profiles for the formation of the primary products toluene and phenol, as well as secondary hydrogenation and etherification products.« less

  16. C terminal retroviral-type zinc finger domain from the HIV-1 nucleocapsid protein is structurally similar to the N-terminal zinc finger domain

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    South, T.L.; Blake, P.R.; Hare, D.R.

    Two-dimensional NMR spectroscopic and computational methods were employed for the structure determination of an 18-residue peptide with the amino acid sequence of the C-terminal retriviral-type (r.t.) zinc finger domain from the nucleocapsid protein (NCP) of HIV-1 (Zn(HIV1-F2)). Unlike results obtained for the first retroviral-type zinc finger peptide, Zn (HIV1-F1) broad signals indicative of confomational lability were observed in the {sup 1}H NMR spectrum of An(HIV1-F2) at 25 C. The NMR signals narrowed upon cooling to {minus}2 C, enabling complete {sup 1}H NMR signal assignment via standard two-dimensional (2D) NMR methods. Distance restraints obtained from qualitative analysis of 2D nuclear Overhausermore » effect (NOESY) data were sued to generate 30 distance geometry (DG) structures with penalties in the range 0.02-0.03 {angstrom}{sup 2}. All structures were qualitatively consistent with the experimental NOESY spectrum based on comparisons with 2D NOESY back-calculated spectra. These results indicate that the r.t. zinc finger sequences observed in retroviral NCPs, simple plant virus coat proteins, and in a human single-stranded nucleic acid binding protein share a common structural motif.« less

  17. Selective excitation enables assignment of proton resonances and {sup 1}H-{sup 1}H distance measurement in ultrafast magic angle spinning solid state NMR spectroscopy

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Zhang, Rongchun; Ramamoorthy, Ayyalusamy, E-mail: ramamoor@umich.edu

    2015-07-21

    Remarkable developments in ultrafast magic angle spinning (MAS) solid-state NMR spectroscopy enabled proton-based high-resolution multidimensional experiments on solids. To fully utilize the benefits rendered by proton-based ultrafast MAS experiments, assignment of {sup 1}H resonances becomes absolutely necessary. Herein, we propose an approach to identify different proton peaks by using dipolar-coupled heteronuclei such as {sup 13}C or {sup 15}N. In this method, after the initial preparation of proton magnetization and cross-polarization to {sup 13}C nuclei, transverse magnetization of desired {sup 13}C nuclei is selectively prepared by using DANTE (Delays Alternating with Nutations for Tailored Excitation) sequence and then, it is transferredmore » to bonded protons with a short-contact-time cross polarization. Our experimental results demonstrate that protons bonded to specific {sup 13}C atoms can be identified and overlapping proton peaks can also be assigned. In contrast to the regular 2D HETCOR experiment, only a few 1D experiments are required for the complete assignment of peaks in the proton spectrum. Furthermore, the finite-pulse radio frequency driven recoupling sequence could be incorporated right after the selection of specific proton signals to monitor the intensity buildup for other proton signals. This enables the extraction of {sup 1}H-{sup 1}H distances between different pairs of protons. Therefore, we believe that the proposed method will greatly aid in fast assignment of peaks in proton spectra and will be useful in the development of proton-based multi-dimensional solid-state NMR experiments to study atomic-level resolution structure and dynamics of solids.« less

  18. Single crystal X-ray diffraction, spectroscopic and mass spectrometric studies of furanocoumarin peucedanin.

    PubMed

    Bartnik, Magdalena; Arczewska, Marta; Hoser, Anna A; Mroczek, Tomasz; Kamiński, Daniel M; Głowniak, Kazimierz; Gagoś, Mariusz; Woźniak, Krzysztof

    2014-01-01

    The structure of peucedanin, isolated from Peucedanum tauricum Bieb. (Apiaceae), has been established using single crystal X-ray diffraction. This furanocoumarin isolated from the light petroleum extract of P. tauricum fruits was characterized by high resolution EI-MS, sATR-FTIR and 2D NMR spectroscopic techniques. The EI-MS showed the typical fragmentation pattern of methoxyfuranocoumarins. Extensive 1D (1H and 13C) as well as 2D NMR data enabled complete assignment of the carbon atoms in the peucedanin molecule. The FTIR data confirms intermolecular hydrogen bonding between peucedanin molecules in polar solvents. Peucedanin crystallises in the R-3 space group from the trigonal system with one molecule in the asymmetric part of the unit cell. The crystal lattice of peucedanin consists of the molecules arranged in separate columns. They are related by two fold screw axes and centres of symmetry. Interestingly, peucedanin columns form two channels per unit cell with a diameter of 7.5angstrom going through the crystal lattice in the Z-direction. These channels are filled with disordered water molecules, which are surrounded by hydrophobic methyl groups and are located exactly at the centres of the channels. The peucedanin molecules are stacked in a single column with the opposite orientation of the neighbouring molecules. These results could be interesting in further application of this molecule, for example in biological tests of its activity.

  19. Vanadate complexes bearing an imidazolidine-bridged bis(aryloxido) ligand: synthesis and solid state and solution structure.

    PubMed

    Kober, Ewa; Nerkowski, Tomasz; Janas, Zofia; Jerzykiewicz, Lucjan B

    2012-05-07

    A new imidazolidine-bridged bis(aryloxido) ligand precursor (H(2)L) [H(2)L = 2,2'-(imidazolidine-1,3-diylbis(methylene))bis(4-(1,1,3,3-tetramethylbutyl-2-yl)phenol)] was prepared in a relatively high yield (∼60%) via a single-step Mannich condensation of 4-(1,1,3,3-tetramethylbutyl)phenol, ethylenediamine and paraformaldehyde at 2:1:3 molar ratio and characterized by chemical and physical techniques including X-ray crystallography. Reactions of H(2)L with [VO(OEt)(3)] at 1:1 and 1:2 molar ratios in toluene afforded [V(L-κ(3)O,N,N,O)(O)(OEt)] (1) and [V(2)(μ-L-κ(4)O,N,N,O)(μ-OEt)(2)(O)(2)(OEt)(2)] (2), respectively. Alcoholysis of 1 with EtOH enables elimination of one molecule of H(2)L and the formation of 2. Compounds 1 and 2 were characterized by IR and NMR spectroscopy as well as ES-MS experiments. The definitive molecular structure of 2 was provided by a single-crystal analysis and revealed its dinuclear nature, featuring two octahedral vanadium centres bridged by both OEt groups and the L ligand. The (51)V, (1)H and (13)C NMR spectra as well as ES-MS showed that 2 does not stay intact in solution and undergoes dissociation to give 1 and [VO(OEt)(3)].

  20. Characterizing phosphorus speciation of Chesapeake Bay sediments using chemical extraction, 31P NMR, and X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy.

    PubMed

    Li, Wei; Joshi, Sunendra R; Hou, Guangjin; Burdige, David J; Sparks, Donald L; Jaisi, Deb P

    2015-01-06

    Nutrient contamination has been one of the lingering issues in the Chesapeake Bay because the bay restoration is complicated by temporally and seasonally variable nutrient sources and complex interaction between imported and regenerated nutrients. Differential reactivity of sedimentary phosphorus (P) pools in response to imposed biogeochemical conditions can record past sediment history and therefore a detailed sediment P speciation may provide information on P cycling particularly the stability of a P pool and the formation of one pool at the expense of another. This study examined sediment P speciation from three sites in the Chesapeake Bay: (i) a North site in the upstream bay, (ii) a middle site in the central bay dominated by seasonally hypoxic bottom water, and (iii) a South site at the bay-ocean boundary using a combination of sequential P extraction (SEDEX) and spectroscopic techniques, including (31)P NMR, P X-ray absorption near edge structure spectroscopy (XANES), and Fe extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS). Results from sequential P extraction reveal that sediment P is composed predominantly of ferric Fe-bound P and authigenic P, which was further confirmed by solid-state (31)P NMR, XANES, and EXAFS analyses. Additionally, solution (31)P NMR results show that the sediments from the middle site contain high amounts of organic P such as monoesters and diesters, compared to the other two sites, but that these compounds rapidly decrease with sediment depth indicating remineralized P could have precipitated as authigenic P. Fe EXAFS enabled to identify the changes in Fe mineral composition and P sinks in response to imposed redox condition in the middle site sediments. The presence of lepidocrocite, vermiculite, and Fe smectite in the middle site sediments indicates that some ferric Fe minerals can still be present along with pyrite and vivianite, and that ferric Fe-bound P pool can be a major P sink in anoxic sediments. These results provide improved insights into sediment P dynamics, particularly the rapid remineralization of organic P and the stability of Fe minerals and the ferric Fe-bound P pool in anoxic sediments in the Chesapeake Bay.

  1. The Development of Metabolomic Sampling Procedures for Pichia pastoris, and Baseline Metabolome Data

    PubMed Central

    Tredwell, Gregory D.; Edwards-Jones, Bryn; Leak, David J.; Bundy, Jacob G.

    2011-01-01

    Metabolic profiling is increasingly being used to investigate a diverse range of biological questions. Due to the rapid turnover of intracellular metabolites it is important to have reliable, reproducible techniques for sampling and sample treatment. Through the use of non-targeted analytical techniques such as NMR and GC-MS we have performed a comprehensive quantitative investigation of sampling techniques for Pichia pastoris. It was clear that quenching metabolism using solutions based on the standard cold methanol protocol caused some metabolite losses from P. pastoris cells. However, these were at a low level, with the NMR results indicating metabolite increases in the quenching solution below 5% of their intracellular level for 75% of metabolites identified; while the GC-MS results suggest a slightly higher level with increases below 15% of their intracellular values. There were subtle differences between the four quenching solutions investigated but broadly, they all gave similar results. Total culture extraction of cells + broth using high cell density cultures typical of P. pastoris fermentations, was an efficient sampling technique for NMR analysis and provided a gold standard of intracellular metabolite levels; however, salts in the media affected the GC-MS analysis. Furthermore, there was no benefit in including an additional washing step in the quenching process, as the results were essentially identical to those obtained just by a single centrifugation step. We have identified the major high-concentration metabolites found in both the extra- and intracellular locations of P. pastoris cultures by NMR spectroscopy and GC-MS. This has provided us with a baseline metabolome for P. pastoris for future studies. The P. pastoris metabolome is significantly different from that of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, with the most notable difference being the production of high concentrations of arabitol by P. pastoris. PMID:21283710

  2. Interactive NMR: A Simulation Based Teaching Tool for Fundamentals to Applications with Tangible Analogies

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Griesse-Nascimento, Sarah; Bridger, Joshua; Brown, Keith; Westervelt, Robert

    2011-03-01

    Interactive computer simulations increase students' understanding of difficult concepts and their ability to explain complex ideas. We created a module of eight interactive programs and accompanying lesson plans for teaching the fundamental concepts of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) that we call interactive NMR (iNMR). We begin with an analogy between nuclear spins and metronomes to start to build intuition about the dynamics of spins in a magnetic field. We continue to explain T1, T2, and pulse sequences with the metronome analogy. The final three programs are used to introduce and explain the Magnetic Resonance Switch, a recent diagnostic technique based on NMR. A modern relevant application is useful to generate interest in the topic and confidence in the students' ability to apply their knowledge. The iNMR module was incorporated into a high school AP physics class. In a preliminary evaluation of implementation, students expressed enthusiasm and demonstrated enhanced understanding of the material relative to the previous year. Funded by NSF PHY-0646094 grant.

  3. Protein 19F-labeling using transglutaminase for the NMR study of intermolecular interactions.

    PubMed

    Hattori, Yoshikazu; Heidenreich, David; Ono, Yuki; Sugiki, Toshihiko; Yokoyama, Kei-Ichi; Suzuki, Ei-Ichiro; Fujiwara, Toshimichi; Kojima, Chojiro

    2017-08-01

    The preparation of stable isotope-labeled proteins is important for NMR studies, however, it is often hampered in the case of eukaryotic proteins which are not readily expressed in Escherichia coli. Such proteins are often conveniently investigated following post-expression chemical isotope tagging. Enzymatic 15 N-labeling of glutamine side chains using transglutaminase (TGase) has been applied to several proteins for NMR studies. 19 F-labeling is useful for interaction studies due to its high NMR sensitivity and susceptibility. Here, 19 F-labeling of glutamine side chains using TGase and 2,2,2-trifluoroethylamine hydrochloride was established for use in an NMR study. This enzymatic 19 F-labeling readily provided NMR detection of protein-drug and protein-protein interactions with complexes of about 100 kDa since the surface residues provided a good substrate for TGase. The 19 F-labeling method was 3.5-fold more sensitive than 15 N-labeling, and could be combined with other chemical modification techniques such as lysine 13 C-methylation. 13 C-dimethylated- 19 F-labeled FKBP12 provided more accurate information concerning the FK506 binding site.

  4. Coal liquefaction process streams characterization and evaluation: Analysis of Black Thunder coal and liquefaction products from HRI Bench Unit Run CC-15

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Pugmire, R.J.; Solum, M.S.

    This study was designed to apply {sup 13}C-nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectrometry to the analysis of direct coal liquefaction process-stream materials. {sup 13}C-NMR was shown to have a high potential for application to direct coal liquefaction-derived samples in Phase II of this program. In this Phase III project, {sup 13}C-NMR was applied to a set of samples derived from the HRI Inc. bench-scale liquefaction Run CC-15. The samples include the feed coal, net products and intermediate streams from three operating periods of the run. High-resolution {sup 13}C-NMR data were obtained for the liquid samples and solid-state CP/MAS {sup 13}C-NMR datamore » were obtained for the coal and filter-cake samples. The {sup 1}C-NMR technique is used to derive a set of twelve carbon structural parameters for each sample (CONSOL Table A). Average molecular structural descriptors can then be derived from these parameters (CONSOL Table B).« less

  5. Dynamics and conformations of PEO chains chemically bonded on silica: comparison between 1H and 2H NMR.

    PubMed

    Tajouri, T; Hommel, H

    2007-06-01

    1H NMR was used to study the motion of monomer units in a layer of poly(ethylene oxide) chains grafted on silica. First, the dependence of the relaxation times on the grafting ratios is discussed qualitatively from a phenomenological point of view. Next, the NMR line narrowing effect by high-speed rotation is observed in the same samples with different grafting ratios. The magic angle spinning technique permits determination of two correlation times for each grafting ratio: tau(c) characteristic of an environment with a fast motion and tau(l) characteristic of an environment with a slow motion. In addition, the dynamics of these grafted chains are investigated by deuterium NMR (2H NMR), which is sensitive to the anisotropy of molecular motion. The evolution has been studied for two extreme grafting ratios and each time as a function of temperature. The anisotropy is more marked at low temperatures and for a low grafting ratio. The results are consistent with the 1H NMR relaxation times measured as a function of temperature. Copyright 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  6. Modeling an in-register, parallel "iowa" aβ fibril structure using solid-state NMR data from labeled samples with rosetta.

