Strategies for the hyperpolarization of acetonitrile and related ligands by SABRE.

We report on a strategy for using SABRE (signal amplification by reversible exchange) for polarizing (1)H and (13)C nuclei of weakly interacting ligands which possess biologically relevant and nonaromatic motifs. We first demonstrate this via the polarization of acetonitrile, using Ir(IMes)(COD)Cl as the catalyst precursor, and confirm that the route to hyperpolarization transfer is via the J-coupling network. We extend this work to the polarization of propionitrile, benzylnitrile, benzonitrile, and trans-3-hexenedinitrile in order to assess its generality. In the (1)H NMR spectrum, the signal for acetonitrile is enhanced 8-fold over its thermal counterpart when [Ir(H)2(IMes)(MeCN)3](+) is the catalyst. Upon addition of pyridine or pyridine-d5, the active catalyst changes to [Ir(H)2(IMes)(py)2(MeCN)](+) and the resulting acetonitrile (1)H signal enhancement increases to 20- and 60-fold, respectively. In (13)C NMR studies, polarization transfers optimally to the quaternary (13)C nucleus of MeCN while the methyl (13)C is hardly polarized. Transfer to (13)C is shown to occur first via the (1)H-(1)H coupling between the hydrides and the methyl protons and then via either the (2)J or (1)J couplings to the respective (13)Cs, of which the (2)J route is more efficient. These experimental results are rationalized through a theoretical treatment which shows excellent agreement with experiment. In the case of MeCN, longitudinal two-spin orders between pairs of (1)H nuclei in the three-spin methyl group are created. Two-spin order states, between the (1)H and (13)C nuclei, are also created, and their existence is confirmed for Me(13)CN in both the (1)H and (13)C NMR spectra using the Only Parahydrogen Spectroscopy protocol.

Photochemical pump and NMR probe: chemically created NMR coherence on a microsecond time scale.

We report pump-probe experiments employing laser-synchronized reactions of para-hydrogen (para-H2) with transition metal dihydride complexes in conjunction with nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) detection. The pump-probe experiment consists of a single nanosecond laser pump pulse followed, after a precisely defined delay, by a single radio frequency (rf) probe pulse. Laser irradiation eliminates H2 from either Ru(PPh3)3(CO)(H)2 1 or cis-Ru(dppe)2(H)2 2 in C6D6 solution. Reaction with para-H2 then regenerates 1 and 2 in a well-defined nuclear spin state. The rf probe pulse produces a high-resolution, single-scan (1)H NMR spectrum that can be recorded after a pump-probe delay of just 10 µs. The evolution of the spectra can be followed as the pump-probe delay is increased by micro- or millisecond increments. Due to the sensitivity of this para-H2 experiment, the resulting NMR spectra can have hydride signal-to-noise ratios exceeding 750:1. The spectra of 1 oscillate in amplitude with frequency 1101 ± 3 Hz, the chemical shift difference between the chemically inequivalent hydrides. The corresponding hydride signals of 2 oscillate with frequency 83 ± 5 Hz, which matches the difference between couplings of the hydrides to the equatorial (31)P nuclei. We use the product operator formalism to show that this oscillatory behavior arises from a magnetic coherence in the plane orthogonal to the magnetic field that is generated by use of the laser pulse without rf initialization. In addition, we demonstrate how chemical shift imaging can differentiate the region of laser irradiation thereby distinguishing between thermal and photochemical reactivity within the NMR tube.

Probing signal amplification by reversible exchange using an NMR flow system.

Hyperpolarization methods are used in NMR to overcome its inherent sensitivity problem. Herein, the biologically relevant target nicotinamide is polarized by the hyperpolarization technique signal amplification by reversible exchange. We illustrate how the polarization transfer field, and the concentrations of parahydrogen, the polarization-transfer-catalyst and substrate can be used to maximize signal amplification by reversible exchange effectiveness by reference to the first-order spin system of this target. The catalyst is shown to be crucial in this process, first by facilitating the transfer of hyperpolarization from parahydrogen to nicotinamide and then by depleting the resulting polarized states through further interaction. The 15 longitudinal one, two, three and four spin order terms produced are rigorously identified and quantified using an automated flow apparatus in conjunction with NMR pulse sequences based on the only parahydrogen spectroscopy protocol. The rates of build-up of these terms were shown to follow the order four~three > two > single spin; this order parallels their rates of relaxation. The result of these competing effects is that the less-efficiently formed single-spin order terms dominate at the point of measurement with the two-spin terms having amplitudes that are an order of magnitude lower. We also complete further measurements to demonstrate that (13)C NMR spectra can be readily collected where the long-lived quaternary (13)C signals appear with significant intensity. These are improved upon by using INEPT. In summary, we dissect the complexity of this method, highlighting its benefits to the NMR community and its applicability for high-sensitivity magnetic resonance imaging detection in the future.

A theoretical basis for spontaneous polarization transfer in non-hydrogenative parahydrogen-induced polarization.

When parahydrogen adds to a metal template containing a substrate of interest, the substrate and parahydrogen become coupled, and polarization is shared between the two without the incorporation of the parahydrogen into the substrate. A mechanism for this polarization transfer is presented in which the transfer is propagated through the scalar couplings. At zero field, polarization is transferred between two-, three-, and four-spin zero quantum states, but no single spin magnetization is created. The interplay between the chemical shift evolution and the evolution under scalar coupling at non-zero field generates additional longitudinal spin order and now includes single spin longitudinal z-magnetization. The additional chemical shift interaction introduces a field dependency to the nuclear spin states of the polarized substrate. The net effect of the polarization field strength on the resultant nuclear spin states is shown to be predictable but complex.