The Selective 1D Gradient NOESY

Many students run very long 2D NMR experiments to find one particular piece of information. This is especially true for 2D NOESY experiments where perhaps only a single NOE correlation is sought. Depending on the amount of compound available, 2D NOESY measurements often take hours or tens of hours to acquire and can cost alot of money in instrument user fees. Many people do not realize that there are selective 1D analogs to the non selective 2D experiments. These 1D experiments rely on shaped pulses for selective excitation and take only a small fraction of the time required to run the comparable non selective 2D experiment. Previously I have posted entries in this BLOG on the very useful 1D selective gradient TOCSY experiment. The figure below demonstrates the use of the 1D selective gradient NOESY experiment for bis(phenylthio)methane compared to the standard proton NMR spectrum. In this case, the methylene protons were selectively irradiated and the NOE's were observed on the phenyl rings. The experiment took less than 5 minutes to acquire.