Fast quantitative 2D NMR for metabolomics and lipidomics: A tutorial

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) is a well-known analytical technique for the analysis of complex mixtures. Its quantitative capability makes it ideally suited to metabolomics or lipidomics studies involving large sample collections of complex biological samples. To overcome the ubiquitous limitation of spectral overcrowding when recording 1D NMR spectra on such samples, the acquisition of 2D NMR spectra allows a better separation between overlapped resonances while yielding accurate quantitative data when appropriate analytical protocols are implemented. Moreover, the experiment duration can be considerably reduced by applying fast acquisition methods. Here, we describe the general workflow to acquire fast quantitative 2D NMR spectra in the “omics” context. It is illustrated on three representative and complementary experiments: UF COSY, ZF-TOCSY with nonuniform sampling, and HSQC with nonuniform sampling. After giving some details and recommendations on how to apply this protocol, its implementation in the case of targeted and untargeted metabolomics/lipidomics studies is described.     

Understanding J‐Modulation during Spatial Encoding for Sensitivity‐Optimized Ultrafast NMR Spectroscopy

Ultrafast (UF) NMR spectroscopy is an approach that yields 2D spectra in a single scan. This methodology has become a powerful analytical tool that is used in a large array of applications. However, UF NMR spectroscopy still suffers from an intrinsic low sensitivity, and from the need to compromise between sensitivity, spectral width, and resolution. In particular, the modulation of signal intensities by the spin–spin J‐coupling interaction (J‐modulation) impacts significantly on the intensities of the spectral peaks. This effect can lead to large sensitivity losses and even to missing spectral peaks, depending on the nature of the spin system. Herein, a general simulation package (Spinach) is used to describe J‐modulation effects in UF experiments. The results from simulations match with experimental data and the results of product operator calculations. Several methods are proposed to optimize the sensitivity in UF COSY spectra. The potential and drawbacks of the different strategies are also discussed. These approaches provide a way to adjust the sensitivity of UF experiments for a large range of applications.     

"Multi-scan single shot" quantitative 2D NMR: a valuable alternative to fast conventional quantitative 2D NMR

Quantitative Ultrafast (UF) 2D NMR is a very promising methodology enabling the acquisition of 2D spectra in a single scan. The analytical performances of UF 2D NMR have been highly increased in the last few years, however little is known about the sensitivity of ultrafast experiments versus conventional 2D NMR. A fair and relevant comparison has to consider the Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) per unit of time, in order to answer the following question: for a given experiment time, should we run a conventional 2D experiment or is it preferable to accumulate ultrafast acquisitions? To answer this question, we perform here a systematic comparison between accumulated ultrafast experiments and conventional ones, for different experiment durations. Sensitivity issues and other analytical aspects are discussed for the COSY experiment in the context of quantitative analysis. The comparison is first carried out on a model sample, and then extended to model metabolic mixtures. The results highlight the high analytical performance of the "multi-scan single shot" approach versus conventional 2D NMR acquisitions. This result is attributed to the absence of t(1) noise in spatially encoded experiments. The multi-scan single shot approach is particularly interesting for quantitative applications of 2D NMR, whose occurrence in the literature has been greatly increasing in the last few years.     

Real‐time mechanistic monitoring of an acetal hydrolysis using ultrafast 2D NMR

Ultrafast (UF) 2D NMR makes it possible to obtain a 2D NMR spectrum in less than a second. Here, UF‐HSQC experiments are used for the real‐time mechanistic study of an acetal hydrolysis at ¹³C natural abundance, and it is possible to characterize the presence of the hemiacetal, an intermediate with a well‐known short lifetime. The assignments are confirmed and rationalized by quantum calculations of ¹H and ¹³C NMR chemical shifts and natural bonding orbital analysis. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Progress in Hyperpolarized Ultrafast 2D NMR Spectroscopy

