Nuclear magnetic resonance practical considerations

To develop a unifying view of iron center catalysis, properties of the iron center in individual enzymes must be determined. Obviously, the definitive solution for the structure is atomic resolution of the active enzyme and postulated intermediates determined by diffraction or nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Just as obviously, these methods are limited by enormous time, effort, and instrumentation requirements as well as by practical and theoretical considerations. This point is emphasized by the paucity of available protein structures. In addition to the strictly structural details of the iron center, chemical and physical properties are required and, in some cases, these results augment diffraction or NMR structural studies. Discussed below are a few of the more common processes by which this information is obtained. 

The widespread use of synthetic polymers has led to the development of a considerable number of analytical tools for polymer characterization and analysis. Analytical pyrolysis, consisting of pyrolysis coupled with an analytical technique, is one of these tools. The technique can be invaluable in solving many practical problems in polymer analysis. It can be used alone or can provide complementary information to other techniques such as thermal analysis, infrared spectroscopy, or even nuclear magnetic resonance. 

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) is a technique of considerable versatility in polymer science. It is used universally as a probe of chemical configurations, it provides information on the dynamics and relaxation times of a polymer system and it offers a route to the determination of orientation parameters, the exact route depending on the particular nuclei employed. In principle quadrupolar, dipolar, shielding tensor and indirect spin coupling interactions can all be employed " however, in practice only the first two have any universal appeal. Dipolar coupling using proton NMR offers the simplest approach in terms of material preparation and will be considered first. 

In addition to the spectral methods mentioned, the method of nuclear magnetic resonance (or proton magnetic resonance, NMR or PMR) is used more and more in analytical practice. This method makes it possible to study and trace all isotopes the mass numbers of which are odd and which possess a magnetic moment. For the organic chemist, comes into primary consideration, followed by and... 

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