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Capabilities & Applications

Magnetic resonance spectroscopy utilizes the intrinsic magnetic properties of atomic nuclei (NMR) and unpaired electrons (EPR) to provide unprecedented, non-destructive insights into molecular structures, environments, and physical behaviors. The extreme sensitivity of these atomic spins allows for a broad array of applications spanning chemistry, biochemistry, engineering, materials science, and food science.

Magnetic Resonance Capabilities

The METRIC Magnetic Resonance facility provides a comprehensive suite of advanced spectroscopic capabilities for structural biology, materials science, and complex mixture analysis. Our instrumentation supports routine to highly specialized experiments spanning small molecules, biomolecules, polymers, and heterogeneous systems. These capabilities are designed to deliver high sensitivity, flexible experimental design, and fully automated high-throughput data collection.

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Periodic table showing available nuclei for MR analysis
Periodic table showing available nuclei for MR analysis

Key Features

  • Multinuclear & Multidimensional NMR
  • X-nucleus detection in solution format
  • Full structure elucidation: HSQC, HMBC, COSY, NOESY, TOCSY
  • Advanced 2D and 3D high-resolution experiments
  • Selective excitation experiments
  • 4-channel consoles enabling 3D/4D acquisition
  • Sensitivity & Performance Enhancements
  • Cryoprobe (4× sensitivity boost)
  • Prodigy probe (2× sensitivity boost)
  • SoFast NMR experiments for rapid data collection
  • Variable Conditions & Specialized Probes
  • Variable temperature range: +130 °C to −80 °C
  • 10 mm probe for polymers, soils, and heterogeneous samples
  • Multi-solvent suppression methods
  • Mixtures, Dynamics & Quantitation
  • DOSY for non-invasive mixture, catalyst, and nanomaterial analysis
  • Quantitative NMR (may require assistance for some nuclei)
  • Real-time reaction monitoring via flow probe
  • Automation & High Throughput
  • 60-sample autosampler for unattended batch processing
  • Full automation for high-throughput experimental workflows.
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Metabolomics & Complex Mixture Profiling

Metabolomics and mixture analysis use analytical techniques to identify and quantify small molecules in complex samples. Whether studying biological systems, chemical reactions, or industrial processes, NMR spectroscopy helps characterize sample composition and compare molecular changes across experimental conditions. While NMR is generally less sensitive than mass spectrometry, it requires minimal sample preparation and provides inherently quantitative data. Depending on the project, NMR, mass spectrometry, or both may provide the best analytical approach. If you are unsure which platform is best for your study, submit a consultation request and our staff will help guide you.

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Glucose Monitoring
Determination of glucose concentration in cellular media, courtesy of the Kennedy Lab.

Metabolite profiling: MR-based metabolomics provides quantitative detection of a broad range of metabolites typically present at concentrations ≥10 µM, including carbohydrates, amino acids, organic acids, and nucleotides.

Non-Invasive Mixture Analysis: Characterize complex matrices without tedious extraction. Applications include the analysis of agricultural soils, biological fluids and tissues, natural products, and commercial food or beverage formulations.

High-Throughput Assays: Equipped with automated autosamplers handling up to 60 samples consecutively, the facility supports large-scale metabolomics workflows for biological, clinical, and environmental cohorts.

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Biomolecular Structure & Dynamics

MR spectroscopy is a powerful tool for studying the structure and dynamics of biomolecules, including proteins, nucleic acids, and polysaccharides. Structural and dynamic measurements provide critical insights into molecular function, interactions, and motions across a wide range of timescales. A broad array of multidimensional NMR experiments is available to support biomolecular characterization, while EPR spectroscopy can provide complementary structural constraints for studying molecular complexes

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Biomolecular Structure and Dynamics
1H-15N HSQC of Dehaloperoxidase B from Amphitrite ornata, courtesy of Jessica González-Delgado, Franzen lab.

Macromolecular Characterization: Investigate the higher-order structural assemblies, spatial folding pathways, and thermodynamic dynamics of critical biomolecules including proteins, DNA, and RNA.

Ligand-Binding Interfaces: Map site-specific interactions and target binding affinities during pharmaceutical candidate screenings.

High-Sensitivity Infrastructure: Take advantage of 4-channel consoles enabling 3D data acquisition alongside cryogenic probe architectures that provide a 2x to 4x signal-to-noise boost, rendering low-concentration biological isolates more visible.

Available tools and expertise: Specialized capabilities include 19F NMR analyses using site-specific labels, Shigemi-style tubes for limited-volume samples, small-molecule binding screens, and advanced studies of allostery and riboswitch function.

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Materials & Polymer Science

METRIC provides powerful capabilities for the characterization of polymers, soft materials, and heterogeneous systems, enabling both structural and dynamic insights across a wide range of complex materials. These methods support studies ranging from molecular-level structure determination to macroscopic property relationships in advanced materials. With access to both solution and specialized probes, users can investigate composition, dynamics, and transport behavior in real-world material systems.

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Variable Temperature
Molecular confirmation via VT (25 °C to -45 °C), courtesy of the Deyu Xie Lab.

Polymer and Porosity Characterization: Assess macromolecular polymer chains, determine material porosity, and map complex polymorphism profiles.

Specialized Probes: Access to large-bore 10mm probes optimized specifically for handling challenging environmental, soil, and dense polymer material samples.

Variable Temperature : Access controlled temperature environments from 130 °C to −80 °C.

Multinuclear & Multidimensional NMR: Enable comprehensive structural elucidation using X-nucleus detection in solution and a full suite of 2D/3D experiments, including HSQC, HMBC, COSY, NOESY, and TOCSY for detailed molecular characterization.

Mixture Analysis, Dynamics & Quantitation: Characterize complex systems using DOSY for mixture deconvolution, NMR quantitation for absolute measurements, and real-time reaction monitoring with flow NMR capabilities.

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Bruker InsightMR flow system
Reaction monitor image courtesy of Bruker Biospin.

Real-Time Reaction Monitoring & Kinetics

Understanding how a system changes over time can be challenging to study. Oftentimes, it requires freezing or quenching a system so that reliable timepoints can be acquired. However, NMR provides opportunities for researchers to study their sample in real-time as it changes, yielding valuable insights into the processes taking place.

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In-Situ Tracking: Instead of analyzing static endpoints, researchers can study molecular entities in real time as chemical or biological processes unfold. Utilizing specialized tools like the Bruker InsightMR system, users gain deeper understandings of short-lived intermediates and catalysts.

Process Optimization: Ideal for monitoring reaction yields, calculating kinetic constraints, and optimizing manufacturing parameters.

Environmental Controls: Continuous-flow configurations permit real-time tracking of larger reaction volumes, while digital variable-temperature units allow for precise thermal tracking across an extensive range spanning from -50 °C up to 130 °C.

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Acknowledging METRIC

To ensure the continued support and visibility of METRIC, please cite the facility in all scholarly outputs—including publications, theses, dissertations, and presentations—that utilize data collected at METRIC facilities.

Citing METRIC