14N Polarization Inversion Spin Exchange at Magic Angle (PISEMA)

Abstract

Polarization Inversion Spin Exchange at Magic Angle (PISEMA) is a powerful experiment for determining peptide orientation in uniformly aligned samples such as planar membranes. In this paper, we present 14N-PISEMA experiment which correlates 14N quadrupolar coupling and 14N– 1H dipolar coupling. 14N-PISEMA enables the use of 14N quadrupolar coupling tensor as an ultra sensitive probe for peptide orientation and can be carried out without the need of isotope enrichment. The experiment is based on selective spin-exchange between a proton and a single-quantum transition of 14N spins. The spin-exchange dynamics is described and the experiment is demonstrated with a natural abundant N-acetyl valine crystal sample.