    PubMed

    Sgourakis, Nikolaos G; Yau, Wai-Ming; Qiang, Wei

    2015-01-06

    Determining the structures of amyloid fibrils is an important first step toward understanding the molecular basis of neurodegenerative diseases. For β-amyloid (Aβ) fibrils, conventional solid-state NMR structure determination using uniform labeling is limited by extensive peak overlap. We describe the characterization of a distinct structural polymorph of Aβ using solid-state NMR, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and Rosetta model building. First, the overall fibril arrangement is established using mass-per-length measurements from TEM. Then, the fibril backbone arrangement, stacking registry, and "steric zipper" core interactions are determined using a number of solid-state NMR techniques on sparsely (13)C-labeled samples. Finally, we perform Rosetta structure calculations with an explicitly symmetric representation of the system. We demonstrate the power of the hybrid Rosetta/NMR approach by modeling the in-register, parallel "Iowa" mutant (D23N) at high resolution (1.2Å backbone rmsd). The final models are validated using an independent set of NMR experiments that confirm key features. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. Observations using Phosphorus-31 nuclear magnetic resonance (31P-NMR) of structural changes in freeze-thawed hen egg yolk.

    PubMed

    Wakamatsu, Hiroki; Handa, Akihiro; Chiba, Kazuhiro

    2018-04-01

    Hen egg yolk (EY) has a complicated structure consisting of lipids and proteins, and its structure is deeply related with its functional properties. 31 P-NMR is an efficient technique to non-destructively detect the dynamic behaviour of phospholipids, the main component of bio-membranes. We determined conditions for measuring the 31 P NMR spectra of EY and identified the components. 31 P-NMR was used to detect phosvitin, inorganic phosphate, and lipoprotein as well as structural changes such as granule collapse and freeze-thaw denaturation as signal changes. Freeze-thaw denaturation generated a new denaturation peak. We separated aggregates of LDL from freeze-thawed plasma using centrifugation. TEM and 31 P-NMR observations revealed that the denaturation peak corresponded to LDL aggregates. The 31 P-NMR spectra suggested the formation of multiple forms of LDL aggregates in which the head groups of phospholipid molecules adopt a face-to-face orientation, similar to that observed following the flocculation of lipoproteins or in the lamellar-like structures of phospholipids. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  8. Velocity distributions in a micromixer measured by NMR imaging.

    PubMed

    Ahola, Susanna; Telkki, Ville-Veikko; Stapf, Siegfried

    2012-04-24

    Velocity distributions (so-called propagators) with two-dimensional spatial resolution inside a chemical micromixer were measured by pulsed-field-gradient spin-echo (PGSE) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). A surface coil matching the volume of interest was built to enhance the signal-to-noise ratio. This enabled the acquisition of velocity maps with a very high spatial resolution of 29 μm × 39 μm. The measured propagators are compared with theoretical distributions and a good agreement is found. The results show that the propagator data provide much richer information about flow behaviour than conventional NMR velocity imaging and the information is essential for understanding the performance of a micromixer. It reveals, for example, deviations in the shape and size of the channel structures and multicomponent flow velocity distribution of overlapping channels. Propagator data efficiently compensate lost information caused by insufficient 3D resolution in conventional velocity imaging.

  9. Improved classification accuracy in 1- and 2-dimensional NMR metabolomics data using the variance stabilising generalised logarithm transformation

    PubMed Central

    Parsons, Helen M; Ludwig, Christian; Günther, Ulrich L; Viant, Mark R

    2007-01-01

    Background Classifying nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra is a crucial step in many metabolomics experiments. Since several multivariate classification techniques depend upon the variance of the data, it is important to first minimise any contribution from unwanted technical variance arising from sample preparation and analytical measurements, and thereby maximise any contribution from wanted biological variance between different classes. The generalised logarithm (glog) transform was developed to stabilise the variance in DNA microarray datasets, but has rarely been applied to metabolomics data. In particular, it has not been rigorously evaluated against other scaling techniques used in metabolomics, nor tested on all forms of NMR spectra including 1-dimensional (1D) 1H, projections of 2D 1H, 1H J-resolved (pJRES), and intact 2D J-resolved (JRES). Results Here, the effects of the glog transform are compared against two commonly used variance stabilising techniques, autoscaling and Pareto scaling, as well as unscaled data. The four methods are evaluated in terms of the effects on the variance of NMR metabolomics data and on the classification accuracy following multivariate analysis, the latter achieved using principal component analysis followed by linear discriminant analysis. For two of three datasets analysed, classification accuracies were highest following glog transformation: 100% accuracy for discriminating 1D NMR spectra of hypoxic and normoxic invertebrate muscle, and 100% accuracy for discriminating 2D JRES spectra of fish livers sampled from two rivers. For the third dataset, pJRES spectra of urine from two breeds of dog, the glog transform and autoscaling achieved equal highest accuracies. Additionally we extended the glog algorithm to effectively suppress noise, which proved critical for the analysis of 2D JRES spectra. Conclusion We have demonstrated that the glog and extended glog transforms stabilise the technical variance in NMR metabolomics datasets. This significantly improves the discrimination between sample classes and has resulted in higher classification accuracies compared to unscaled, autoscaled or Pareto scaled data. Additionally we have confirmed the broad applicability of the glog approach using three disparate datasets from different biological samples using 1D NMR spectra, 1D projections of 2D JRES spectra, and intact 2D JRES spectra. PMID:17605789

  10. NMR-based investigations into target DNA search processes of proteins.

    PubMed

    Iwahara, Junji; Zandarashvili, Levani; Kemme, Catherine A; Esadze, Alexandre

    2018-05-10

    To perform their function, transcription factors and DNA-repair/modifying enzymes must first locate their targets in the vast presence of nonspecific, but structurally similar sites on genomic DNA. Before reaching their targets, these proteins stochastically scan DNA and dynamically move from one site to another on DNA. Solution NMR spectroscopy provides unique atomic-level insights into the dynamic DNA-scanning processes, which are difficult to gain by any other experimental means. In this review, we provide an introductory overview on the NMR methods for the structural, dynamic, and kinetic investigations of target DNA search by proteins. We also discuss advantages and disadvantages of these NMR methods over other methods such as single-molecule techniques and biochemical approaches. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  11. High field NMR Spectroscopy and FTICR Mass Spectrometry: Powerful Discovery Tools for the Characterization of Marine Dissolved Organic Matter

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hertkorn, N.; Harir, M.; Koch, B. P.; Michalke, B.; Grill, P.; Schmitt-Kopplin, P.

    2012-04-01

    High-field NMR and FTMS of SPE-derived marine dissolved organic matter (SPE-DOM) from the South Atlantic Ocean provided molecular level information of complex unknowns with unprecedented coverage of carbon and resolution. SPE-DOM represented major oceanic regimes of general significance: 5 m (near surface photic zone), 48 m (fluorescence maximum), 200 m (upper mesopelagic zone) and 5446 m (30 m above ground). 1H NMR spectra showed rather smooth bulk NMR envelopes with a few percent of visibly resolved signatures. 1H NMR spectra of SPE-DOM indicated considerable variance in abundance for all major chemical environments. Two-dimensional NMR spectra of SPE-DOM displayed exceptional resolution. JRES (sensitive but limited resolution), COSY (highly resolved) and HMBC NMR (informative but limited S/N ratio) spectra depicted resolved molecular signatures in excess of a certain minimum abundance. COSY cross peaks were most diverse for sample FMAX and conformed to >1,500 molecules present. Classical methyl groups terminating aliphatic chains represented only ~ 15 % of total methyl in all marine DOM investigated; 2 % of methyl was bound to olefinic carbon. Methyl ethers were abundant in surface marine DOM, and the chemical diversity of carbohydrates was larger than that of freshwater and soil DOM. TOCSY and HSQC cross peaks enabled unprecedented depiction of sp2-hybridized carbon chemical environments in marine SPE-DOM with discrimination of isolated and conjugated olefins as well as ?,?-unsaturated double bonds. Olefinic protons were more abundant than aromatic protons; relative HSQC cross peak integrals indicated more abundant olefinic carbon than aromatic carbon in all marine DOM as well. Furan, pyrrol and thiophene derivatives were marginal. Benzene derivatives and phenols as well as six-membered nitrogen heterocycles were prominent. Various key polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon substructures suggested the presence of thermogenic organic matter (TMOC) in marine DOM at all water depths. Eventually, olefinic unsaturation in marine DOM will be more directly traceable to ultimate biogenic precursors than aromatic unsaturation. The conformity of key NMR signatures suggests the presence of a numerous set of identical molecules throughout the entire ocean column even if the investigated water masses belonged to different oceanic regimes and currents. High field (12 T) negative electrospray ionization FTICR mass spectra showed abundant CHO, CHNO, CHOS and CHNOS molecular series with slightly increasing numbers of mass peaks and average mass from surface to bottom SPE-DOM. The proportion of CHO and CHNO molecular series increased from surface to depth whereas CHOS and especially CHNOS molecular series markedly declined. The exhaustive characterization of complex unknowns in marine DOM will enable a meaningful assessment of individual marine biogeosignatures which carry the holistic memory of the oceanic water masses.

  12. Fluorescein: a Photo-CIDNP Sensitizer Enabling Hyper-Sensitive NMR Data Collection in Liquids at Low Micromolar Concentration

    PubMed Central

    Okuno, Yusuke; Cavagnero, Silvia

    2016-01-01

    Photochemically induced dynamic nuclear polarization (photo-CIDNP) is a powerful approach for sensitivity enhancement in NMR spectroscopy. In liquids, inter-molecular photo-CIDNP depends on the transient bimolecular reaction between photoexcited dye and sample of interest. Hence the extent of polarization is sample-concentration dependent. This study introduces fluorescein (FL) as a photo-CIDNP dye whose performance is exquisitely tailored to data collection at extremely low sample concentrations. The photo-CIDNP resonance intensities of tryptophan in the presence of either FL or FMN (i.e., the routinely employed flavin mononucleotide photosensitizer) in the liquid state show that FL yields superior sensitivity and enables rapid data collection down to an unprecedented 1 micromolar concentration. This result was achieved on a conventional spectrometer operating at 14.1 Tesla, and equipped with a room-temperature probe (i.e., non-cryogenic). Kinetic simulations show that the excellent behavior of FL arises from its long excited-state triplet lifetime and superior photostability relative to conventional photo-CIDNP sensitizers. PMID:26744790

  13. Development of Laser-Polarized Noble Gas Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) Technology

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Walsworth, Ronald L.

    2004-01-01

    We are developing technology for laser-polarized noble gas nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), with the aim of enabling it as a novel biomedical imaging tool for ground-based and eventually space-based application. This emerging multidisciplinary technology enables high-resolution gas-space magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-e.g., of lung ventilation, perfusion, and gas-exchange. In addition, laser-polarized noble gases (3He and 1BXe) do not require a large magnetic field for sensitive NMR detection, opening the door to practical MRI with novel, open-access magnet designs at very low magnetic fields (and hence in confined spaces). We are pursuing two specific aims in this technology development program. The first aim is to develop an open-access, low-field (less than 0.01 T) instrument for MRI studies of human gas inhalation as a function of subject orientation, and the second aim is to develop functional imaging of the lung using laser-polarized He-3 and Xe-129.

  14. NMR spectroscopy up to 35.2T using a series-connected hybrid magnet.

    PubMed

    Gan, Zhehong; Hung, Ivan; Wang, Xiaoling; Paulino, Joana; Wu, Gang; Litvak, Ilya M; Gor'kov, Peter L; Brey, William W; Lendi, Pietro; Schiano, Jeffrey L; Bird, Mark D; Dixon, Iain R; Toth, Jack; Boebinger, Gregory S; Cross, Timothy A

    2017-11-01

    The National High Magnetic Field Laboratory has brought to field a Series-Connected Hybrid magnet for NMR spectroscopy. As a DC powered magnet it can be operated at fields up to 36.1T. The series connection between a superconducting outsert and a resistive insert dramatically minimizes the high frequency fluctuations of the magnetic field typically observed in purely resistive magnets. Current-density-grading among various resistive coils was used for improved field homogeneity. The 48mm magnet bore and 42mm outer diameter of the probes leaves limited space for conventional shims and consequently a combination of resistive and ferromagnetic shims are used. Field maps corrected for field instabilities were obtained and shimming achieved better than 1ppm homogeneity over a cylindrical volume of 1cm diameter and height. The magnetic field is regulated within 0.2ppm using an external 7 Li lock sample doped with paramagnetic MnCl 2 . The improved field homogeneity and field regulation using a modified AVANCE NEO console enables NMR spectroscopy at 1 H frequencies of 1.0, 1.2 and 1.5GHz. NMR at 1.5GHz reflects a 50% increase in field strength above the highest superconducting magnets currently available. Three NMR probes have been constructed each equipped with an external lock rf coil for field regulation. Initial NMR results obtained from the SCH magnet using these probes illustrate the very exciting potential of ultra-high magnetic fields. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  15. NMR spectroscopy up to 35.2 T using a series-connected hybrid magnet

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gan, Zhehong; Hung, Ivan; Wang, Xiaoling; Paulino, Joana; Wu, Gang; Litvak, Ilya M.; Gor'kov, Peter L.; Brey, William W.; Lendi, Pietro; Schiano, Jeffrey L.; Bird, Mark D.; Dixon, Iain R.; Toth, Jack; Boebinger, Gregory S.; Cross, Timothy A.