An important development in the field of NMR spectroscopy has been the advent of hyperpolarization approaches, capable of yielding nuclear spin states whose value exceeds by orders‐of‐magnitude what even the highest‐field spectrometers can afford under Boltzmann equilibrium. Included among these methods is an ex situ dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) approach, which yields liquid‐phase samples possessing spin polarizations of up to 50 %. Although capable of providing an NMR sensitivity equivalent to the averaging of about 1 000 000 scans, this methodology is constrained to extract its “superspectrum” within a single—or at most a few—transients. This makes it a poor starting point for conventional 2D NMR acquisition experiments, which require a large number of scans that are identical to one another except for the increment of a certain t₁ delay. It has been recently suggested that by merging this ex situ DNP approach with spatially encoded “ultrafast” methods, a suitable starting point could arise for the acquisition of 2D spectra on hyperpolarized liquids. Herein, we describe the experimental principles, potential features, and current limitations of such integration between the two methodologies. For a variety of small molecules, these new hyperpolarized ultrafast experiments can, for equivalent overall durations, provide heteronuclear correlation spectra at significantly lower concentrations than those currently achievable by conventional 2D NMR acquisitions. A variety of challenges still remain to be solved before bringing the full potential of this new integrated 2D NMR approach to fruition; these outstanding issues are discussed.     

COSY‐ und HSQC‐NMR‐Spektroskopie

The present state of the routine 2D COSY‐ and HSQC‐NMR spectroscopy is reported. After a short introduction into the basic theory of 2D NMR the pulse sequences of COSY and HSQC are explained. Using an example from natural product chemistry the procedures during the analysis of these 2D NMR spectra are demonstrated.     

NMR data visualization,processing, and analysis on mobile devices

Touch‐screen computers are emerging as a popular platform for many applications, including those in chemistry and analytical sciences. In this work, we present our implementation of a new NMR ‘app’ designed for hand‐held and portable touch‐controlled devices, such as smartphones and tablets. It features a flexible architecture formed by a powerful NMR processing and analysis kernel and an intuitive user interface that makes full use of the smart devices haptic capabilities. Routine 1D and 2D NMR spectra acquired in most NMR instruments can be processed in a fully unattended way. More advanced experiments such as non‐uniform sampled NMR spectra are also supported through a very efficient parallelized Modified Iterative Soft Thresholding algorithm. Specific technical development features as well as the overall feasibility of using NMR software apps will also be discussed. All aspects considered the functionalities of the app allowing it to work as a stand‐alone tool or as a ‘companion’ to more advanced desktop applications such as Mnova NMR. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Increasing spectral information with shorter acquisitions: the advantages of using F1 selection in structural determinations

The structural elucidation of complex materials by NMR is complicated by the common occurrence of nearly coincident resonances. Congested regions necessitate increased spectral resolution, with additional time increments needed for 2D NMR spectroscopy, resulting in longer acquisition times. These demands conflict with the ever‐increasing demands for instrument time and with long‐term sample stability. Selective spectroscopy addresses both of these problems. By focusing attention only on the region of interest, fewer increments are needed. Shorter acquisitions are obtained, with a higher information content. Alternatively, the spectroscopist may choose to use these time savings to collect additional transients, allowing the study of smaller amounts of material, or low‐level impurities/isomers. Using a carbohydrate as our example, we illustrate the utility of this methodology using selHMQC, selHMBC (IMPRESS) and selHMQCTOCSY. We have found this methodology useful in the coupling of efficiency and productivity of NMR spectroscopy. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Advanced solvent signal suppression for the acquisition of 1D and 2D NMR spectra of Scotch Whisky

A simple and robust solvent suppression technique that enables acquisition of high‐quality 1D ¹H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra of alcoholic beverages on cryoprobe instruments was developed and applied to acquire NMR spectra of Scotch Whisky. The method uses 3 channels to suppress signals of water and ethanol, including those of ¹³C satellites of ethanol. It is executed in automation allowing high throughput investigations of alcoholic beverages. On the basis of the well‐established 1D nuclear Overhauser spectroscopy (NOESY) solvent suppression technique, this method suppresses the solvent at the beginning of the pulse sequence, producing pure phase signals minimally affected by the relaxation. The developed solvent suppression procedure was integrated into several homocorrelated and heterocorrelated 2D NMR experiments, including 2D correlation spectroscopy (COSY), 2D total correlation spectroscopy (TOCSY), 2D band‐selective TOCSY, 2D J‐resolved spectroscopy, 2D ¹H, ¹³C heteronuclear single‐quantum correlation spectroscopy (HSQC), 2D ¹H, ¹³C HSQC‐TOCSY, and 2D ¹H, ¹³C heteronuclear multiple‐bond correlation spectroscopy (HMBC). A 1D chemical‐shift‐selective TOCSY experiments was also modified. The wealth of information obtained by these experiments will assist in NMR structure elucidation of Scotch Whisky congeners and generally the composition of alcoholic beverages at the molecular level.     

