Relayed hyperpolarization for zero-field nuclear magnetic resonance

Zero- to ultralow-field nuclear magnetic resonance (ZULF NMR) is a rapidly developing form of spectroscopy that provides rich spectroscopic information in the absence of large magnetic fields. However, signal acquisition still requires a mechanism for generating a bulk magnetic moment for detection, and the currently used methods only apply to a limited pool of chemicals or come at prohibitively high cost. We demonstrate that the parahydrogen-based SABRE (signal amplification by reversible exchange)-Relay method can be used as a more general means of generating hyperpolarized analytes for ZULF NMR by observing zero-field J-spectra of [C-13]-methanol, [1-C-13]-ethanol, and [2(-13) C]-ethanol in both C-13-isotopically enriched and natural abundance samples. We explore the magnetic field dependence of the SABRE-Relay efficiency and show the existence of a second maximum at 19.0 +/- 0.3 mT. Despite presence of water, SABRE-Relay is used to hyperpolarize ethanol extracted from a store-bought sample of vodka (%P-H similar to 0.1%).

Automated summary

This study demonstrates that the parahydrogen-based SABRE-Relay method can be used as a more general means of generating hyperpolarized analytes for ZULF NMR. The study also explores the magnetic field dependence of the SABRE-Relay efficiency and successfully applies the method to hyperpolarize ethanol in the presence of water.