    2017-11-01

    The National High Magnetic Field Laboratory has brought to field a Series-Connected Hybrid magnet for NMR spectroscopy. As a DC powered magnet it can be operated at fields up to 36.1 T. The series connection between a superconducting outsert and a resistive insert dramatically minimizes the high frequency fluctuations of the magnetic field typically observed in purely resistive magnets. Current-density-grading among various resistive coils was used for improved field homogeneity. The 48 mm magnet bore and 42 mm outer diameter of the probes leaves limited space for conventional shims and consequently a combination of resistive and ferromagnetic shims are used. Field maps corrected for field instabilities were obtained and shimming achieved better than 1 ppm homogeneity over a cylindrical volume of 1 cm diameter and height. The magnetic field is regulated within 0.2 ppm using an external 7Li lock sample doped with paramagnetic MnCl2. The improved field homogeneity and field regulation using a modified AVANCE NEO console enables NMR spectroscopy at 1H frequencies of 1.0, 1.2 and 1.5 GHz. NMR at 1.5 GHz reflects a 50% increase in field strength above the highest superconducting magnets currently available. Three NMR probes have been constructed each equipped with an external lock rf coil for field regulation. Initial NMR results obtained from the SCH magnet using these probes illustrate the very exciting potential of ultra-high magnetic fields.

  16. Software Defined Radio (SDR) and Direct Digital Synthesizer (DDS) for NMR/MRI instruments at low-field.

    PubMed

    Asfour, Aktham; Raoof, Kosai; Yonnet, Jean-Paul

    2013-11-27

    A proof-of-concept of the use of a fully digital radiofrequency (RF) electronics for the design of dedicated Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) systems at low-field (0.1 T) is presented. This digital electronics is based on the use of three key elements: a Direct Digital Synthesizer (DDS) for pulse generation, a Software Defined Radio (SDR) for a digital receiving of NMR signals and a Digital Signal Processor (DSP) for system control and for the generation of the gradient signals (pulse programmer). The SDR includes a direct analog-to-digital conversion and a Digital Down Conversion (digital quadrature demodulation, decimation filtering, processing gain…). The various aspects of the concept and of the realization are addressed with some details. These include both hardware design and software considerations. One of the underlying ideas is to enable such NMR systems to "enjoy" from existing advanced technology that have been realized in other research areas, especially in telecommunication domain. Another goal is to make these systems easy to build and replicate so as to help research groups in realizing dedicated NMR desktops for a large palette of new applications. We also would like to give readers an idea of the current trends in this field. The performances of the developed electronics are discussed throughout the paper. First FID (Free Induction Decay) signals are also presented. Some development perspectives of our work in the area of low-field NMR/MRI will be finally addressed.

  17. PONDEROSA, an automated 3D-NOESY peak picking program, enables automated protein structure determination.

    PubMed

    Lee, Woonghee; Kim, Jin Hae; Westler, William M; Markley, John L

    2011-06-15

    PONDEROSA (Peak-picking Of Noe Data Enabled by Restriction of Shift Assignments) accepts input information consisting of a protein sequence, backbone and sidechain NMR resonance assignments, and 3D-NOESY ((13)C-edited and/or (15)N-edited) spectra, and returns assignments of NOESY crosspeaks, distance and angle constraints, and a reliable NMR structure represented by a family of conformers. PONDEROSA incorporates and integrates external software packages (TALOS+, STRIDE and CYANA) to carry out different steps in the structure determination. PONDEROSA implements internal functions that identify and validate NOESY peak assignments and assess the quality of the calculated three-dimensional structure of the protein. The robustness of the analysis results from PONDEROSA's hierarchical processing steps that involve iterative interaction among the internal and external modules. PONDEROSA supports a variety of input formats: SPARKY assignment table (.shifts) and spectrum file formats (.ucsf), XEASY proton file format (.prot), and NMR-STAR format (.star). To demonstrate the utility of PONDEROSA, we used the package to determine 3D structures of two proteins: human ubiquitin and Escherichia coli iron-sulfur scaffold protein variant IscU(D39A). The automatically generated structural constraints and ensembles of conformers were as good as or better than those determined previously by much less automated means. The program, in the form of binary code along with tutorials and reference manuals, is available at http://ponderosa.nmrfam.wisc.edu/.

  18. Characterization of the fluid and solid components of cyanogel systems during the gelation process

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fortmeyer, Ivy Camille

    The work in this thesis concerns the sol-gel transformation in cyanogel systems comprised of d8 square planar chlorometalates (M=Pd(II), Pt(II)) and d6 octahedral hexacyanometalates (M=Fe(II), Co(III), Ru(II)). The body of this thesis is split into two chapters. The first chapter examines the physical changes in the solvent phase of the sol-gel network, and the second focuses on the polymer backbone of the gel. Studies on the water component of cyanogel systems during the gelation process were carried out with a variety of in situ spectroscopic techniques. The use of high resolution-magic angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance (HR-MAS NMR) to identify and characterize different water environments was explored, but was ultimately found to disrupt gelation. Standard solution-phase 1H NMR proved sufficient for calculation and qualitative modeling of spin-spin and spin-lattice relaxations, providing distinct spectral markers of the gelation point and subsequent aging process. Vibrational spectroscopy was used to explore the hydrogen bonding environment of the water during gelation. The kinetics of polymerization of the cyanogel backbone was explored using both in situ and ex situ techniques. Data collected by 13C NMR and 195Pt NMR primarily demonstrated first order kinetics, implying a dissociative substitution mechanism at the chlorometalate center. Rate constants for gelation in the presence of various added monopotassium and nitrate salts were calculated. Added chloride was found to significantly slow gelation and was further explored using NMR and vibrational spectroscopy. A mechanism was proposed for the polymerization taking into account the dissociative substitution and the bridging geometries implied by 13C NMR.

  19. Characterization of wet aggregate stability of soils by ¹H-NMR relaxometry.

    PubMed

    Buchmann, C; Meyer, M; Schaumann, G E

    2015-09-01

    For the assessment of soil structural stability against hydraulic stress, wet sieving or constant head permeability tests are typically used but rather limited in their intrinsic information value. The multiple applications of several tests is the only possibility to assess important processes and mechanisms during soil aggregate breakdown, e.g. the influences of soil fragment release or differential swelling on the porous systems of soils or soil aggregate columns. Consequently, the development of new techniques for a faster and more detailed wet aggregate stability assessment is required. (1)H nuclear magnetic resonance relaxometry ((1)H-NMR relaxometry) might provide these requirements because it has already been successfully applied on soils. We evaluated the potential of (1)H-NMR relaxometry for the assessment of wet aggregate stability of soils, with more detailed information on occurring mechanisms at the same time. Therefore, we conducted single wet sieving and constant head permeability tests on untreated and 1% polyacrylic acid-treated soil aggregates of different textures and organic matter contents, subsequently measured by (1)H-NMR relaxometry after percolation. The stability of the soil aggregates were mainly depending on their organic matter contents and the type of aggregate stabilization, whereby additional effects of clay swelling on the measured wet aggregate stability were identified by the transverse relaxation time (T2) distributions. Regression analyses showed that only the percentage of water stable aggregates could be determined accurately from percolated soil aggregate columns by (1)H-NMR relaxometry measurements. (1)H-NMR relaxometry seems a promising technique for wet aggregate stability measurements but should be further developed for nonpercolated aggregate columns and real soil samples. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  20. High-Resolution Magic Angle Spinning Nuclear Magnetic Resonance of Intact Zebrafish Embryos Detects Metabolic Changes Following Exposure to Teratogenic Polymethoxyalkenes from Algae

    PubMed Central

    Roy, Upasana; Jaja-Chimedza, Asha; Sanchez, Kristel; Matysik, Joerg

    2016-01-01

    Abstract Techniques based on nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) for imaging and chemical analyses of in vivo, or otherwise intact, biological systems are rapidly emerging and finding diverse applications within a wide range of fields. Very recently, several NMR-based techniques have been developed for the zebrafish as a model animal system. In the current study, the novel application of high-resolution magic angle spinning (HR-MAS) NMR is presented as a means of metabolic profiling of intact zebrafish embryos. Toward investigating the utility of HR-MAS NMR as a toxicological tool, these studies specifically examined metabolic changes of embryos exposed to polymethoxy-1-alkenes (PMAs)—a recently identified family of teratogenic compounds from freshwater algae—as emerging environmental contaminants. One-dimensional and two-dimensional HR-MAS NMR analyses were able to effectively identify and quantify diverse metabolites in early-stage (≤36 h postfertilization) embryos. Subsequent comparison of the metabolic profiles between PMA-exposed and control embryos identified several statistically significant metabolic changes associated with subacute exposure to the teratogen, including (1) elevated inositol as a recognized component of signaling pathways involved in embryo development; (2) increases in several metabolites, including inositol, phosphoryl choline, fatty acids, and cholesterol, which are associated with lipid composition of cell membranes; (3) concomitant increase in glucose and decrease in lactate; and (4) decreases in several biochemically related metabolites associated with central nervous system development and function, including γ-aminobutyric acid, glycine, glutamate, and glutamine. A potentially unifying model/hypothesis of PMA teratogenicity based on the data is presented. These findings, taken together, demonstrate that HR-MAS NMR is a promising tool for metabolic profiling in the zebrafish embryo, including toxicological applications. PMID:27348393

  1. Liquid-State NMR Analysis of Nanocelluloses.

    PubMed

    King, Alistair W T; Mäkelä, Valtteri; Kedzior, Stephanie A; Laaksonen, Tiina; Partl, Gabriel J; Heikkinen, Sami; Koskela, Harri; Heikkinen, Harri A; Holding, Ashley J; Cranston, Emily D; Kilpeläinen, Ilkka

    2018-04-11

    Recent developments in ionic liquid electrolytes for cellulose or biomass dissolution has also allowed for high-resolution 1 H and 13 C NMR on very high molecular weight cellulose. This permits the development of advanced liquid-state quantitative NMR methods for characterization of unsubstituted and low degree of substitution celluloses, for example, surface-modified nanocelluloses, which are insoluble in all molecular solvents. As such, we present the use of the tetrabutylphosphonium acetate ([P 4444 ][OAc]):DMSO- d 6 electrolyte in the 1D and 2D NMR characterization of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA)-grafted cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs). PMMA- g-CNCs was chosen as a difficult model to study, to illustrate the potential of the technique. The chemical shift range of [P 4444 ][OAc] is completely upfield of the cellulose backbone signals, avoiding signal overlap. In addition, application of diffusion-editing for 1 H and HSQC was shown to be effective in the discrimination between PMMA polymer graft resonances and those from low molecular weight components arising from the solvent system. The bulk ratio of methyl methacrylate monomer to anhydroglucose unit was determined using a combination of HSQC and quantitative 13 C NMR. After detachment and recovery of the PMMA grafts, through methanolysis, DOSY NMR was used to determine the average self-diffusion coefficient and, hence, molecular weight of the grafts compared to self-diffusion coefficients for PMMA GPC standards. This finally led to a calculation of both graft length and graft density using liquid-state NMR techniques. In addition, it was possible to discriminate between triads and tetrads, associated with PMMA tacticity, of the PMMA still attached to the CNCs (before methanolysis). CNC reducing end and sulfate half ester resonances, from sulfuric acid hydrolysis, were also assignable. Furthermore, other biopolymers, such as hemicelluloses and proteins (silk and wool), were found to be soluble in the electrolyte media, allowing for wider application of this method beyond just cellulose analytics.

  2. Enhancing the resolution of 1H and 13C solid-state NMR spectra by reduction of anisotropic bulk magnetic susceptibility broadening.

    PubMed

    Hanrahan, Michael P; Venkatesh, Amrit; Carnahan, Scott L; Calahan, Julie L; Lubach, Joseph W; Munson, Eric J; Rossini, Aaron J

    2017-10-25

    We demonstrate that natural isotopic abundance 2D heteronuclear correlation (HETCOR) solid-state NMR spectra can be used to significantly reduce or eliminate the broadening of 1 H and 13 C solid-state NMR spectra of organic solids due to anisotropic bulk magnetic susceptibility (ABMS). ABMS often manifests in solids with aromatic groups, such as active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), and inhomogeneously broadens the NMR peaks of all nuclei in the sample. Inhomogeneous peaks with full widths at half maximum (FWHM) of ∼1 ppm typically result from ABMS broadening and the low spectral resolution impedes the analysis of solid-state NMR spectra. ABMS broadening of solid-state NMR spectra has previously been eliminated using 2D multiple-quantum correlation experiments, or by performing NMR experiments on diluted materials or single crystals. However, these experiments are often infeasible due to their poor sensitivity and/or provide limited gains in resolution. 2D 1 H- 13 C HETCOR experiments have previously been applied to reduce susceptibility broadening in paramagnetic solids and we show that this strategy can significantly reduce ABMS broadening in diamagnetic organic solids. Comparisons of 1D solid-state NMR spectra and 1 H and 13 C solid-state NMR spectra obtained from 2D 1 H- 13 C HETCOR NMR spectra show that the HETCOR spectrum directly increases resolution by a factor of 1.5 to 8. The direct gain in resolution is determined by the ratio of the inhomogeneous 13 C/ 1 H linewidth to the homogeneous 1 H linewidth, with the former depending on the magnitude of the ABMS broadening and the strength of the applied field and the latter on the efficiency of homonuclear decoupling. The direct gains in resolution obtained using the 2D HETCOR experiments are better than that obtained by dilution. For solids with long proton longitudinal relaxation times, dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) was applied to enhance sensitivity and enable the acquisition of 2D 1 H- 13 C HETCOR NMR spectra. 2D 1 H- 13 C HETCOR experiments were applied to resolve and partially assign the NMR signals of the form I and form II polymorphs of aspirin in a sample containing both forms. These findings have important implications for ultra-high field NMR experiments, optimization of decoupling schemes and assessment of the fundamental limits on the resolution of solid-state NMR spectra.

