Periodic Reporting for period 4 - BetaDropNMR (Ultra-sensitive NMR in liquids)
Okres sprawozdawczy: 2020-04-01 do 2022-03-31
The project has allowed for the 1st alkali-metal beta-NMR studies in liquid samples and to connect it to conventional NMR. This opens the possibility of using a much more sensitive approach to investigate metal ions and their interactions with different biomolecues via NMR, and thus learning new things about theses systems.
This achievement has already allowed us to determine the magnetic dipole moment of a short-lived nucleus with a hundred-fold better accuracy than possible before. We have also been able to characterise several interesting ionic-liquid hosts in high-vacuum environment, using beta-NMR and conventional NMR.
We are at present investigating the best liquid hosts to fold DNA G-quadruplexes around Na and K ions in vacuum conditions, with the aim to perform the 1st fully biological beta-NMR experiment in July 2022.
In addition, we were the 1st team to introduce an in-situ ppm measurement of the magnetic field during the beta-NMR measurement. In combination with state-of-the-art quantum chemistry calculations, this allows us to determine accurate magnetic moments of short-lived nuclei and absolute NMR shielding linking beta-NMR with convetional NMR and theory.
Until the end of the project, we were successful in adding to the pallettee of NMR nuclei several short-lived isotopes of sodium and potassium. We could also achieve results in studies on ionic liquid hosts that were not possible with conventional NMR (e.g. by introducing directly Na or K atoms, and not a NaCl or KCl salt).
Shortly after the end of the project, we plan to perform the 1st biological studies using liquid-state beta-NMR.