Insensitive nuclei enhanced by polarization transfer

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Insensitive nuclei enhancement by polarization transfer (INEPT) is a signal enhancement method used in NMR spectroscopy. It involves the transfer of nuclear spin polarization from spins with large Boltzmann population differences to nuclear spins of interest with lower Boltzmann population differences. [1] INEPT uses J-coupling for the polarization transfer in contrast to Nuclear Overhauser effect (NOE), which arises from dipolar cross-relaxation. This method of signal enhancement was introduced by Ray Freeman in 1979. Due to its usefulness in signal enhancement, pulse sequences used in heteronuclear NMR experiments often contain blocks of INEPT or INEPT-like sequences.

Contents

Background

The sensitivity of NMR signal detection depends on the gyromagnetic ratio (γ) of the nucleus. In general, the signal intensity produced from a nucleus with a gyromagnetic ratio of γ is proportional to γ3 because the magnetic moment, the Boltzmann populations, and the nuclear precession frequency all increase in proportion to the gyromagnetic ratio γ. For example, the gyromagnetic ratio of 13C is 4 times lower than that of 1H, so the signal intensity it produces will be 64 times lower than one produced by a proton. However, since noise also increases as the square root of the frequency, the sensitivity is roughly proportional to γ5/2. [2] A 13C nucleus would be 32 times less sensitive than a proton, and 15N around 300 times less sensitive. Sensitivity enhancement techniques are therefore desirable when recording an NMR signal from an insensitive nucleus.

The sensitivity can be enhanced artificially by increasing the Boltzmann factors. One method may be through NOE; for example, for 13C signal, the signal-to-noise ratio can be improved three-fold when the attached protons are saturated. However, for NOE, a negative value of K, the ratio of gyromagnetic ratios of the nuclei, may result in a reduction in signal intensity. Since15N has a negative gyromagnetic ratio, the observed 15N signal can be near zero if the dipolar relaxation has to compete with other mechanisms. [2] Alternative methods are therefore necessary for nuclei with a negative gyromagnetic ratio. One such method using the INEPT pulse sequence was proposed by Ray Freeman in 1979 [1] and has become widely adopted.

Signal enhancement via the INEPT technique

The INEPT signal enhancement has two sources:

As a result, INEPT can enhance the NMR signal by a factor larger than K, while the maximum enhancement via NOE is by a factor of 1+K/2. [1] Unlike with NOE, no penalty is incurred by a negative gyromagnetic ratio in INEPT. It is therefore a useful method for enhancing the signal from nuclei with negative gyromagnetic ratio such as 15N or 29Si. The 15N signal may be enhanced by a factor of 10 via INEPT. [2]

Pulse sequence

Graphical representation of the INEPT NMR pulse sequence. The thin bar denotes a 90deg pulse, while the thick bar denotes a 180deg pulse. INEPT is utilized often to improve N resolution because it can accommodate negative gyromagnetic ratios, increases Boltzmann population, and decreases T1 relaxation. INEPT Pulse Sequence.png
Graphical representation of the INEPT NMR pulse sequence. The thin bar denotes a 90° pulse, while the thick bar denotes a 180° pulse. INEPT is utilized often to improve N resolution because it can accommodate negative gyromagnetic ratios, increases Boltzmann population, and decreases T1 relaxation.

The pulse sequence of INEPT, as represented in the diagram, can be read as a combination of a spin echo and selective population inversion (SPI). The spin echo is a 90° pulse followed by a 180° pulse after a time period τ and is applied on the proton, the sensitive nucleus (designated, perhaps counter-intuitively, as the I spin, while the insensitive nucleus is the S spin; note, however, that the original paper on INEPT used the opposite designations). [1]

Spin Echo
90°I(X) — τ — 180°I(X)

The first 90° pulse flips the proton magnetization onto the +y axis of the rotating frame and, due to inhomogeneity of the static magnetic field, the isochromats fan out at slightly different frequencies. After a time period, a 180° pulse is applied along the x axis, rotating the isochromats towards the -y axis. As each individual isochromat still precesses at the same frequency as before, all the isochromats converge and become refocused, thereby regenerating the signal, i.e. the echo. The chemical shifts are also refocused at the same time as the field inhomogeneity, and this property allows the magnetization to be manipulated independent of the chemical shifts. The refocusing allows all the proton chemical shifts to undergo population inversion in the SPI step without its undesirable selectivity.