  3. Automatic Tuning Matching Cycler (ATMC) in situ NMR spectroscopy as a novel approach for real-time investigations of Li- and Na-ion batteries

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Pecher, Oliver; Bayley, Paul M.; Liu, Hao

    We have developed and explored the use of a new Automatic Tuning Matching Cycler (ATMC) in situ NMR probe system to track the formation of intermediate phases and investigate electrolyte decomposition during electrochemical cycling of Li- and Na-ion batteries (LIBs and NIBs). The new approach addresses many of the issues arising during in situ NMR, e.g., significantly different shifts of the multi-component samples, changing sample conditions (such as the magnetic susceptibility and conductivity) during cycling, signal broadening due to paramagnetism as well as interferences between the NMR and external cycler circuit that might impair the experiments. We provide practical insightmore » into how to conduct ATMC in situ NMR experiments and discuss applications of the methodology to LiFePO4 (LFP) and Na3V2(PO4)2F3 cathodes as well as Na metal anodes. Automatic frequency sweep 7Li in situ NMR reveals significant changes of the strongly paramagnetic broadened LFP line shape in agreement with the structural changes due to delithiation. Additionally, 31P in situ NMR shows a full separation of the electrolyte and cathode NMR signals and is a key feature for a deeper understanding of the processes occurring during charge/discharge on the local atomic scale of NMR. 31P in situ NMR with “on-the-fly” re-calibrated, varying carrier frequencies on Na3V2(PO4)2F3 as a cathode in a NIB enabled the detection of different P signals within a huge frequency range of 4000 ppm. The experiments show a significant shift and changes in the number as well as intensities of 31P signals during desodiation/sodiation of the cathode. The in situ experiments reveal changes of local P environments that in part have not been seen in ex situ NMR investigations. Furthermore, we applied ATMC 23Na in situ NMR on symmetrical Na–Na cells during galvanostatic plating. An automatic adjustment of the NMR carrier frequency during the in situ experiment ensured on-resonance conditions for the Na metal and electrolyte peak, respectively. Thus, interleaved measurements with different optimal NMR set-ups for the metal and electrolyte, respectively, became possible. This allowed the formation of different Na metal species as well as a quantification of electrolyte consumption during the electrochemical experiment to be monitored. The new approach is likely to benefit a further understanding of Na-ion battery chemistries.« less

  4. Automatic Tuning Matching Cycler (ATMC) in situ NMR spectroscopy as a novel approach for real-time investigations of Li- and Na-ion batteries

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pecher, Oliver; Bayley, Paul M.; Liu, Hao; Liu, Zigeng; Trease, Nicole M.; Grey, Clare P.

    2016-04-01

    We have developed and explored the use of a new Automatic Tuning Matching Cycler (ATMC) in situ NMR probe system to track the formation of intermediate phases and investigate electrolyte decomposition during electrochemical cycling of Li- and Na-ion batteries (LIBs and NIBs). The new approach addresses many of the issues arising during in situ NMR, e.g., significantly different shifts of the multi-component samples, changing sample conditions (such as the magnetic susceptibility and conductivity) during cycling, signal broadening due to paramagnetism as well as interferences between the NMR and external cycler circuit that might impair the experiments. We provide practical insight into how to conduct ATMC in situ NMR experiments and discuss applications of the methodology to LiFePO4 (LFP) and Na3V2(PO4)2F3 cathodes as well as Na metal anodes. Automatic frequency sweep 7Li in situ NMR reveals significant changes of the strongly paramagnetic broadened LFP line shape in agreement with the structural changes due to delithiation. Additionally, 31P in situ NMR shows a full separation of the electrolyte and cathode NMR signals and is a key feature for a deeper understanding of the processes occurring during charge/discharge on the local atomic scale of NMR. 31P in situ NMR with "on-the-fly" re-calibrated, varying carrier frequencies on Na3V2(PO4)2F3 as a cathode in a NIB enabled the detection of different P signals within a huge frequency range of 4000 ppm. The experiments show a significant shift and changes in the number as well as intensities of 31P signals during desodiation/sodiation of the cathode. The in situ experiments reveal changes of local P environments that in part have not been seen in ex situ NMR investigations. Furthermore, we applied ATMC 23Na in situ NMR on symmetrical Na-Na cells during galvanostatic plating. An automatic adjustment of the NMR carrier frequency during the in situ experiment ensured on-resonance conditions for the Na metal and electrolyte peak, respectively. Thus, interleaved measurements with different optimal NMR set-ups for the metal and electrolyte, respectively, became possible. This allowed the formation of different Na metal species as well as a quantification of electrolyte consumption during the electrochemical experiment to be monitored. The new approach is likely to benefit a further understanding of Na-ion battery chemistries.

  5. Dynamic Adaptive Binning: An Improved Quantification Technique for NMR Spectroscopic Data

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2010-01-01

    Reo 2002). Unlike proteomics and genomics that assess inter- mediate products, metabolomics assesses the end product of cellular function, metabolites...other proteomic , genomic , and metabolomic analyses, NMR spectroscopy is Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi...Changes occurring at the level of genes and proteins (assessed by genomics and proteomics ) may or may not influence a variety of cellular functions

  6. NMR imaging and spectroscopy of the mammalian central nervous system after heavy ion radiation

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Richards, T.

    NMR imaging, NMR spectroscopic, and histopathologic techniques were used to study the proton relaxation time and related biochemical changes in the central nervous system after helium beam in vivo irradiation of the rodent brain. The spectroscopic observations reported in this dissertation were made possible by development of methods for measuring the NMR parameters of the rodent brain in vivo and in vitro. The methods include (1) depth selective spectroscopy using an optimization of rf pulse energy based on a priori knowledge of N-acetyl aspartate and lipid spectra of the normal brain, (2) phase-encoded proton spectroscopy of the living rodent usingmore » a surface coil, and (3) dual aqueous and organic tissue extraction technique for spectroscopy. Radiation induced increases were observed in lipid and p-choline peaks of the proton spectrum, in vivo. Proton NMR spectroscopy measurements on brain extracts (aqueous and organic solvents) were made to observe chemical changes that could not be seen in vivo. Radiation-induced changes were observed in lactate, GABA, glutamate, and p-choline peak areas of the aqueous fraction spectra. In the organic fraction, decreases were observed in peak area ratios of the terminal-methyl peaks, the N-methyl groups of choline, and at a peak at 2.84 ppM (phosphatidyl ethanolamine and phosphatidyl serine resonances) relative to TMS. With histology and Evans blue injections, blood-brain barrier alternations were seen as early as 4 days after irradiation. 83 references, 53 figures.« less

  7. The NMR phased array.

    PubMed

    Roemer, P B; Edelstein, W A; Hayes, C E; Souza, S P; Mueller, O M

    1990-11-01

    We describe methods for simultaneously acquiring and subsequently combining data from a multitude of closely positioned NMR receiving coils. The approach is conceptually similar to phased array radar and ultrasound and hence we call our techniques the "NMR phased array." The NMR phased array offers the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and resolution of a small surface coil over fields-of-view (FOV) normally associated with body imaging with no increase in imaging time. The NMR phased array can be applied to both imaging and spectroscopy for all pulse sequences. The problematic interactions among nearby surface coils is eliminated (a) by overlapping adjacent coils to give zero mutual inductance, hence zero interaction, and (b) by attaching low input impedance preamplifiers to all coils, thus eliminating interference among next nearest and more distant neighbors. We derive an algorithm for combining the data from the phased array elements to yield an image with optimum SNR. Other techniques which are easier to implement at the cost of lower SNR are explored. Phased array imaging is demonstrated with high resolution (512 x 512, 48-cm FOV, and 32-cm FOV) spin-echo images of the thoracic and lumbar spine. Data were acquired from four-element linear spine arrays, the first made of 12-cm square coils and the second made of 8-cm square coils. When compared with images from a single 15 x 30-cm rectangular coil and identical imaging parameters, the phased array yields a 2X and 3X higher SNR at the depth of the spine (approximately 7 cm).

  8. "Pulse pair technique in high resolution NMR" a reprint of the historical 1971 lecture notes on two-dimensional spectroscopy.

    PubMed

    Jeener, Jean; Alewaeters, Gerrit

    2016-05-01

    The review articles published in "Progress in NMR Spectroscopy" are usually invited treatments of topics of current interest, but occasionally the Editorial Board may take an initiative to publish important historical material that is not widely available. The present article represents just such a case. Jean Jeener gave a lecture in 1971 at a summer school in Basko Polje, in what was then called Yugoslavia. As is now widely known, Jean Jeener laid down the foundations in that lecture of two - and higher - dimensional NMR spectroscopy by proposing the homonuclear COSY experiment. Jeener realized that the new proposal would open the door towards protein NMR and molecular structure determinations, but he felt that useful versions of such experiments could not be achieved with the NMR, computer and electronics technology available at that time, so that copies of the lecture notes were circulated (the Basko Polje lecture notes by J. Jeener and G. Alewaeters), but no formal publication followed. Fortunately, Ernst, Freeman, Griffin, and many others were more far-sighted and optimistic. An early useful extension was Ernst's proposal to replace the original projection/reconstruction technique of MRI by the widely adopted Fourier transform method inspired by the Basko Polje lecture. Later, the pulse method spread over many fields of spectroscopy as soon as the required technology became available. Jean Jeener, Emeritus professor, Université Libre de Bruxelles. Geoffrey Bodenhausen, Ecole Normale Supérieure, Paris. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  9. Harnessing biosynthesis and quantitative NMR for late stage functionalization of lead molecules: Application to the M1 positive allosteric modulator (PAM) program.

    PubMed

    Brodney, Michael A; Sharma, Raman; Lazzaro, John T; Walker, Gregory S; Scott Obach, R

    2018-06-15

    A facile method for late stage diversification of lead molecules for the M1 PAM program using biosynthesis is described. Liver microsomes from several species are screened to identify a high turnover system. Subsequent incubations using less than 1 mg of substrate generate nanomole quantities of drug metabolites that are purified, characterized by microcryoprobe NMR spectroscopy, and quantified to known concentrations to enable rapid biology testing. The late-stage diversification of lead compounds provides rapid SAR feedback to the medicinal chemistry design cycle. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. On the predictions of the 11B solid state NMR parameters

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Czernek, Jiří; Brus, Jiří

    2016-07-01

    The set of boron containing compounds has been subject to the prediction of the 11B solid state NMR spectral parameters using DFT-GIPAW methods properly treating the solid phase effects. The quantification of the differences between measured and theoretical values has been presented, which is directly applicable in structural studies involving 11B nuclei. In particular, a simple scheme has been proposed, which is expected to provide for an estimate of the 11B chemical shift within ±2.0 ppm from the experimental value. The computer program, INFOR, enabling the visualization of concomitant Euler rotations related to the tensorial transformations has been presented.

  11. Evidence for cross-linking in tomato cutin using HR-MAS NMR spectroscopy.

    PubMed

    Deshmukh, Ashish P; Simpson, André J; Hatcher, Patrick G

    2003-11-01

    Cutin is a polyester biopolymer component of plant leaf and fruit cuticles, most often associated with waxes and cuticular polysaccharides, and sometimes with another aliphatic biopolymer called cutan. Insolubility of these cuticular biopolymers has made it difficult to apply traditional analytical techniques for structure determination, because most techniques providing molecular level details require solubility. By using the relatively new technique of one and two-dimensional high-resolution magic angle spinning (HR-MAS) NMR spectroscopy, with added information from solid-state 13C NMR spectroscopy, detailed through-bond connectivities and assignments are made for cutin from Lycopersicon esculentum (tomato) fruit. Based on the data obtained, tomato cutin is found to be predominantly an aliphatic polyester with some olefinic and aromatic moieties, consistent with previous studies that employed various degradative approaches. Aside from esters, there are free primary and secondary alcohol groups, as well as free fatty acids. A significant finding is the presence of alpha-branched fatty acids/esters. Mid-chain hydroxyls appear to be generally unesterified, but esters of mid-chain hydroxyls have been identified. The alpha-branched fatty acids/esters and esters of mid-chain hydroxyls could point towards cross-linking.

  12. Application of the double relaxation oscillation superconducting quantum interference device sensor to micro-tesla 1H nuclear magnetic resonance experiments

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kang, Chan Seok; Kim, Kiwoong; Lee, Seong-Joo; Hwang, Seong-min; Kim, Jin-Mok; Yu, Kwon Kyu; Kwon, Hyukchan; Lee, Sang Kil; Lee, Yong-Ho

    2011-09-01

    We developed an ultra-low field (ULF)-nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) measurement system capable of working with a measurement field (Bm) of several micro-tesla and performed basic NMR studies with a double relaxation oscillation superconducting quantum interference device (DROS) instead of conventional dc-SQUIDs. DROS is a SQUID sensor utilizing a relaxation oscillation between a dc-SQUID and a relaxation circuit; the new unit consists of an inductor and a resistor, and is connected in parallel with the SQUID. DROS has a 10 times larger flux-to-voltage transfer coefficient (˜mV/ϕ0) than that of the dc-SQUID, and this large transfer coefficient enables the acquisition of the SQUID signal with a simple flux-locked-loop (FLL) circuit using room temperature pre-amplifiers. The DROS second-order gradiometer showed average field noise of 9.2 μϕ0/√Hz in a magnetically shielded room (MSR). In addition, a current limiter formed of a Josephson junction array was put in a flux-transformer of DROS to prevent excessive currents that can be generated from the high pre-polarization field (Bp). Using this system, we measured an 1H NMR signal in water under 2.8 μT Bm field and reconstructed a one-dimensional MR image from the 1H NMR signal under a gradient field BG of 4.09 nT/mm. In addition, we confirmed that the ULF-NMR system can measure the NMR signal in the presence of metal without any distortion by measuring the NMR signal of a sample wrapped with metal. Lastly, we have measured the scalar J-coupling of trimethylphosphate and were able to confirm a clear doublet NMR signal with the coupling strength J3[P,H] = 10.4 ± 0.8 Hz. Finally, because the existing ULF-NMR/MRI studies were almost all performed with dc-SQUID based systems, we constructed a dc-SQUID-based ULF-NMR system in addition to the DROS based system and compared the characteristics of the two different systems by operating the two systems under identical experimental conditions.