NMR experiments for the analysis of mixtures: beyond 1D 1H spectra

State-of-the-art technologies and methodologies in NMR spectroscopy make it possible to obtain very informative and high-quality spectra in much less experimental time than classical methods by making better choices of NMR pulse sequences and acquisition parameters. This review presents some recent NMR methods allowing rapid identification, assignment and structural characterization of the components in mixtures. The relative merits of the different NMR pulse sequences are briefly discussed and recommendations are made for the preferred choice of sequences to obtain rapidly artifact-free data. This review covers diffusion experiments (DOSY), HSQC and HMBC experiments, ultra-resolved 2D spectra exploiting the property of aliasing and NOESY/ROESY experiments. It will be in particular shown that selective 1D NOESY/ROESY sequences can be more informative and reach higher resolution in less experimental time than the corresponding 2D sequences.     

Fast multidimensional localized parallel NMR spectroscopy for the analysis of samples

A parallel localized spectroscopy (PALSY) method is presented to speed up the acquisition of multidimensional NMR (nD) spectra. The sample is virtually divided into a discrete number of nonoverlapping slices that relax independently during consecutive scans of the experiment, affording a substantial reduction in the interscan relaxation delay and the total experiment time. PALSY was tested for the acquisition of three experiments 2D COSY, 2D DQF‐COSY and 2D TQF‐COSY in parallel, affording a time‐saving factor of 3–4. Some unique advantages are that the achievable resolution in any dimension is not compromised in any way: it uses conventional NMR data processing, it is not prone to generate spectral artifacts, and once calibrated, it can be used routinely with these and other combinations of NMR spectra. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Determining and reporting purity of organic molecules: why qNMR

Although NMR has been routinely used to determine/estimate relative number of protons for structure elucidation, it has been rarely used to determine and report the purity of organic compounds. Through this paper, we want to emphasize on routine use of quantitative NMR (qNMR) for this purpose. The results of qNMR can be routinely considered as documentation of purity much like other established methods (HPLC, elemental analysis and differential scanning calorimetry). qNMR is a fast, easy, accurate and non‐destructive alternate to speed up the whole analytical process and serves the purpose of both identification and purity determination of compounds using single technique. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Single-scan NMR spectroscopy at arbitrary dimensions

Multidimensional nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) provides one of the foremost analytical tools available to elucidate the structure and dynamics of complex molecules in their native states. Executing this kind of experiment generally requires collecting an n-dimensional time-domain signal S, from which the spectrum arises via an appropriate Fourier analysis of its various time variables. This time-domain signal is actually measured directly only along one of the time axes, while the effects introduced by the remaining time variables are monitored via a parametric incrementation of their values throughout independent experiments. Two-dimensional (2D) NMR experiments thus usually require longer acquisition times than unidimensional experiments, 3D NMR is orders-of-magnitude more time consuming than 2D spectroscopy, etc. Very recently, we proposed and demonstrated an approach whereby data acquisition in 2D NMR can be parallelized, enabling the collection of complete 2D spectral sets within a single transient. The present paper discusses the extension of this 2D NMR methodology to an arbitrary number of dimensions. The principles of the ensuing ultrafast n-dimensional NMR approach are described, and a variety of homo- and heteronuclear 3D and 4D NMR spectra collected within a fraction of a second are presented.     

Assessment of a Large Enzyme–Drug Complex by Proton‐Detected Solid‐State NMR Spectroscopy without Deuteration

Solid‐state NMR spectroscopy has recently enabled structural biology with small amounts of non‐deuterated proteins, largely alleviating the classical sample production demands. Still, despite the benefits for sample preparation, successful and comprehensive characterization of complex spin systems in the few cases of higher‐molecular‐weight proteins has thus far relied on traditional ¹³C‐detected methodology or sample deuteration. Herein we show for a 29 kDa carbonic anhydrase:acetazolamide complex that different aspects of solid‐state NMR assessment of a complex spin system can be successfully accessed using a non‐deuterated, 500 μg sample in combination with adequate spectroscopic tools. The shown access to protein structure, protein dynamics, as well as biochemical parameters in amino acid sidechains, such as histidine protonation states, will be transferable to proteins that are not expressible in E. coli.     

