PASADENA hyperpolarization of succinic acid for MRI and NMR spectroscopy

We use the PASADENA (parahydrogen and synthesis allow dramatically enhanced nuclear alignment) method to achieve C-13 polarization of -20% in seconds in 1-C-13-succinic-d(2) acid. The high-field C-13 multiplets are observed as a function of pH, and the line broadening of C1 is pronounced in the region of the pK values. The (2)J(CH), (3)J(CH), and (3)J(HH) couplings needed for spin order P transfer vary with pH and are best resolved at low pH leading to our use of pH-3 for both the molecular addition of parahydrogen to 1-C-13-fumaric acid-d(2) and the subsequent transfer of spin order from the nascent protons to Cl of the succinic acid product. The methods described here may generalize to hyperpolarization of other carboxylic acids. The C1 spin-lattice relaxation time at neutral pH and 4.7 T is measured as 27 s in H2O and 56 s in D2O. Together with known rates of succinate uptake in kidneys, this allows an estimate of the prospects for the molecular spectroscopy of metabolism.