  13. Interfacial Ca2+ environments in nanocrystalline apatites revealed by dynamic nuclear polarization enhanced 43Ca NMR spectroscopy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lee, Daniel; Leroy, César; Crevant, Charlène; Bonhomme-Coury, Laure; Babonneau, Florence; Laurencin, Danielle; Bonhomme, Christian; de Paëpe, Gaël

    2017-01-01

    The interfaces within bones, teeth and other hybrid biomaterials are of paramount importance but remain particularly difficult to characterize at the molecular level because both sensitive and selective techniques are mandatory. Here, it is demonstrated that unprecedented insights into calcium environments, for example the differentiation of surface and core species of hydroxyapatite nanoparticles, can be obtained using solid-state NMR, when combined with dynamic nuclear polarization. Although calcium represents an ideal NMR target here (and de facto for a large variety of calcium-derived materials), its stable NMR-active isotope, calcium-43, is a highly unreceptive probe. Using the sensitivity gains from dynamic nuclear polarization, not only could calcium-43 NMR spectra be obtained easily, but natural isotopic abundance 2D correlation experiments could be recorded for calcium-43 in short experimental time. This opens perspectives for the detailed study of interfaces in nanostructured materials of the highest biological interest as well as calcium-based nanosystems in general.

  14. NMR approaches in structure-based lead discovery: Recent developments and new frontiers for targeting multi-protein complexes

    PubMed Central

    Dias, David M.; Ciulli, Alessio

    2014-01-01

    Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy is a pivotal method for structure-based and fragment-based lead discovery because it is one of the most robust techniques to provide information on protein structure, dynamics and interaction at an atomic level in solution. Nowadays, in most ligand screening cascades, NMR-based methods are applied to identify and structurally validate small molecule binding. These can be high-throughput and are often used synergistically with other biophysical assays. Here, we describe current state-of-the-art in the portfolio of available NMR-based experiments that are used to aid early-stage lead discovery. We then focus on multi-protein complexes as targets and how NMR spectroscopy allows studying of interactions within the high molecular weight assemblies that make up a vast fraction of the yet untargeted proteome. Finally, we give our perspective on how currently available methods could build an improved strategy for drug discovery against such challenging targets. PMID:25175337

  15. Automatic 1H-NMR Screening of Fatty Acid Composition in Edible Oils

    PubMed Central

    Castejón, David; Fricke, Pascal; Cambero, María Isabel; Herrera, Antonio

    2016-01-01

    In this work, we introduce an NMR-based screening method for the fatty acid composition analysis of edible oils. We describe the evaluation and optimization needed for the automated analysis of vegetable oils by low-field NMR to obtain the fatty acid composition (FAC). To achieve this, two scripts, which automatically analyze and interpret the spectral data, were developed. The objective of this work was to drive forward the automated analysis of the FAC by NMR. Due to the fact that this protocol can be carried out at low field and that the complete process from sample preparation to printing the report only takes about 3 min, this approach is promising to become a fundamental technique for high-throughput screening. To demonstrate the applicability of this method, the fatty acid composition of extra virgin olive oils from various Spanish olive varieties (arbequina, cornicabra, hojiblanca, manzanilla, and picual) was determined by 1H-NMR spectroscopy according to this protocol. PMID:26891323

  16. Selective observation of charge storing ions in supercapacitor electrode materials.

    PubMed

    Forse, Alexander C; Griffin, John M; Grey, Clare P

    2018-02-01

    Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy has emerged as a useful technique for probing the structure and dynamics of the electrode-electrolyte interface in supercapacitors, as ions inside the pores of the carbon electrodes can be studied separately from bulk electrolyte. However, in some cases spectral resolution can limit the information that can be obtained. In this study we address this issue by showing how cross polarisation (CP) NMR experiments can be used to selectively observe the in-pore ions in supercapacitor electrode materials. We do this by transferring magnetisation from 13 C nuclei in porous carbons to nearby nuclei in the cations ( 1 H) or anions ( 19 F) of an ionic liquid. Two-dimensional NMR experiments and CP kinetics measurements confirm that in-pore ions are located within Ångströms of sp 2 -hybridised carbon surfaces. Multinuclear NMR experiments hold promise for future NMR studies of supercapacitor systems where spectral resolution is limited. Copyright © 2017 University of Cambridge. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  17. NMR Spectroscopy in Glass Science: A Review of the Elements

    PubMed Central

    2018-01-01

    The study of inorganic glass structure is critically important for basic glass science and especially the commercial development of glasses for a variety of technological uses. One of the best means by which to achieve this understanding is through application of solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, which has a long and interesting history. This technique is element specific, but highly complex, and thus, one of the many inquiries made by non-NMR specialists working in glass science is what type of information and which elements can be studied by this method. This review presents a summary of the different elements that are amenable to the study of glasses by NMR spectroscopy and provides examples of the type of atomic level structural information that can be achieved. It serves to inform the non-specialist working in glass science and technology about some of the benefits and challenges involved in the study of inorganic glass structure using modern, readily-available NMR methods. PMID:29565328

  18. Predicting permeability with NMR imaging in the Edwards Limestone/Stuart City Trend

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Dewitt, H.; Globe, M.; Sorenson, R.

    1996-09-01

    Determining pore size and pore geometry relationships in carbonate rocks and relating both to permeability is difficult using traditional logging methods. This problem is further complicated by the presence of abundant microporosity (pore size less than 62 microns) in the Edwards Limestone. The use of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Imaging (NMR) allows for an alternative approach to evaluating the pore types present by examining the response of hydrogen nuclei contained within the free fluid pore space. By testing the hypothesis that larger pore types exhibit an NMR signal decay much slower than smaller pore types, an estimate of the pore typemore » present, (i.e.) vuggy, interparticle, or micropores, can be inferred. Calibration of the NMR decay curve to known samples with measured petrophysical properties allows for improved predictability of pore types and permeability. The next stage of the analysis involves the application of the calibration technique to the borehole environment using an NMR logging tool to more accurately predict production performance.« less

  19. INVESTIGATING THE ENANTIOSELECTIVE TOXICITY OF CONAZOLE FUNGICIDES IN RAINBOW TROUT THROUGH NMR BASED METABOLOMICS

    EPA Science Inventory

    Recently, metabolomics, or the quantitative measurement of a broad spectrum of metabolic responses of living systems in response to disease onset or genetic modification, has been employed to enable rapid identification of the mechanisms of toxicity for compounds of environmental...

  20. Hypothesis driven assessment of an NMR curriculum

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cossey, Kimberly

    The goal of this project was to develop a battery of assessments to evaluate an undergraduate NMR curriculum at Penn State University. As a chemical education project, we sought to approach the problem of curriculum assessment from a scientific perspective, while remaining grounded in the education research literature and practices. We chose the phrase hypothesis driven assessment to convey this process of relating the scientific method to the study of educational methods, modules, and curricula. We began from a hypothesis, that deeper understanding of one particular analytical technique (NMR) will increase undergraduate students' abilities to solve chemical problems. We designed an experiment to investigate this hypothesis, and data collected were analyzed and interpreted in light of the hypothesis and several related research questions. The expansion of the NMR curriculum at Penn State was funded through the NSF's Course, Curriculum, and Laboratory Improvement (CCLI) program, and assessment was required. The goal of this project, as stated in the grant proposal, was to provide NMR content in greater depth by integrating NMR modules throughout the curriculum in physical chemistry, instrumental, and organic chemistry laboratory courses. Hands-on contact with the NMR spectrometer and NMR data and repeated exposure of the analytical technique within different contexts (courses) were unique factors of this curriculum. Therefore, we maintained a focus on these aspects throughout the evaluation process. The most challenging and time-consuming aspect of any assessment is the development of testing instruments and methods to provide useful data. After key variables were defined, testing instruments were designed to measure these variables based on educational literature (Chapter 2). The primary variables measured in this assessment were: depth of understanding of NMR, basic NMR knowledge, problem solving skills (HETCOR problem), confidence for skills used in class (within the hands-on NMR modules), confidence for NMR tasks (not practiced), and confidence for general science tasks. Detailed discussion of the instruments, testing methods and experimental design used in this assessment are provided (Chapter 3). All data were analyzed quantitatively using methods adapted from the educational literature (Chapter 4). Data were analyzed and the descriptive statistics, independent t-tests between the experimental and control groups, and correlation statistics were calculated for each variable. In addition, for those variables included on the pretest, dependent t-tests between pretest and posttest scores were also calculated. The results of study 1 and study 2 were used to draw conclusions based on the hypothesis and research questions proposed in this work (Chapter 4). Data collected in this assessment were used to answer the following research questions: (1) Primary research question: Is depth of understanding of NMR linked to problem solving skills? (2) Are the NMR modules working as intended? Do they promote depth of understanding of NMR? (a) Will students who complete NMR modules have a greater depth of understanding of NMR than students who do not complete the modules? (b) Is depth of understanding increasing over the course of the experiment? (3) Is confidence an intermediary between depth of understanding and problem solving skills? Is it linked to both variables? (4) What levels of confidence are affected by the NMR modules? (a) Will confidence for the NMR class skills used in the modules themselves be greater for those who have completed the modules? (b) Will confidence for NMR tasks not practiced in the course be affected? (c) Will confidence for general science tasks be affected? (d) Are different levels of confidence (class skills, NMR tasks, general science tasks) linked to each other? Results from this NMR curriculum assessment could also have implications outside of the courses studied, and so there is potential to impact the chemical education community (section 5.2.1). In addition to providing reliable testing instruments/measures that could be used outside the university, the results of this research contribute to the study of problem solving in chemistry, learner characteristics within the context of chemical education studies, and NMR specific educational evaluations. Valuable information was gathered through the current method of evaluation for the NMR curriculum. However, improvements could be made to the existing assessment, and an alternate assessment that could supplement the information found in this study has been proposed (Chapter 5).

  1. Measurement of Lipid Accumulation in Chlorella vulgaris via Flow Cytometry and Liquid-State ¹H NMR Spectroscopy for Development of an NMR-Traceable Flow Cytometry Protocol

    PubMed Central

    Bono Jr., Michael S.; Garcia, Ravi D.; Sri-Jayantha, Dylan V.; Ahner, Beth A.; Kirby, Brian J.

    2015-01-01

    In this study, we cultured Chlorella vulgaris cells with a range of lipid contents, induced via nitrogen starvation, and characterized them via flow cytometry, with BODIPY 505/515 as a fluorescent lipid label, and liquid-state 1H NMR spectroscopy. In doing so, we demonstrate the utility of calibrating flow cytometric measurements of algal lipid content using triacylglyceride (TAG, also known as triacylglycerol or triglyceride) content per cell as measured via quantitative 1H NMR. Ensemble-averaged fluorescence of BODIPY-labeled cells was highly correlated with average TAG content per cell measured by bulk NMR, with a linear regression yielding a linear fit with r 2 = 0.9974. This correlation compares favorably to previous calibrations of flow cytometry protocols to lipid content measured via extraction, and calibration by NMR avoids the time and complexity that is generally required for lipid quantitation via extraction. Flow cytometry calibrated to a direct measurement of TAG content can be used to investigate the distribution of lipid contents for cells within a culture. Our flow cytometry measurements showed that Chlorella vulgaris cells subjected to nitrogen limitation exhibited higher mean lipid content but a wider distribution of lipid content that overlapped the relatively narrow distribution of lipid content for replete cells, suggesting that nitrogen limitation induces lipid accumulation in only a subset of cells. Calibration of flow cytometry protocols using direct in situ measurement of TAG content via NMR will facilitate rapid development of more precise flow cytometry protocols, enabling investigation of algal lipid accumulation for development of more productive algal biofuel feedstocks and cultivation protocols. PMID:26267664

  2. NMR signal analysis to attribute the components to the solid/liquid phases present in mixes and ice creams.

    PubMed

    Mariette, François; Lucas, Tiphaine

    2005-03-09

    The NMR relaxation signals from complex products such as ice cream are hard to interpret because of the multiexponential behavior of the relaxation signal and the difficulty of attributing the NMR relaxation components to specific molecule fractions. An attribution of the NMR relaxation parameters is proposed, however, based on an approach that combines quantitative analysis of the spin-spin and spin-lattice relaxation times and the signal intensities with characterization of the ice cream components. We have been able to show that NMR can be used to describe the crystallized and liquid phases separately. The first component of the spin-spin and spin-lattice relaxation describes the behavior of the protons of the crystallized fat in the mix. The amount of fat crystals can then be estimated. In the case of ice cream, only the spin-lattice relaxation signal from the crystallized fraction is relevant. However, it enables the ice protons and the protons of the crystallized fat to be distinguished. The spin-lattice relaxation time can be used to describe the mobility of the protons in the different crystallized phases and also to quantify the amount of ice crystals and fat crystals in the ice cream. The NMR relaxation of the liquid phase of the mix has a biexponential behavior. A first component is attributable to the liquid fraction of the fat and to the sugars, while a second component is attributable to the aqueous phase. Overall, the study shows that despite the complexity of the NMR signal from ice cream, a number of relevant parameters can be extracted to study the influence of the formulation and of the process stages on the ice fraction, the crystallized fat fraction, and the liquid aqueous fraction.

  3. Measurement of lipid accumulation in Chlorella vulgaris via flow cytometry and liquid-state ¹H NMR spectroscopy for development of an NMR-traceable flow cytometry protocol.

    PubMed

    Bono, Michael S; Garcia, Ravi D; Sri-Jayantha, Dylan V; Ahner, Beth A; Kirby, Brian J

    2015-01-01

    In this study, we cultured Chlorella vulgaris cells with a range of lipid contents, induced via nitrogen starvation, and characterized them via flow cytometry, with BODIPY 505/515 as a fluorescent lipid label, and liquid-state 1H NMR spectroscopy. In doing so, we demonstrate the utility of calibrating flow cytometric measurements of algal lipid content using triacylglyceride (TAG, also known as triacylglycerol or triglyceride) content per cell as measured via quantitative 1H NMR. Ensemble-averaged fluorescence of BODIPY-labeled cells was highly correlated with average TAG content per cell measured by bulk NMR, with a linear regression yielding a linear fit with r2 = 0.9974. This correlation compares favorably to previous calibrations of flow cytometry protocols to lipid content measured via extraction, and calibration by NMR avoids the time and complexity that is generally required for lipid quantitation via extraction. Flow cytometry calibrated to a direct measurement of TAG content can be used to investigate the distribution of lipid contents for cells within a culture. Our flow cytometry measurements showed that Chlorella vulgaris cells subjected to nitrogen limitation exhibited higher mean lipid content but a wider distribution of lipid content that overlapped the relatively narrow distribution of lipid content for replete cells, suggesting that nitrogen limitation induces lipid accumulation in only a subset of cells. Calibration of flow cytometry protocols using direct in situ measurement of TAG content via NMR will facilitate rapid development of more precise flow cytometry protocols, enabling investigation of algal lipid accumulation for development of more productive algal biofuel feedstocks and cultivation protocols.