J‐Edited Pure Shift NMR for the Facile Measurement of nJHH for Specific Protons

We report a novel 1D J‐edited pure shift NMR experiment (J‐PSHIFT) that was constructed from a pseudo 2D experiment for the direct measurement of proton–proton scalar couplings. The experiment gives homonuclear broad‐band ¹H‐decoupled ¹H NMR spectra, which provide a single peak for chemically distinct protons, and only retain the homonuclear‐scalar‐coupled doublet pattern at the chemical‐shift positions of the protons in the coupled network of a specific proton. This permits the direct and unambiguous measurement of the magnitudes of the couplings. The incorporation of a 1D selective correlation spectroscopy (COSY)/ total correlation spectroscopy (TOCSY) block in lieu of the initial selective pulse, results in the exclusive detection of the correlated spectrum of a specific proton.     

Solution-State 2D NMR Spectroscopy of Mixtures HyperpolarizedUsing Optically Polarized Crystals

The HYPNOESYS method (Hyperpolarized NOE System), which relies on the dissolution of optically polarized crystals, has recently emerged as a promising approach to enhance the sensitivity of NMR spectroscopy in the solution state. However, HYPNOESYS is a single-shot method that is not generally compatible with multidimensional NMR. Here we show that 2D NMR spectra can be obtained from HYPNOESYS-polarized samples, using single-scan acquisition methods. The approach is illustrated with a mixture of terpene molecules and a benchtop NMR spectrometer, paving the way to a sensitive, information-rich and affordable analytical method.     

31P NMR spectroscopy in the quality control and authentication of extra-virgin olive oil: a review of recent progress

This review is a brief account on the application of a novel methodology to the quality control and authentication of extra-virgin olive oil. This methodology is based on the derivatization of the labile hydrogens of functional groups, such as hydroxyl and carboxyl groups, of olive oil constituents with the phosphorus reagent 2-chloro-4,4,5,5-tetramethyldioxaphospholane, and the use of the (31)P chemical shifts to identify the phosphitylated compounds. Various experimental aspects such as pertinent instrumentation, sample preparation, acquisition parameters and properties of the phosphorus reagent are reviewed. The strategy to assign the (31)P signals of the phosphitylated model compounds and olive oil constituents by employing 1D and 2D NMR experiments is presented. Finally, the capability of this technique to assess the quality and the genuineness of extra-virgin olive oil and to detect fraud is discussed.     

Solid‐state NMR characterization of tri‐ethyleneglycol grafted polyisocyanopeptides

In aqueous media, ethylene glycol substituted polyisocyanopeptides (PICPs) change their state (undergo a sol‐to‐gel transition) as a response to temperature. This makes them promising materials for various biomedical applications, for instance, for controlled drug release and non‐damaging wound dressing. To utilize PICP in biomedical applications, understanding of the origin of the gelation process is needed, but this is experimentally difficult because of the notoriously low gelator concentration in combination with the slow polymer dynamics in the sample. This paper describes a detailed characterization of the dried state of PICPs by solid‐state NMR measurements. Both the ¹³C and the ¹H NMR resonances were assigned using a combination of 1D cross‐polarization magic angle spinning, 2D ¹³C–¹H heteronuclear correlation spectra and ¹H–¹H single quantum–double quantum experiments. In addition, the chemical groups involved in dipolar interaction with each other were used to discuss the dynamics and spatial conformation of the polymer. In contrast to other PICP polymers, two resonances for the backbone carbon are observed, which are present in equal amounts. The possible origin of these resonances is discussed in the last section of this work. The data obtained during the current studies will be further used in elucidating mechanisms of the bundling and gelation. A comprehensive picture will make it possible to tailor polymer properties to meet specific needs in different applications. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

High-resolution NMR spectra under inhomogeneous fields via intermolecular double-quantum coherences

High-resolution NMR spectroscopy is a powerful tool for analyzing molecular structures and compositions. Line-widths of conventional liquid NMR signals are directly proportional to the overall magnetic field inhomogeneity the sample experiences. In many circumstances, spatial and temporal homogeneity of the magnetic field is degraded. In this paper, a modified pulse sequence based on intermolecular double-quantum coherences (iDQCs) was proposed to obtain 1D high-resolution NMR spectra under inhomogeneous fields using 2D acquisition. Analytical expressions were derived from the intermolecular multiple-quantum coherence (iMQC) treatments. Both experimental and simulated spectra provide high-resolution 1D projection spectra similar to conventional 1D high-resolution spectra. Moreover, the apparent J coupling constants are threefold magnified, which allows a more accurate measurement of small J coupling constants.