Selective Population Inversion
180°S — τ — 90°I(Y), 90°S — Acquisition

As shown in the diagram, a 180° pulse is applied on the insensitive nucleus simultaneously with the 180° pulse on the proton. This is the population inversion part of the scheme, where a further 90° pulse after a time period on both the sensitive and insensitive nuclei rotate the magnetization onto the z-axis. This has the effect of producing an antiphase alignment of magnetization on the z axis, an important step during which the polarization is transferred from the sensitive nucleus to the insensitive one. [2]

Variations

There are a number of variations of the experiments, for example, a symmetric refocusing step or an extra 90° 1H pulse may be added, and there are also reverse INEPT pulse sequences. [4]

Related Research Articles

The nuclear Overhauser effect (NOE) is the transfer of nuclear spin polarization from one population of spin-active nuclei to another via cross-relaxation. A phenomenological definition of the NOE in nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) is the change in the integrated intensity of one NMR resonance that occurs when another is saturated by irradiation with an RF field. The change in resonance intensity of a nucleus is a consequence of the nucleus being close in space to those directly affected by the RF perturbation.

Dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) results from transferring spin polarization from electrons to nuclei, thereby aligning the nuclear spins to the extent that electron spins are aligned. Note that the alignment of electron spins at a given magnetic field and temperature is described by the Boltzmann distribution under the thermal equilibrium. It is also possible that those electrons are aligned to a higher degree of order by other preparations of electron spin order such as: chemical reactions, optical pumping and spin injection. DNP is considered one of several techniques for hyperpolarization. DNP can also be induced using unpaired electrons produced by radiation damage in solids.

In nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, the chemical shift is the resonant frequency of an atomic nucleus relative to a standard in a magnetic field. Often the position and number of chemical shifts are diagnostic of the structure of a molecule. Chemical shifts are also used to describe signals in other forms of spectroscopy such as photoemission spectroscopy.

In physics, the gyromagnetic ratio of a particle or system is the ratio of its magnetic moment to its angular momentum, and it is often denoted by the symbol γ, gamma. Its SI unit is the radian per second per tesla (rad⋅s−1⋅T−1) or, equivalently, the coulomb per kilogram (C⋅kg−1).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy</span> Laboratory technique

Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, most commonly known as NMR spectroscopy or magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS), is a spectroscopic technique to observe local magnetic fields around atomic nuclei. This spectroscopy is based on the measurement of absorption of electromagnetic radiations in the radio frequency region from roughly 4 to 900 MHz. Absorption of radio waves in the presence of magnetic field is accompanied by a special type of nuclear transition, and for this reason, such type of spectroscopy is known as Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy. The sample is placed in a magnetic field and the NMR signal is produced by excitation of the nuclei sample with radio waves into nuclear magnetic resonance, which is detected with sensitive radio receivers. The intramolecular magnetic field around an atom in a molecule changes the resonance frequency, thus giving access to details of the electronic structure of a molecule and its individual functional groups. As the fields are unique or highly characteristic to individual compounds, in modern organic chemistry practice, NMR spectroscopy is the definitive method to identify monomolecular organic compounds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance</span>

Solid-state NMR (ssNMR) spectroscopy is a technique for characterizing atomic level structure in solid materials e.g. powders, single crystals and amorphous samples and tissues using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. The anisotropic part of many spin interactions are present in solid-state NMR, unlike in solution-state NMR where rapid tumbling motion averages out many of the spin interactions. As a result, solid-state NMR spectra are characterised by larger linewidths than in solution state NMR, which can be utilized to give quantitative information on the molecular structure, conformation and dynamics of the material. Solid-state NMR is often combined with magic angle spinning to remove anisotropic interactions and improve the resolution as well as the sensitivity of the technique.