  4. Structure of the sporulation histidine kinase inhibitor Sda from Bacillus subtilis and insights into its solution state

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Jacques, David A.; Streamer, Margaret; Rowland, Susan L.

    2009-06-01

    The crystal structure of Sda, a DNA-replication/damage checkpoint inhibitor of sporulation in B. subtilis, has been solved via the MAD method. The subunit arrangement in the crystal has enabled a reappraisal of previous biophysical data, resulting in a new model for the behaviour of the protein in solution. The crystal structure of the DNA-damage checkpoint inhibitor of sporulation, Sda, from Bacillus subtilis, has been solved by the MAD technique using selenomethionine-substituted protein. The structure closely resembles that previously solved by NMR, as well as the structure of a homologue from Geobacillus stearothermophilus solved in complex with the histidine kinase KinB.more » The structure contains three molecules in the asymmetric unit. The unusual trimeric arrangement, which lacks simple internal symmetry, appears to be preserved in solution based on an essentially ideal fit to previously acquired scattering data for Sda in solution. This interpretation contradicts previous findings that Sda was monomeric or dimeric in solution. This study demonstrates the difficulties that can be associated with the characterization of small proteins and the value of combining multiple biophysical techniques. It also emphasizes the importance of understanding the physical principles behind these techniques and therefore their limitations.« less

  5. Diffusion MRI in the heart

    PubMed Central

    Mekkaoui, Choukri; Reese, Timothy G.; Jackowski, Marcel P.; Bhat, Himanshu

    2015-01-01

    Diffusion MRI provides unique information on the structure, organization, and integrity of the myocardium without the need for exogenous contrast agents. Diffusion MRI in the heart, however, has proven technically challenging because of the intrinsic non‐rigid deformation during the cardiac cycle, displacement of the myocardium due to respiratory motion, signal inhomogeneity within the thorax, and short transverse relaxation times. Recently developed accelerated diffusion‐weighted MR acquisition sequences combined with advanced post‐processing techniques have improved the accuracy and efficiency of diffusion MRI in the myocardium. In this review, we describe the solutions and approaches that have been developed to enable diffusion MRI of the heart in vivo, including a dual‐gated stimulated echo approach, a velocity‐ (M 1) or an acceleration‐ (M 2) compensated pulsed gradient spin echo approach, and the use of principal component analysis filtering. The structure of the myocardium and the application of these techniques in ischemic heart disease are also briefly reviewed. The advent of clinical MR systems with stronger gradients will likely facilitate the translation of cardiac diffusion MRI into clinical use. The addition of diffusion MRI to the well‐established set of cardiovascular imaging techniques should lead to new and complementary approaches for the diagnosis and evaluation of patients with heart disease. © 2015 The Authors. NMR in Biomedicine published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. PMID:26484848

  6. Spectroscopic and Statistical Techniques for Information Recovery in Metabonomics and Metabolomics

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lindon, John C.; Nicholson, Jeremy K.

    2008-07-01

    Methods for generating and interpreting metabolic profiles based on nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, mass spectrometry (MS), and chemometric analysis methods are summarized and the relative strengths and weaknesses of NMR and chromatography-coupled MS approaches are discussed. Given that all data sets measured to date only probe subsets of complex metabolic profiles, we describe recent developments for enhanced information recovery from the resulting complex data sets, including integration of NMR- and MS-based metabonomic results and combination of metabonomic data with data from proteomics, transcriptomics, and genomics. We summarize the breadth of applications, highlight some current activities, discuss the issues relating to metabonomics, and identify future trends.

  7. Spectroscopic and statistical techniques for information recovery in metabonomics and metabolomics.

    PubMed

    Lindon, John C; Nicholson, Jeremy K

    2008-01-01

    Methods for generating and interpreting metabolic profiles based on nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, mass spectrometry (MS), and chemometric analysis methods are summarized and the relative strengths and weaknesses of NMR and chromatography-coupled MS approaches are discussed. Given that all data sets measured to date only probe subsets of complex metabolic profiles, we describe recent developments for enhanced information recovery from the resulting complex data sets, including integration of NMR- and MS-based metabonomic results and combination of metabonomic data with data from proteomics, transcriptomics, and genomics. We summarize the breadth of applications, highlight some current activities, discuss the issues relating to metabonomics, and identify future trends.

  8. Automatic NMR field-frequency lock-pulsed phase locked loop approach.

    PubMed

    Kan, S; Gonord, P; Fan, M; Sauzade, M; Courtieu, J

    1978-06-01

    A self-contained deuterium frequency-field lock scheme for a high-resolution NMR spectrometer is described. It is based on phase locked loop techniques in which the free induction decay signal behaves as a voltage-controlled oscillator. By pulsing the spins at an offset frequency of a few hundred hertz and using a digital phase-frequency discriminator this method not only eliminates the usual phase, rf power, offset adjustments needed in conventional lock systems but also possesses the automatic pull-in characteristics that dispense with the use of field sweeps to locate the NMR line prior to closure of the lock loop.

  9. Apparatus for preparing a solution of a hyperpolarized noble gas for NMR and MRI analysis

    DOEpatents

    Pines, Alexander [Berkeley, CA; Budinger, Thomas [Berkeley, CA; Navon, Gil [Ramat Gan, IL; Song, Yi-Qiao [Berkeley, CA; Appelt, Stephan [Waiblingen, DE; Bifone, Angelo [Rome, IT; Taylor, Rebecca [Berkeley, CA; Goodson, Boyd [Berkeley, CA; Seydoux, Roberto [Berkeley, CA; Room, Toomas [Albany, CA; Pietrass, Tanja [Socorro, NM

    2008-06-10

    The present invention relates generally to nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) techniques for both spectroscopy and imaging. More particularly, the present invention relates to methods in which hyperpolarized noble gases (e.g., Xe and He) are used to enhance and improve NMR and MRI. Additionally, the hyperpolarized gas solutions of the invention are useful both in vitro and in vivo to study the dynamics or structure of a system. When used with biological systems, either in vivo or in vitro, it is within the scope of the invention to target the hyperpolarized gas and deliver it to specific regions within the system.

  10. Enhancement of NMR and MRI in the presence of hyperpolarized noble gases

    DOEpatents

    Pines, Alexander; Budinger, Thomas; Navon, Gil; Song, Yi-Qiao; Appelt, Stephan; Bifone, Angelo; Taylor, Rebecca; Goodson, Boyd; Seydoux, Roberto; Room, Toomas; Pietrass, Tanja

    2004-11-16

    The present invention relates generally to nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) techniques for both spectroscopy and imaging. More particularly, the present invention relates to methods in which hyperpolarized noble gases (e.g., Xe and He) are used to enhance and improve NMR and MRI. Additionally, the hyperpolarized gas solutions of the invention are useful both in vitro and in vivo to study the dynamics or structure of a system. When used with biological systems, either in vivo or in vitro, it is within the scope of the invention to target the hyperpolarized gas and deliver it to specific regions within the system.

  11. Production and NMR signal optimization of hyperpolarized 13C-labeled amino acids

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Parish, Christopher; Niedbalski, Peter; Ferguson, Sarah; Kiswandhi, Andhika; Lumata, Lloyd

    Amino acids are targeted nutrients for consumption by cancers to sustain their rapid growth and proliferation. 13C-enriched amino acids are important metabolic tracers for cancer diagnostics using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Despite this diagnostic potential, 13C NMR of amino acids however is hampered by the inherently low NMR sensitivity of the 13C nuclei. In this work, we have employed a physics technique known as dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) to enhance the NMR signals of 13C-enriched amino acids. DNP works by transferring the high polarization of electrons to the nuclear spins via microwave irradiation at low temperature and high magnetic field. Using a fast dissolution method in which the frozen polarized samples are dissolved rapidly with superheated water, injectable solutions of 13C-amino acids with highly enhanced NMR signals (by at least 5,000-fold) were produced at room temperature. Factors that affect the NMR signal enhancement levels such as the choice of free radical polarizing agents and sample preparation will be discussed along with the thermal mixing physics model of DNP. The authors would like to acknowledge the support by US Dept of Defense Award No. W81XWH-14-1-0048 and Robert A. Welch Foundation Grant No. AT-1877.

  12. Evaluation of phosphorus characterization in broiler ileal digesta, manure, and litter samples: (31)P-NMR vs. HPLC.

    PubMed

    Leytem, A B; Kwanyuen, P; Plumstead, P W; Maguire, R O; Brake, J

    2008-01-01

    Using 31-phosphorus nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy ((31)P-NMR) to characterize phosphorus (P) in animal manures and litter has become a popular technique in the area of nutrient management. To date, there has been no published work evaluating P quantification in manure/litter samples with (31)P-NMR compared to other accepted methods such as high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). To evaluate the use of (31)P-NMR to quantify myo-inositol hexakisphosphate (phytate) in ileal digesta, manure, and litter from broilers, we compared results obtained from both (31)P-NMR and a more traditional HPLC method. The quantification of phytate in all samples was very consistent between the two methods, with linear regressions having slopes ranging from 0.94 to 1.07 and r(2) values of 0.84 to 0.98. We compared the concentration of total monoester P determined with (31)P-NMR with the total inositol P content determined with HPLC and found a strong linear relationship between the two measurements having slopes ranging from 0.91 to 1.08 and r(2) values of 0.73 to 0.95. This suggests that (31)P-NMR is a very reliable method for quantifying P compounds in manure/litter samples.

  13. NMR studies of protein-nucleic acid interactions.

    PubMed

    Varani, Gabriele; Chen, Yu; Leeper, Thomas C

    2004-01-01

    Protein-DNA and protein-RNA complexes play key functional roles in every living organism. Therefore, the elucidation of their structure and dynamics is an important goal of structural and molecular biology. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) studies of protein and nucleic acid complexes have common features with studies of protein-protein complexes: the interaction surfaces between the molecules must be carefully delineated, the relative orientation of the two species needs to be accurately and precisely determined, and close intermolecular contacts defined by nuclear Overhauser effects (NOEs) must be obtained. However, differences in NMR properties (e.g., chemical shifts) and biosynthetic pathways for sample productions generate important differences. Chemical shift differences between the protein and nucleic acid resonances can aid the NMR structure determination process; however, the relatively limited dispersion of the RNA ribose resonances makes the process of assigning intermolecular NOEs more difficult. The analysis of the resulting structures requires computational tools unique to nucleic acid interactions. This chapter summarizes the most important elements of the structure determination by NMR of protein-nucleic acid complexes and their analysis. The main emphasis is on recent developments (e.g., residual dipolar couplings and new Web-based analysis tools) that have facilitated NMR studies of these complexes and expanded the type of biological problems to which NMR techniques of structural elucidation can now be applied.

  14. HPLC & NMR-based forced degradation studies of ifosfamide: The potential of NMR in stability studies.

    PubMed

    Salman, D; Peron, J-M R; Goronga, T; Barton, S; Swinden, J; Nabhani-Gebara, S

    2016-03-01

    The aim of this study is to conduct a forced degradation study on ifosfamide under several stress conditions to investigate the robustness of the developed HPLC method. It also aims to provide further insight into the stability of ifosfamide and its degradation profile using both HPLC and NMR. Ifosfamide solutions (20mg/mL; n=15, 20mL) were stressed in triplicate by heating (70°C), under acidic (pH 1 & 4) and alkaline (pH 10 & 12) conditions. Samples were analysed periodically using HPLC and FT-NMR. Ifosfamide was most stable under weakly acidic conditions (pH 4). NMR results suggested that the mechanism of ifosfamide degradation involves the cleavage of the PN bond. For all stress conditions, HPLC was not able to detect ifosfamide degradation products that were detected by NMR. These results suggest that the developed HPLC method for ifosfamide did not detect the degradation products shown by NMR. It is possible that degradation products co-elute with ifosfamide, do not elute altogether or are not amenable to the detection method employed. Therefore, investigation of ifosfamide stability requires additional techniques that do not suffer from the aforementioned shortcomings. Copyright © 2015 Académie Nationale de Pharmacie. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

  15. Dissociation behavior of methane--ethane mixed gas hydrate coexisting structures I and II.

    PubMed

    Kida, Masato; Jin, Yusuke; Takahashi, Nobuo; Nagao, Jiro; Narita, Hideo

    2010-09-09

    Dissociation behavior of methane-ethane mixed gas hydrate coexisting structures I and II at constant temperatures less than 223 K was studied with use of powder X-ray diffraction and solid-state (13)C NMR techniques. The diffraction patterns at temperatures less than 203 K showed both structures I and II simultaneously convert to Ih during the dissociation, but the diffraction pattern at temperatures greater than 208 K showed different dissociation behavior between structures I and II. Although the diffraction peaks from structure II decreased during measurement at constant temperatures greater than 208 K, those from structure I increased at the initial step of dissociation and then disappeared. This anomalous behavior of the methane-ethane mixed gas hydrate coexisting structures I and II was examined by using the (13)C NMR technique. The (13)C NMR spectra revealed that the anomalous behavior results from the formation of ethane-rich structure I. The structure I hydrate formation was associated with the dissociation rate of the initial methane-ethane mixed gas hydrate.

  16. In situ NMR and electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance techniques reveal the structure of the electrical double layer in supercapacitors

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Griffin, John M.; Forse, Alexander C.; Tsai, Wan-Yu; Taberna, Pierre-Louis; Simon, Patrice; Grey, Clare P.

    2015-08-01

    Supercapacitors store charge through the electrosorption of ions on microporous electrodes. Despite major efforts to understand this phenomenon, a molecular-level picture of the electrical double layer in working devices is still lacking as few techniques can selectively observe the ionic species at the electrode/electrolyte interface. Here, we use in situ NMR to directly quantify the populations of anionic and cationic species within a working microporous carbon supercapacitor electrode. Our results show that charge storage mechanisms are different for positively and negatively polarized electrodes for the electrolyte tetraethylphosphonium tetrafluoroborate in acetonitrile; for positive polarization charging proceeds by exchange of the cations for anions, whereas for negative polarization, cation adsorption dominates. In situ electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance measurements support the NMR results and indicate that adsorbed ions are only partially solvated. These results provide new molecular-level insight, with the methodology offering exciting possibilities for the study of pore/ion size, desolvation and other effects on charge storage in supercapacitors.

