The vector model of NMR Flashcards
Nuclear magnetic moments in the absence of an applied field
Randomly orientated
No net magnetisation
Nuclear magnetic moments in an applied field, B0
The individual spin states, ml, lose their energetic degeneracy and populate new energy levels according to a Boltzmann distribution
Consequently there is an excess of nuclear magnetic moments aligned with the applied field, leading to a net magnetisation, M0, which is represented as a vector
M0
Net/bulk magnetisation of the sample
Can be represented as a vector
Points along the direction of the applied field B0
The rotating frame in NMR experiments
In a magnetic field B0, the net magnetisation vector M precesses about the axis of the applied field at the Larmor frequency and is inclined at a precession cone angle
To simplify the magnetisation in an NMR experiment, we move from the static laboratory frame x, y, z to the rotating frame x’, y’, z’. which rotates about the z axis in the same direction and at the same rate as B1
Frame rotation matches the Larmor frequency
Z’ is inclined to the z-axis at the precession cone angle
Advantage of using the rotating frame method
Allows us to analyse what happens to M/to individual spins when the B1 magnetic field is applied at a frequency matching the Larmor frequency
The vector model of NMR
Considers what happens to M during the experiment as viewed in the rotating frame - basically we sit on the vector and observe the stationary origin
SW
Sweep/spectral width/window about the offset, in ppm
Refers to the chemical shift range over which the data is recorded
e.g. a sweep width of 2400 Hz covers 12 ppm of chemical shift if the 1H Larmor frequency is 200 MHz (2400Hz/200MHz = 12ppm)
What determines the centre of a spectrum?
The offset frequency i.e. the precise spectrometer frequency
Chemical shift range observed in the final spectrum
Extends from -0.5SW to +0.5SW
e.g. an offset frequency of 5 ppm with a spectral window of 10 ppm will yield a spectrum that starts at 0 ppm and ends at 10 ppm
Rf pulse
Radiofrequency pulse
Has a characteristic frequency (= spectrometer frequency) that depends on the nucleus you wish to observe and the magnetic field strength of the spectrometer
Excites the nuclei, which then emit Rf during the acquisition time, giving rise to an NMR signal in the form of an exponentially decaying sine wave (=FID)
How are NMR spectrometers generally named?
After the frequency at which hydrogen atoms resonate
e.g. a 500 will cause H atoms to resonate at approx. 500 MHz
Why is an Rf pulse that excites spins at only one frequency not desirable?
Because the NMR frequencies are spread out over a range of frequencies, called the range of chemical shifts
Why are short Rf pulse lengths used in FT-NMR?
Short pulse widths irradiate a wide range of different frequencies due to the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle
A pulse length of 10 us causes the Rf power to be distributed over 1/pw = 1/0.00001 = 100,000 Hz of frequencies
Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle
The time it takes for a system to change significantly multiplied by the uncertainty in energy is always greater than h/2pi
The Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle in relation to NMR
As the pulse length is shortened, the uncertainty in the frequency results in a larger field of excitation
See green equation in notes
When would a longer, lower energy pulse be useful in NMR?
A longer, lower energy pulse will have less frequency spread so can be used for frequency-selective excitation or saturation
Pulse width
Refers to TIME
i.e. units are us
= the amount of time the pulse of Rf energy is applied to the particular sample in order to flip the bulk magnetisation from the z-axis into the xy-plane
Pulse angle
The angle by which the magnetisation (M) is displaced away from the z’-axis towards the y’ axis
Determined by the strength (i.e. time length) of B1
B1
Excitation pulse
What happens to M after the Rf pulse has been applied?
M precesses about the z’ axis as it relaxes back to its pre-pulse, equilibrium state - i.e. the excited nuclear spins lose energy and drop from the excited state back to the ground state (Boltzmann distribution)
What is the observable NMR signal?
The projection of the precession of M onto the x’y’ plane
The receiver coil is orientated along the y’ axis, meaning the intensity of the signal observed is dependent upon the amount of magnetisation in the y’ direction