Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy takes advantage of the intrinsic magnetic properties of specific nuclei (ex: 1H, 15N, 13C, 31P). NMR experiments can provide site-specific information about local chemical environments, bond angles, tumbling times and inter-nuclei distances. These information can be utilized to solve high-resolution structures of biomolecules and to characterize biochemical reactions, such as enzymatic reaction or DNA recognition.
Is solution NMR the right technique for your project?
- Yes, if the biomolecule is highly dynamic and/or structural disordered. X-ray or electron beam scattering patterns originating from flexible/disordered biomolecules are typically weak and difficult to analyze. By contrast, solution NMR is especially well-suited for the study of flexible and/or disordered biomolecules, which give rise to sharp and intense NMR signals.
- Yes, if you are interested in measuring dynamic and kinetic information. Solution NMR spectroscopy remains the only experimental technique that can be used to measure kinetics of biochemical reactions at the atomic level. In addition, solution NMR is a powerful method for detecting and characterizing sparsely populated states, such as transition states in a catalytic cycle for example.
Solution NMR instrumentation available on campus
The Biological NMR Facility at ISU houses a Bruker NEO 700 MHz Spectrometer and a Bruker Avance 800 MHz Spectrometer. Both spectrometers are equipped with 5 mm TCI (H/F)CN cryoprobes. The Chemical Instrumentation Facility is home to a Variant 400 MHz MR, Bruker NEO 400 MHz, Bruker DRX 500 MHz, Bruker AV II 600 MHz, and Bruker AV III 600 MHz, all equipped with room temperature probes.
Interested in learning more about solution NMR spectroscopy?