Design and implementation of a J-coupled spectrometer for multidimensional structure and relaxation detection at low magnetic fields.

In recent years, it has been realized that low and ultra-low field (mT-nT magnetic field range) nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy can be used for molecular structural analysis. However, spectra are often hindered by lengthy acquisition times or require large sample volumes and high concentrations. Here, we report a low field (50 μT) instrument that employs a linear actuator to shuttle samples between a 1 T prepolarization field and a solenoid detector in a laboratory setting. The current experimental setup is benchmarked using water and C-methanol with a single scan detection limit of 2 × 10 spins (3 µl, 55M HO) and detection limit of 2.9 × 10 (200 µl, 617 mM C-methanol) spins with signal averaging. The system has a dynamic range of >3 orders of magnitude. Investigations of room-temperature relaxation dynamics of C-methanol show that sample dilution can be used in lieu of sample heating to acquire spectra with linewidths comparable to high-temperature spectra. These results indicate that the T and T mechanisms are governed by both the proton exchange rate and the dissolved oxygen in the sample. Finally, a 2D correlation spectroscopy experiment is reported, performed in the strong coupling regime that resolves the multiple resonances associated with the heteronuclear J-coupling. The spectrum was collected using 10 times less sample and in less than half the time from previous reports in the strong coupling limit.