Services

Services

The research facilities make use of 13 solution-state and 2 solid-state NMR spectrometers, and operate on four different levels, explained below.
 
Please note that all users must be trained by a member of the NMR staff before using any of these facilities: training can be arranged by emailing the NMR staff at nmrstaff@maillist.chem.ox.ac.uk.
 
  1. Instruments available for walk-up use at any time of the day on the ground and first floors (Organic) or second floor (Inorganic). These provide common 1D and 2D experiments under automation for routine structure characterisation with fast turnaround.
  2. Samples may be submitted to the NMR staff for the collection of NMR data, and in some cases also for its interpretation. These samples typically are either limited in quantity, require more advanced NMR analysis, or are to be studied under non-standard conditions (such as high or low temperature).
  3. Instruments in the basement NMR lab can be reserved through an online booking system and used in ‘hands-on’ mode for manual or automated operation.
  4. These are longer-term projects involving the NMR staff and research students, often in collaboration with research groups within Chemistry. Most of this work uses the 500, 600, and 700 MHz spectrometers in the basement.

A typical procedure

  1. Check the sample quality
    You should first use one of the open-access 200 or 400 MHz spectrometers to collect a basic 1D 1H spectrum of your compound. This will allow you to check whether the structure corresponds to what you expected, as well as the integrity and quality of the sample.
  2. Collect further data
    Provided the sample is of sufficient quality, you may then need to collect further experiments on the open-access instruments to characterise the molecule, such as 1D 13C and 2D spectra. You should not collect all available experiments on a sample of unknown quality as these may waste instrument time; always assess the 1H spectrum first.
  3. Further experiments (if necessary)
    If the data collected in this way is sufficient for your needs, you can stop here; otherwise, you may consider submitting samples to the NMR service or using the hands-on instruments. You are welcome to contact the NMR staff with any specific queries regarding collection or interpretation of data.