Ultrahigh-Resolution NMR Spectroscopy for Rapid Chemical and Biological Applications in Inhomogeneous Magnetic Fields.

Abstract

NMR spectroscopy is a commonly used analytical technique in practical applications, and its applicability is further promoted by pure chemical shift techniques based on spectral simplification for analyses. Unfortunately, magnetic field inhomogeneity caused by adverse experimental conditions remains an obstacle restricting NMR applications. In this study, we introduce a new NMR method for high-resolution pure shift proton (1H) NMR measurements in inhomogeneous magnetic fields. We demonstrate that the method allows one to perform chemical analyses on complex solutions in deshimmed magnetic fields, to obtain metabolite information on intact biological tissues with intrinsic field inhomogeneities and to achieve in situ electrochemical detection under externally adverse field conditions. This approach is readily implemented on common commercial NMR instruments without field shimming and locking procedures, specialized hardware requirements as well as complicated sample pretreatments. It provides an effective tool for NMR applications to high-resolution chemical and biological measurements under inhomogeneous magnetic field conditions.