Carbon-13 (C13) nuclear magnetic resonance is the application of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy to carbon. It is analogous to proton NMR and allows the identification of carbon atoms in an organic molecule just as proton NMR identifies hydrogen atoms. 13C NMR detects only the 13
C
 isotope. The main carbon isotope, 12
C
 is not detected. Although much less sensitive than 1H NMR spectroscopy, 13C NMR spectroscopy is widely used for characterizing organic and organometallic compounds.

The heteronuclear single quantum coherence or heteronuclear single quantum correlation experiment, normally abbreviated as HSQC, is used frequently in NMR spectroscopy of organic molecules and is of particular significance in the field of protein NMR. The experiment was first described by Geoffrey Bodenhausen and D. J. Ruben in 1980. The resulting spectrum is two-dimensional (2D) with one axis for proton (1H) and the other for a heteronucleus, which is usually 13C or 15N. The spectrum contains a peak for each unique proton attached to the heteronucleus being considered. The 2D HSQC can also be combined with other experiments in higher-dimensional NMR experiments, such as NOESY-HSQC or TOCSY-HSQC.

Two-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy is a set of nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) methods which give data plotted in a space defined by two frequency axes rather than one. Types of 2D NMR include correlation spectroscopy (COSY), J-spectroscopy, exchange spectroscopy (EXSY), and nuclear Overhauser effect spectroscopy (NOESY). Two-dimensional NMR spectra provide more information about a molecule than one-dimensional NMR spectra and are especially useful in determining the structure of a molecule, particularly for molecules that are too complicated to work with using one-dimensional NMR.

In MRI and NMR spectroscopy, an observable nuclear spin polarization (magnetization) is created by a homogeneous magnetic field. This field makes the magnetic dipole moments of the sample precess at the resonance (Larmor) frequency of the nuclei. At thermal equilibrium, nuclear spins precess randomly about the direction of the applied field. They become abruptly phase coherent when they are hit by radiofrequency (RF) pulses at the resonant frequency, created orthogonal to the field. The RF pulses cause the population of spin-states to be perturbed from their thermal equilibrium value. The generated transverse magnetization can then induce a signal in an RF coil that can be detected and amplified by an RF receiver. The return of the longitudinal component of the magnetization to its equilibrium value is termed spin-latticerelaxation while the loss of phase-coherence of the spins is termed spin-spin relaxation, which is manifest as an observed free induction decay (FID).

During nuclear magnetic resonance observations, spin–lattice relaxation is the mechanism by which the longitudinal component of the total nuclear magnetic moment vector (parallel to the constant magnetic field) exponentially relaxes from a higher energy, non-equilibrium state to thermodynamic equilibrium with its surroundings (the "lattice"). It is characterized by the spin–lattice relaxation time, a time constant known as T1.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zero field NMR</span> Acquisition of NMR spectra of chemicals

Zero- to ultralow-field (ZULF) NMR is the acquisition of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra of chemicals with magnetically active nuclei in an environment carefully screened from magnetic fields. ZULF NMR experiments typically involve the use of passive or active shielding to attenuate Earth’s magnetic field. This is in contrast to the majority of NMR experiments which are performed in high magnetic fields provided by superconducting magnets. In ZULF experiments the dominant interactions are nuclear spin-spin couplings, and the coupling between spins and the external magnetic field is a perturbation to this. There are a number of advantages to operating in this regime: magnetic-susceptibility-induced line broadening is attenuated which reduces inhomogeneous broadening of the spectral lines for samples in heterogeneous environments. Another advantage is that the low frequency signals readily pass through conductive materials such as metals due to the increased skin depth; this is not the case for high-field NMR for which the sample containers are usually made of glass, quartz or ceramic.