  17. SQUIDs vs. Induction Coils for Ultra-Low Field Nuclear Magnetic Resonance: Experimental and Simulation Comparison

    PubMed Central

    Matlashov, Andrei N.; Schultz, Larry J.; Espy, Michelle A.; Kraus, Robert H.; Savukov, Igor M.; Volegov, Petr L.; Wurden, Caroline J.

    2011-01-01

    Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) is widely used in medicine, chemistry and industry. One application area is magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Recently it has become possible to perform NMR and MRI in the ultra-low field (ULF) regime requiring measurement field strengths of the order of only 1 Gauss. This technique exploits the advantages offered by superconducting quantum interference devices or SQUIDs. Our group has built SQUID based MRI systems for brain imaging and for liquid explosives detection at airport security checkpoints. The requirement for liquid helium cooling limits potential applications of ULF MRI for liquid identification and security purposes. Our experimental comparative investigation shows that room temperature inductive magnetometers may provide enough sensitivity in the 3–10 kHz range and can be used for fast liquid explosives detection based on ULF NMR technique. We describe experimental and computer-simulation results comparing multichannel SQUID based and induction coils based instruments that are capable of performing ULF MRI for liquid identification. PMID:21747638

  18. Conformational analysis of a quinolonic ribonucleoside with anti-HSV-1 activity

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yoneda, Julliane D.; Velloso, Marcia Helena R.; Leal, Kátia Z.; Azeredo, Rodrigo B. de V.; Sugiura, Makiko; Albuquerque, Magaly G.; Santos, Fernanda da C.; Souza, Maria Cecília B. V. de; Cunha, Anna Claudia; Seidl, Peter R.; Alencastro, Ricardo B. de; Ferreira, Vitor F.

    2011-01-01

    The infections caused by the Herpes Simplex Virus are one of the most common sources of diseases in adults and several natural nucleoside analogues are currently used in the treatment of these infections. In vitro tests of a series of quinolonic ribonucleosides derivatives synthesized by part of our group indicated that some of them have antiviral activity against HSV-1. The conformational analysis of bioactive compounds is extremely important in order to better understand their chemical structures and biological activity. In this work, we have carried out a nuclear relaxation NMR study of 6-Me ribonucleoside derivative in order to determine if the syn or anti conformation is preferential. The NMR analysis permits the determination of inter-atomic distances by using techniques which are based on nuclear relaxation and related phenomena. Those techniques are non-selective longitudinal or spin-lattice relaxation rates and NULL pulse sequence, which allow the determination of distances between pairs of hydrogen atoms. The results of NMR studies were compared with those obtained by molecular modeling.

  19. Structure elucidation of a novel oligosaccharide (Medalose) from camel milk

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gangwar, Lata; Singh, Rinku; Deepak, Desh

    2018-02-01

    Free oligosaccharides are the third most abundant solid component in milk after lactose and lipids. The study of milk oligosaccharides indicate that nutrients are not only benefits the infant's gut but also perform a number of other functions which include stimulation of growth, receptor analogues to inhibit binding of pathogens and substances that promote postnatal brain development. Surveys reveal that camel milk oligosaccharides possess varied biological activities that help in the treatment of diabetes, asthma, anaemia, piles and also a food supplement to milking mothers. In this research, camel milk was selected for its oligosaccharide contents, which was then processed by Kobata and Ginsburg method followed by the HPLC and CC techniques. Structure elucidation of isolated compound was done by the chemical degradation, chemical transformation and comparison of chemical shift of NMR data of natural and acetylated oligosaccharide structure reporter group theory, the 1H, 13C NMR, 2D-NMR (COSY, TOCSY and HSQC) techniques, and mass spectrometry. The structure was elucidated as under: MEDALOSE

  20. Studies related to primitive chemistry. A proton and nitrogen-14 nuclear magnetic resonance amino acid and nucleic acid constituents and a and their possible relation to prebiotic

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Manatt, S. L.; Cohen, E. A.; Shiller, A. M.; Chan, S. I.

    1973-01-01

    Preliminary proton nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) studies were made to determine the applicability of this technique for the study of interactions between monomeric and polymeric amino acids with monomeric nucleic acid bases and nucleotides. Proton NMR results for aqueous solutions (D2O) demonstrated interactions between the bases cytosine and adenine and acidic and aromatic amino acids. Solutions of 5'-AMP admixed with amino acids exhibited more complex behavior but stacking between aromatic rings and destacking at high amino acids concentration was evident. The multisite nature of 5'-AMP was pointed out. Chemical shift changes for adenine and 5'-AMP with three water soluble polypeptides demonstrated that significant interactions exist. It was found that the linewidth-pH profile of each amino acid is unique. It is concluded that NMR techniques can give significant and quantitative data on the association of amino acid and nucleic acid constituents.

  1. Partial homogeneity based high-resolution nuclear magnetic resonance spectra under inhomogeneous magnetic fields

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Wei, Zhiliang; Lin, Liangjie; Lin, Yanqin, E-mail: linyq@xmu.edu.cn, E-mail: chenz@xmu.edu.cn

    2014-09-29

    In nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) technique, it is of great necessity and importance to obtain high-resolution spectra, especially under inhomogeneous magnetic fields. In this study, a method based on partial homogeneity is proposed for retrieving high-resolution one-dimensional NMR spectra under inhomogeneous fields. Signals from series of small voxels, which characterize high resolution due to small sizes, are recorded simultaneously. Then, an inhomogeneity correction algorithm is developed based on pattern recognition to correct the influence brought by field inhomogeneity automatically, thus yielding high-resolution information. Experiments on chemical solutions and fish spawn were carried out to demonstrate the performance of the proposedmore » method. The proposed method serves as a single radiofrequency pulse high-resolution NMR spectroscopy under inhomogeneous fields and may provide an alternative of obtaining high-resolution spectra of in vivo living systems or chemical-reaction systems, where performances of conventional techniques are usually degenerated by field inhomogeneity.« less

  2. Diester-containing Zwitterionic Gemini Surfactants with Different Spacer and Its Impact on Micellization Properties and Viscosity of Aqueous Micellar Solution.

    PubMed

    Patil, Sachin Vasant; Patil, Sanyukta Arun; Pratap, Amit Prabhakar

    2016-09-01

    A series of diester containing zwitterionic gemini surfactants, N,N-dimethyl-N-alkyl-2-[[hydroxy (alkoxy) phosphinyl]oxy]-alkylammonium designated as C8(-)-S-Cn(+), S = 2 and 3, n = 12, 14 and 16, were synthesized and characterized by instrumental techniques namely FT-IR, (1)H NMR, (13)C NMR, (31)P NMR and Mass spectral studies. These new gemini surfactants further investigated for their various surfactant properties. The critical micelle concentration (cmc) and the effectiveness of surface tension reduction (Πcmc) were determined as a function of surfactant concentration by means of surface tension measurement. Micellization and viscosity properties were investigated by surface tension, electrical conductivity, dye micellization and rheology techniques. The findings of the aqueous surfactant system obtained were impacted by polarity, size and the nature of zwitterions as the surface. The thermodynamic and viscosity properties of these surfactants found to be based on the structures of gemini surfactants.

  3. An introduction to NMR-based approaches for measuring protein dynamics

    PubMed Central

    Kleckner, Ian R; Foster, Mark P

    2010-01-01

    Proteins are inherently flexible at ambient temperature. At equilibrium, they are characterized by a set of conformations that undergo continuous exchange within a hierarchy of spatial and temporal scales ranging from nanometers to micrometers and femtoseconds to hours. Dynamic properties of proteins are essential for describing the structural bases of their biological functions including catalysis, binding, regulation and cellular structure. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy represents a powerful technique for measuring these essential features of proteins. Here we provide an introduction to NMR-based approaches for studying protein dynamics, highlighting eight distinct methods with recent examples, contextualized within a common experimental and analytical framework. The selected methods are (1) Real-time NMR, (2) Exchange spectroscopy, (3) Lineshape analysis, (4) CPMG relaxation dispersion, (5) Rotating frame relaxation dispersion, (6) Nuclear spin relaxation, (7) Residual dipolar coupling, (8) Paramagnetic relaxation enhancement. PMID:21059410

  4. On the track to silica-supported tungsten oxo metathesis catalysts: input from 17O solid-state NMR.

    PubMed

    Merle, Nicolas; Girard, Guillaume; Popoff, Nicolas; De Mallmann, Aimery; Bouhoute, Yassine; Trébosc, Julien; Berrier, Elise; Paul, Jean-François; Nicholas, Christopher P; Del Rosal, Iker; Maron, Laurent; Gauvin, Régis M; Delevoye, Laurent; Taoufik, Mostafa

    2013-09-03

    The grafting of an oxo chloro trisalkyl tungsten derivative on silica dehydroxylated at 700 °C was studied by several techniques that showed reaction via W-Cl cleavage, to afford a well-defined precatalyst for alkene metathesis. This was further confirmed by DFT calculations on the grafting process. (17)O labeling of the oxo moiety of a series of related molecular and supported tungsten oxo derivatives was achieved, and the corresponding (17)O MAS NMR spectra were recorded. Combined experimental and theoretical NMR studies yielded information on the local structure of the surface species. Assessment of the (17)O NMR parameters also confirmed the nature of the grafting pathway by ruling out other possible grafting schemes, thanks to highly characteristic anisotropic features arising from the quadrupolar and chemical shift interactions.

  5. Review of NMR characterization of pyrolysis oils

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Hao, Naijia; Ben, Haoxi; Yoo, Chang Geun

    Here, pyrolysis of renewable biomass has been developed as a method to produce green fuels and chemicals in response to energy security concerns as well as to alleviate environmental issues incurred with fossil fuel usage. However, pyrolysis oils still have limited commercial application, mainly because unprocessed oils cannot be readily blended with current petroleum-based transportation fuels. To better understand these challenges, researchers have applied diverse characterization techniques in the development of bio-oil studies. In particular, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) is a key spectroscopic characterization method through analysis of bio-oil components. This review highlights the NMR strategies for pyrolysis oil characterizationmore » and critically discusses the applications of 1H, 13C, 31P, 19F, and two-dimensional (2-D NMR) analyses such as heteronuclear single quantum correlation (HSQC) in representative pyrolysis oil studies.« less

  6. Review of NMR characterization of pyrolysis oils

    DOE PAGES

    Hao, Naijia; Ben, Haoxi; Yoo, Chang Geun; ...

    2016-08-24

    Here, pyrolysis of renewable biomass has been developed as a method to produce green fuels and chemicals in response to energy security concerns as well as to alleviate environmental issues incurred with fossil fuel usage. However, pyrolysis oils still have limited commercial application, mainly because unprocessed oils cannot be readily blended with current petroleum-based transportation fuels. To better understand these challenges, researchers have applied diverse characterization techniques in the development of bio-oil studies. In particular, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) is a key spectroscopic characterization method through analysis of bio-oil components. This review highlights the NMR strategies for pyrolysis oil characterizationmore » and critically discusses the applications of 1H, 13C, 31P, 19F, and two-dimensional (2-D NMR) analyses such as heteronuclear single quantum correlation (HSQC) in representative pyrolysis oil studies.« less

  7. Emerging New Strategies for Successful Metabolite Identification in Metabolomics

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Bingol, Ahmet K.; Bruschweiler-Li, Lei; Li, Dawei

    2016-02-26

    NMR is a very powerful tool for the identification of known and unknown (or unnamed) metabolites in complex mixtures as encountered in metabolomics. Known compounds can be reliably identified using 2D NMR methods, such as 13C-1H HSQC, for which powerful web servers with databases are available for semi-automated analysis. For the identification of unknown compounds, new combinations of NMR with MS have been developed recently that make synergistic use of the mutual strengths of the two techniques. The use of chemical additives to the NMR tube, such as reactive agents, paramagnetic ions, or charged silica nanoparticles, permit the identification ofmore » metabolites with specific physical chemical properties. In the following sections, we give an overview of some of the recent advances in metabolite identification and discuss remaining challenges.« less

  8. Microtesla MRI with dynamic nuclear polarization

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zotev, Vadim S.; Owens, Tuba; Matlashov, Andrei N.; Savukov, Igor M.; Gomez, John J.; Espy, Michelle A.

    2010-11-01

    Magnetic resonance imaging at microtesla fields is a promising imaging method that combines the pre-polarization technique and broadband signal reception by superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) sensors to enable in vivo MRI at microtesla-range magnetic fields similar in strength to the Earth magnetic field. Despite significant advances in recent years, the potential of microtesla MRI for biomedical imaging is limited by its insufficient signal-to-noise ratio due to a relatively low sample polarization. Dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) is a widely used approach that allows polarization enhancement by 2-4 orders of magnitude without an increase in the polarizing field strength. In this work, the first implementation of microtesla MRI with Overhauser DNP and SQUID signal detection is described. The first measurements of carbon-13 NMR spectra at microtesla fields are also reported. The experiments were performed at the measurement field of 96 μT, corresponding to Larmor frequency of 4 kHz for protons and 1 kHz for carbon-13. The Overhauser DNP was carried out at 3.5-5.7 mT fields using rf irradiation at 120 MHz. Objects for imaging included water phantoms and a cactus plant. Aqueous solutions of metabolically relevant sodium bicarbonate, pyruvate, alanine, and lactate, labeled with carbon-13, were used for NMR studies. All the samples were doped with TEMPO free radicals. The Overhauser DNP enabled nuclear polarization enhancement by factor as large as -95 for protons and as large as -200 for carbon-13, corresponding to thermal polarizations at 0.33 T and 1.1 T fields, respectively. These results demonstrate that SQUID-based microtesla MRI can be naturally combined with Overhauser DNP in one system, and that its signal-to-noise performance is greatly improved in this case. They also suggest that microtesla MRI can become an efficient tool for in vivo imaging of hyperpolarized carbon-13, produced by low-temperature dissolution DNP.

