NMR relaxation behavior and quadrupole coupling constants of 39K and 23Na ions in glycerol. Comparisons with 39K tissue data

Abstract

The quadrupole coupling constants (qcc) for 39K and 23Na ions in glycerol have been calculated from linewidths measured as a function of temperature (which in turn results in changes in solution viscosity). The qcc of 39K in glycerol is found to be 1.7 MHz, and that of 23Na is 1.6 MHz. The relaxation behavior of 39K and 23Na ions in glycerol shows magnetic field and temperature dependence consistent with the equations for transverse relaxation more commonly used to describe the reorientation of nuclei in a molecular framework with intramolecular field gradients. It is shown, however, that τ c is not simply proportional to the ratio of viscosity/temperature (η T). The 39K qcc in glycerol and the value of 1.3 MHz estimated for this nucleus in aqueous solution are much greater than values of 0.075 to 0.12 MHz calculated from T 2 measurements of 39K in freshly excised rat tissues. This indicates that, in biological samples, processes such as exchange of potassium between intracellular compartments or diffusion of ions through locally ordered regions play a significant role in determining the effective quadrupole coupling constant and correlation time governing 39K relaxation. T 1 and T 2 measurements of rat muscle at two magnetic fields also indicate that a more complex correlation function may be required to describe the relaxation of 39K in tissue. Similar results and conclusions are found for 23Na.