Magnetization transfer (MT), in NMR and MRI, refers to the transfer of nuclear spin polarization and/or spin coherence from one population of nuclei to another population of nuclei, and to techniques that make use of these phenomena. There is some ambiguity regarding the precise definition of magnetization transfer, however the general definition given above encompasses all more specific notions. NMR active nuclei, those with non-zero spin, can be energetically coupled to one another under certain conditions. The mechanisms of nuclear-spin energy-coupling have been extensively characterized and are described in the following articles: Angular momentum coupling, Magnetic dipole–dipole interaction, J-coupling, Residual dipolar coupling, Nuclear Overhauser effect, Spin–spin relaxation, and Spin saturation transfer. Alternatively, some nuclei in a chemical system are labile and exchange between non-equivalent environments. A more specific example of this case is presented in the section Chemical Exchange Magnetization transfer.

In vivo magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) is a specialized technique associated with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nuclear magnetic resonance</span> Spectroscopic technique based on change of nuclear spin state

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) is a physical phenomenon in which nuclei in a strong constant magnetic field are perturbed by a weak oscillating magnetic field and respond by producing an electromagnetic signal with a frequency characteristic of the magnetic field at the nucleus. This process occurs near resonance, when the oscillation frequency matches the intrinsic frequency of the nuclei, which depends on the strength of the static magnetic field, the chemical environment, and the magnetic properties of the isotope involved; in practical applications with static magnetic fields up to ca. 20 tesla, the frequency is similar to VHF and UHF television broadcasts (60–1000 MHz). NMR results from specific magnetic properties of certain atomic nuclei. Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy is widely used to determine the structure of organic molecules in solution and study molecular physics and crystals as well as non-crystalline materials. NMR is also routinely used in advanced medical imaging techniques, such as in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Electron nuclear double resonance (ENDOR) is a magnetic resonance technique for elucidating the molecular and electronic structure of paramagnetic species. The technique was first introduced to resolve interactions in electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectra. It is currently practiced in a variety of modalities, mainly in the areas of biophysics and heterogeneous catalysis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pulsed electron paramagnetic resonance</span>

Pulsed electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) is an electron paramagnetic resonance technique that involves the alignment of the net magnetization vector of the electron spins in a constant magnetic field. This alignment is perturbed by applying a short oscillating field, usually a microwave pulse. One can then measure the emitted microwave signal which is created by the sample magnetization. Fourier transformation of the microwave signal yields an EPR spectrum in the frequency domain. With a vast variety of pulse sequences it is possible to gain extensive knowledge on structural and dynamical properties of paramagnetic compounds. Pulsed EPR techniques such as electron spin echo envelope modulation (ESEEM) or pulsed electron nuclear double resonance (ENDOR) can reveal the interactions of the electron spin with its surrounding nuclear spins.

Nitrogen-15 nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy is a version of nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy that examines samples containing the 15N nucleus. 15N NMR differs in several ways from the more common 13C and 1H NMR. To circumvent the difficulties associated with measurement of the quadrupolar, spin-1 14N nuclide, 15N NMR is employed in samples for detection since it has a ground-state spin of ½. Since14N is 99.64% abundant, incorporation of 15N into samples often requires novel synthetic techniques.

Adiabatic radio frequency (RF) pulses are used in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to achieve excitation that is insensitive to spatial inhomogeneities in the excitation field or off-resonances in the sampled object.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cross-polarization</span> Spectroscopy technique

Cross-polarization (CP), originally published as proton-enhanced nuclear induction spectroscopy is a solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (ssNMR) technique to transfer nuclear magnetization from different types of nuclei via heteronuclear dipolar interactions. The 1H-X cross-polarization dramatically improves the sensitivity of ssNMR experiments of most experiments involving spin-1/2 nuclei, capitalizing on the higher 1H polarisation, and shorter T1(1H) relaxation times. It was developed by Michael Gibby, Alexander Pines and Professor John S. Waugh at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Gareth A. Morris, Ray Freeman (1979). "Enhancement of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Signals by Polarization Transfer". Journal of the American Chemical Society. 101 (3): 760–762. doi:10.1021/ja00497a058.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Ray Freeman (1987). A Handbook of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (2 ed.). Longman. p. 178. ISBN   0-582-25184-2.
  3. ↑ M H Levitt (2008). Spin Dynamics. John Wiley & Sons Ltd. ISBN   978-0470511176.
  4. ↑ "ID Experiments: INEPT".
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