  9. NMR investigation of gaseous SF6 confinement into EPDM rubber.

    PubMed

    Neutzler, Sven; Terekhov, Maxim; Hoepfel, Dieter; Oellrich, Lothar Rainer

    2005-02-01

    The confinement process of gaseous sulphurhexafluoride (SF6) in ethylene-propylene-diene (EPDM) rubber was investigated by spectroscopic and spatially resolved NMR techniques. A strong elongation of T1 relaxation time of SF6 and a decrease of the diffusion coefficient were found. A possible explanation may be the strong restriction of molecular mobility due to interactions between SF6 and active centers of the EPDM.

  10. Using a Problem Solving-Cooperative Learning Approach to Improve Students' Skills for Interpreting [Superscript 1]H NMR Spectra of Unknown Compounds in an Organic Spectroscopy Course

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Angawi, Rihab F.

    2014-01-01

    To address third- and fourth-year chemistry students' difficulties with the challenge of interpreting [superscript 1]H NMR spectra, a problem solving-cooperative learning technique was incorporated in a Spectra of Organic Compounds course. Using this approach helped students deepen their understanding of the basics of [superscript 1]H NMR…

  11. Liquid- and solid-state high-resolution NMR methods for the investigation of aging processes of silicone breast implants.

    PubMed

    Birkefeld, Anja Britta; Bertermann, Rüdiger; Eckert, Hellmut; Pfleiderer, Bettina

    2003-01-01

    To investigate aging processes of silicone gel breast implants, which may include migration of free unreacted material from the gel and rubber to local (e.g. connective tissue capsule) or distant sites in the body, chemical alteration of the polymer and infiltration of body compounds, various approaches of multinuclear nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) experiments (29Si, 13C, 1H) were evaluated. While 29Si, 13C, and 1H solid-state magic angle spinning (MAS) NMR techniques performed on virgin and explanted envelopes of silicone prostheses provided only limited information, high-resolution liquid-state NMR techniques of CDCl(3) extracts were highly sensitive analytical tools for the detection of aging related changes in the materials. Using 2D 1H, 1H correlation spectroscopy (COSY) and 29Si, 1H heteronuclear multiple bond coherence (HMBC) experiments with gradient selection, it was possible to detect lipids (mainly phospholipids) as well as silicone oligomer species in explanted envelopes and gels. Silicone oligomers were also found in connective tissue capsules, indicating that cyclic polysiloxanes can migrate from intact implants to adjacent and distant sites. Furthermore, lipids can permeate the implant and modify its chemical composition. Copyright 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd.

  12. In vivo quantitative NMR imaging of fruit tissues during growth using Spoiled Gradient Echo sequence.

    PubMed

    Kenouche, S; Perrier, M; Bertin, N; Larionova, J; Ayadi, A; Zanca, M; Long, J; Bezzi, N; Stein, P C; Guari, Y; Cieslak, M; Godin, C; Goze-Bac, C

    2014-12-01

    Nondestructive studies of physiological processes in agronomic products require increasingly higher spatial and temporal resolutions. Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) imaging is a non-invasive technique providing physiological and morphological information on biological tissues. The aim of this study was to design a robust and accurate quantitative measurement method based on NMR imaging combined with contrast agent (CA) for mapping and quantifying water transport in growing cherry tomato fruits. A multiple flip-angle Spoiled Gradient Echo (SGE) imaging sequence was used to evaluate the intrinsic parameters maps M0 and T1 of the fruit tissues. Water transport and paths flow were monitored using Gd(3+)/[Fe(CN)6](3-)/D-mannitol nanoparticles as a tracer. This dynamic study was carried out using a compartmental modeling. The CA was preferentially accumulated in the surrounding tissues of columella and in the seed envelopes. The total quantities and the average volume flow of water estimated are: 198 mg, 1.76 mm(3)/h for the columella and 326 mg, 2.91 mm(3)/h for the seed envelopes. We demonstrate in this paper that the NMR imaging technique coupled with efficient and biocompatible CA in physiological medium has the potential to become a major tool in plant physiology research. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  13. Topology and dynamics of the interaction between 5-nitroimidazole radiosensitizers and duplex DNA studied by a combination of docking, molecular dynamic simulations and NMR spectroscopy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ramalho, Teodorico C.; França, Tanos C. C.; Cortopassi, Wilian A.; Gonçalves, Arlan S.; da Silva, Alan W. S.; da Cunha, Elaine F. F.

    2011-04-01

    In spite of recent progress, cancer is still one of the most serious health problems of mankind. Recently, it has been discovered that tumor hypoxia can be exploited for selective anticancer treatment using radiosensitizers that are activated only under hypoxic conditions. The most commonly used radiosensitizers are the 5-nitroimidazole derivatives. The toxicity of bioreductive anticancer drugs, such as radiosensitizers is associated to their interaction with DNA. In this work, we have investigated the interaction between the model radiosensitizers metronizole, nimorazole and secnidazole with salmon DNA in order to get insights on the drug-macromolecule interactions. To this end, we have employed NMR techniques (PFG NMR spectra and spin-lattice relaxation rates) in combination with theoretical tools, such as docking calculations and MD simulations. Initially, results show that the δ values are not the most appropriated NMR parameters to map the interaction topology of drug-macromolecule complexes. Furthermore our data indicate that radiosensitizers, in the inactive form, interact considerably with DNA, significantly increasing its toxicity. In fact, we obtained a good agreement between that technique and docking and MD simulations. This suggests that improvements in the structures of these molecules in order to achieve new and more selective bioreductive anticancer drugs are still necessary.

  14. INVESTIGATING THE ENANTIOSELECTIVE TOXICITY OF CONAZOLE FUNGICIDES IN RAINBOW TROUT THROUGH THE USE OF NMR BASED METABONOMICS

    EPA Science Inventory

    In support of the Environmental Protection Agency's Computational Toxicology Program, metabonomics, the quantitative measurement of a broad spectrum of metabolic responses of living systems in response to disease onset or genetic modification, is being employed to enable rapid id...

  15. PICKY: a novel SVD-based NMR spectra peak picking method.

    PubMed

    Alipanahi, Babak; Gao, Xin; Karakoc, Emre; Donaldson, Logan; Li, Ming

    2009-06-15

    Picking peaks from experimental NMR spectra is a key unsolved problem for automated NMR protein structure determination. Such a process is a prerequisite for resonance assignment, nuclear overhauser enhancement (NOE) distance restraint assignment, and structure calculation tasks. Manual or semi-automatic peak picking, which is currently the prominent way used in NMR labs, is tedious, time consuming and costly. We introduce new ideas, including noise-level estimation, component forming and sub-division, singular value decomposition (SVD)-based peak picking and peak pruning and refinement. PICKY is developed as an automated peak picking method. Different from the previous research on peak picking, we provide a systematic study of the proposed method. PICKY is tested on 32 real 2D and 3D spectra of eight target proteins, and achieves an average of 88% recall and 74% precision. PICKY is efficient. It takes PICKY on average 15.7 s to process an NMR spectrum. More important than these numbers, PICKY actually works in practice. We feed peak lists generated by PICKY to IPASS for resonance assignment, feed IPASS assignment to SPARTA for fragments generation, and feed SPARTA fragments to FALCON for structure calculation. This results in high-resolution structures of several proteins, for example, TM1112, at 1.25 A. PICKY is available upon request. The peak lists of PICKY can be easily loaded by SPARKY to enable a better interactive strategy for rapid peak picking.

  16. Compressed sensing and the reconstruction of ultrafast 2D NMR data: Principles and biomolecular applications.

    PubMed

    Shrot, Yoav; Frydman, Lucio

    2011-04-01

    A topic of active investigation in 2D NMR relates to the minimum number of scans required for acquiring this kind of spectra, particularly when these are dictated by sampling rather than by sensitivity considerations. Reductions in this minimum number of scans have been achieved by departing from the regular sampling used to monitor the indirect domain, and relying instead on non-uniform sampling and iterative reconstruction algorithms. Alternatively, so-called "ultrafast" methods can compress the minimum number of scans involved in 2D NMR all the way to a minimum number of one, by spatially encoding the indirect domain information and subsequently recovering it via oscillating field gradients. Given ultrafast NMR's simultaneous recording of the indirect- and direct-domain data, this experiment couples the spectral constraints of these orthogonal domains - often calling for the use of strong acquisition gradients and large filter widths to fulfill the desired bandwidth and resolution demands along all spectral dimensions. This study discusses a way to alleviate these demands, and thereby enhance the method's performance and applicability, by combining spatial encoding with iterative reconstruction approaches. Examples of these new principles are given based on the compressed-sensed reconstruction of biomolecular 2D HSQC ultrafast NMR data, an approach that we show enables a decrease of the gradient strengths demanded in this type of experiments by up to 80%. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  17. Multiple acquisitions via sequential transfer of orphan spin polarization (MAeSTOSO): How far can we push residual spin polarization in solid-state NMR?

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gopinath, T.; Veglia, Gianluigi

    2016-06-01

    Conventional multidimensional magic angle spinning (MAS) solid-state NMR (ssNMR) experiments detect the signal arising from the decay of a single coherence transfer pathway (FID), resulting in one spectrum per acquisition time. Recently, we introduced two new strategies, namely DUMAS (DUal acquisition Magic Angle Spinning) and MEIOSIS (Multiple ExperIments via Orphan SpIn operatorS), that enable the simultaneous acquisitions of multidimensional ssNMR experiments using multiple coherence transfer pathways. Here, we combined the main elements of DUMAS and MEIOSIS to harness both orphan spin operators and residual polarization and increase the number of simultaneous acquisitions. We show that it is possible to acquire up to eight two-dimensional experiments using four acquisition periods per each scan. This new suite of pulse sequences, called MAeSTOSO for Multiple Acquisitions via Sequential Transfer of Orphan Spin pOlarization, relies on residual polarization of both 13C and 15N pathways and combines low- and high-sensitivity experiments into a single pulse sequence using one receiver and commercial ssNMR probes. The acquisition of multiple experiments does not affect the sensitivity of the main experiment; rather it recovers the lost coherences that are discarded, resulting in a significant gain in experimental time. Both merits and limitations of this approach are discussed.

  18. Development of techniques in magnetic resonance and structural studies of the prion protein

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Bitter, Hans-Marcus L.

    2000-07-01

    Magnetic resonance is the most powerful analytical tool used by chemists today. Its applications range from determining structures of large biomolecules to imaging of human brains. Nevertheless, magnetic resonance remains a relatively young field, in which many techniques are currently being developed that have broad applications. In this dissertation, two new techniques are presented, one that enables the determination of torsion angles in solid-state peptides and proteins, and another that involves imaging of heterogenous materials at ultra-low magnetic fields. In addition, structural studies of the prion protein via solid-state NMR are described. More specifically, work is presented in which themore » dependence of chemical shifts on local molecular structure is used to predict chemical shift tensors in solid-state peptides with theoretical ab initio surfaces. These predictions are then used to determine the backbone dihedral angles in peptides. This method utilizes the theoretical chemicalshift tensors and experimentally determined chemical-shift anisotropies (CSAs) to predict the backbone and side chain torsion angles in alanine, leucine, and valine residues. Additionally, structural studies of prion protein fragments are described in which conformationally-dependent chemical-shift measurements were made to gain insight into the structural differences between the various conformational states of the prion protein. These studies are of biological and pathological interest since conformational changes in the prion protein are believed to cause prion diseases. Finally, an ultra-low field magnetic resonance imaging technique is described that enables imaging and characterization of heterogeneous and porous media. The notion of imaging gases at ultra-low fields would appear to be very difficult due to the prohibitively low polarization and spin densities as well as the low sensitivities of conventional Faraday coil detectors. However, Chapter 5 describes how gas imaging at ultra-low fields is realized by incorporating the high sensitivities of a dc superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) with the high polarizations attainable through optica11y pumping 129Xe gas.« less

  19. A Dynamic Nuclear Polarization spectrometer at 95 GHz/144 MHz with EPR and NMR excitation and detection capabilities.

    PubMed

    Feintuch, Akiva; Shimon, Daphna; Hovav, Yonatan; Banerjee, Debamalya; Kaminker, Ilia; Lipkin, Yaacov; Zibzener, Koby; Epel, Boris; Vega, Shimon; Goldfarb, Daniella

    2011-04-01

    A spectrometer specifically designed for systematic studies of the spin dynamics underlying Dynamic Nuclear Polarization (DNP) in solids at low temperatures is described. The spectrometer functions as a fully operational NMR spectrometer (144 MHz) and pulse EPR spectrometer (95 GHz) with a microwave (MW) power of up to 300 mW at the sample position, generating a MW B(1) field as high as 800 KHz. The combined NMR/EPR probe comprises of an open-structure horn-reflector configuration that functions as a low Q EPR cavity and an RF coil that can accommodate a 30-50 μl sample tube. The performance of the spectrometer is demonstrated through some basic pulsed EPR experiments, such as echo-detected EPR, saturation recovery and nutation measurements, that enable quantification of the actual intensity of MW irradiation at the position of the sample. In addition, DNP enhanced NMR signals of samples containing TEMPO and trityl are followed as a function of the MW frequency. Buildup curves of the nuclear polarization are recorded as a function of the microwave irradiation time period at different temperatures and for different MW powers. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  20. Linear free energy relationships of the 1H and 13C NMR chemical shifts of 3-methylene-2-substituted-1,4-pentadienes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Valentić, Nataša V.; Vitnik, Željko; Kozhushkov, Sergei I.; de Meijere, Armin; Ušćumlić, Gordana S.; Juranić, Ivan O.

    2005-06-01

    Linear free energy relationships (LFER) were applied to the 1H and 13C NMR chemical shifts ( δN, N= 1H and 13C, respectively) in the unsaturated backbone of cross-conjugated trienes 3-methylene-2-substituted-1,4-pentadienes. The NMR data were correlated using five different LFER models, based on the mono, the dual and the triple substituent parameter (MSP, DSP and TSP, respectively) treatment. The simple and extended Hammett equations, and the three postulated unconventional LFER models obtained by adaptation of the later, were used. The geometry data, which are needed in Karplus-type and McConnell-type analysis, were obtained using semi-empirical MNDO-PM3 calculations. In correlating the data the TSP approach was more successful than the MSP and DSP approaches. The fact that the calculated molecular geometries allow accurate prediction of the NMR data confirms the validity of unconventional LFER models used. These results suggest the s- cis conformation of the cross-conjugated triene as the preferred one. Postulated unconventional DSP and TSP equations enable the assessment of electronic substituent effects in the presence of other interfering influences.

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